‘I left in an ambulance’: Rob Lowe reveals he was meant to play Kevin Bacon’s role in Footloose – but lost the gig after suffering a horrific injury during the dance audition
Rob Lowe narrowly missed out on starring in one Hollywood’s most iconic films of the 1980s, Footloose.
Speaking to Australian radio program The Kyle And Jackie O show on Wednesday, the 56-year-old actor revealed that he was poised to play the lead role in Footloose before suffering horrific injury during the dance audition.
The gig eventually went to Kevin Bacon, whose career skyrocketed as a result of the film’s success.
‘Kevin Bacon owes me a lot’: Rob Lowe, 56, (pictured) revealed on Wednesday that he was meant to play Kevin Bacon’s role in Footloose – but lost the gig after suffering a horrific injury during the dance audition
‘I like to think, in some small way, Kevin Bacon owes me a lot because I auditioned for Footloose and made it all the way to the dance auditions,’ he told hosts Kyle Sandilands and Jackie ‘O’ Henderson.
Despite not being a dancer, Rob explained that he’d practiced the routine for two weeks before the audition.
‘I took it really seriously and I really wanted that part. I knew that movie was going to be huge,’ the father-of-two explained.
Famous role: The gig eventually went to Kevin Bacon, whose career skyrocketed as a result of the film’s success. Pictured: Kevin Bacon in Footloose
He continued: ‘There were about 25 of us in the audition and the dance audition ended with a big running jump to your knees slide across the floor – and I blew out my ACL.’
The ACL is a ligament located with the knee joint that is most commonly torn during activities that involve sudden movements or changes in direction.
‘I left the Footloose dance audition in an ambulance,’ Rob lamented.
Pictured: Despite not being a dancer, Rob explained that he’d practiced the routine for two weeks before the audition. Kevin Bacon and Footloose co-star Lori Singer
Ouch! ‘There were about 25 of us in the audition and the dance audition ended with a big running jump to your knees slide across the floor – and I blew out my ACL,’ Rob confessed
He went on to explain that producers told him not to worry about the blunder hurting his chances at getting the gig, as they’d decided they were going to hire a dancer rather than an actor.
Rob soon discovered this wasn’t the case after fellow actor Kevin got the role.
’48 hours later, high on morphine, I read that Kevin Bacon got the part,’ he grumbled.
While Rob missed out on the role in Footloose, he still managed to forge a successful Hollywood career by staring in popular films such as The Outsiders (1983), St. Elmo’s Fire (1985) and About Last Night… (1986).
Career success: While Rob missed out on the role in Footloose, he still managed to forge a successful Hollywood career by staring in a slew of popular films. Pictured with Tom Cruise in The Outsiders (1983)