The Cast of 1984’s ‘Footloose’ Then & Now
“So now I gotta cut loose … Footloose …” Don’t deny it. You’re already singing along and shaking your head to the beat, aren’t you? The 1984 classic film and song of the same name, Footloose, has a very special place in our hearts. It is hard to believe the film turned 40 last year! In the movie, we are introduced to the small town of Bomont, USA. This town doesn’t have any fun and has banned dancing as well as rock and roll music. When Ren McCormack (Kevin Bacon) rolls into town from the big city of Chicago, he doesn’t exactly take these rules well.
As crazy as it seems that an entire town would ban dancing, it was based on a true story about a town called Elmore City, Oklahoma, which banned dancing for religious reasons. Of course, in the movie, things change and there is a whole lot of singing and dancing at the end. Now, let’s find out what happened to some of the surviving stars of the movie and what they’re up to now. We must note that Chris Penn, who played Willard Hewitt, sadly died in 2006 at the age of 40.
Kevin Bacon (66)
Ren McCormack
Paramount/Everett Collection
Bacon got his big break in Footloose and went on to appear in some huge films including Apollo 13 and A Few Good Men. In addition to acting, he has also directed movies and television shows. When he starred in the film Lemon Sky, he met his wife, fellow actor Kyra Sedgwick and they have been together for over 35 years. News broke last year that they have both been cast in the upcoming film Connescence, working together for the first time in 20 years.
Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images
Bacon embraced the social phenomenon around him and created a nonprofit podcast called Six Degrees with Kevin Bacon. It was inspired by the idea of six degrees of separation, with many people noting that almost every actor is only six people away (or less!) from working with Bacon. He was most recently seen in the film Maxxxine and is the executive producer of a new game show called Lucky 13.
Lori Singer (67)
Ariel Moore
Everett Collection
Lori Singer portrayed Ariel, the Reverend’s daughter who was brave enough to fight against the town’s rules and fell in love with Ren. Prior to acting, Singer was admitted to the Oregon Symphony at 13 and accepted to the Julliard School, becoming the youngest person to graduate. She began modeling and acting in the ’80s. In more recent years, she decided to go back to music and sang at Carnegie Hall. Singer worked as an executive producer on the documentary Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God (2012) about sexual abuse in the church, which won three Emmys.
Tibrina Hobson/Getty Images for SBIFF
In 2023, she starred as the main character in the film Rachel Hendrix. In honor of the film’s 40th anniversary, Singer spoke fondly of her time working on the film and shared, “Every moment was magic from the get-go. The second we said hello and shook hands, it was almost electric. We felt a real excitement between our characters, and from that moment on, it was like a wild ride.”
John Lithgow (79)
Reverend Shaw Moore
Paramount/Everett Collection
Lithgow was already pretty famous when he was cast in Footloose after appearing on Broadway, TV, and in movies. After Footloose, he became known for the show 3rd Rock from the Sun. In more recent years, he appeared as Winston Churchill in The Crown, wrote and starred in his own solo play called John Lithgow: Stories by Heart, appeared in the Perry Mason reboot, and in the film Killers of the Flower Moon. He is set to appear in a film called Spellbound this year and in a play titled Giant at London’s Royal Court Theatre.
Tommaso Boddi/Getty Images
Lithgow has also written several books and recorded music for children. He’s still acting and is in the horror movie The Rule of Jenny Pen which comes out in March 2025.
Dianne Wiest (76)
Vi Moore
CBS via Getty Images
Over the years, Wiest and Lithgow collaborated many times, including playing husband and wife in Footloose. This was her first big movie as she mostly appeared on Broadway before that. She won an Academy Award for her role in Hannah and Her Sisters in 1986.
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She has appeared in films and shows such as The Lost Boys, Parenthood, Practical Magic and Law & Order. Her most recent role is in Mayor of Kingstown as Miriam McClusky. She also appeared in the 2024 film Apartment 7A.
Sarah Jessica Parker (59)
Rusty
Everett Collection
Parker began working in Hollywood as a child. After Footloose, she only became more popular when she got the role of Carrie in Sex and the City. She currently stars and produces the sequel series And Just Like That… She also recently appeared in the Hocus Pocus sequel, which was highly-anticipated after the first ’90s film came out. She is married to fellow actor Matthew Broderick.
Bennett Raglin/Getty Images
The pair worked together in several Broadway and off-Broadway productions including How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying and Plaza Suite.
Remind 
’80s Where Are They Now
March 2023
Who can forget all the great TV shows, movies and music of the ‘80s? See what your favs are up to now!
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