The Hilarious Reason Kevin Bacon Turned Down An M&M Commercial
We all know and love Kevin Bacon for his iconic role in the classic film "Footloose," amongst the slew of other great films he's been a part of over the years. His love of music extends even further as a member of the Bacon Brothers band — a country/folk rock band that he formed with his brother, Michael.
But did you know that Kevin Bacon almost starred in a very different role? Bacon recently revealed that he was offered a part in an M&M's commercial but decided to turn it down, per The Guardian.
Presumably hoping to capitalize on the success of the 1984 musical and dance film, the commercial would have seen Kevin Bacon dancing to the "Footloose" theme song by Kenny Loggins dressed as a giant peanut M&M, but the idea was shut down by the actor, leaving us to wonder what could have been. So, why did he turn down such a sweet gig?
Kevin Bacon's wife doesn't like it when food talks
Apparently, sentient foods are a bit of a touchy subject for Kyra Sedgwick, Kevin Bacon's wife of nearly 30 years. In an interview with The Guardian, Bacon revealed that although he "loves peanut M&M's," Sedgwick was not a fan of the idea of the commercial. "My wife doesn't like it when food talks," Bacon said of Sedgwick's reaction to the pitch.
Although Sedgwick is described by Bacon as "the chocoholic and sweet eater" of the family, he explained, "It's just a thing she has. If she sees a talking grape, it freaks her out. When there was the possibility I might be a talking M&M, she just said: 'No, that's too far.'"
The thought of Kevin Bacon dressed as a talking, dancing M&M is certainly an amusing one, but it's commendable that Bacon respected his wife's opinion and didn't do the commercial. At any rate, M&M's have had plenty of success with their commercials over the years thanks to Billy West, JK Simmons, and Vanessa Williams, whose voices you may recognize in a Fudge Brownie M&M's commercial (via Behind the Voice Actors).
And while there's probably a joke to be made about Kevin Bacon's last name and the fact that he was offered a role in a snack commercial, we'll instead just watch "Footloose" while tossing a handful of M&M's in our mouths and being happy that everything worked out the way it did.