TEXAS TWOSOME
Kevin Bacon sheds inhibitions (and clothes) for quirky Amazon series
READY for another side of Kevin Bacon?
The prolific actor’s decadeslong career has straddled genres in film (“Footloose,” “A Few Good Men,” “X-Men: First Class”) and TV (“Guiding Light,” “Taking Chance,” “The Following”). But his latest project, Jill Soloway’s (“Transparent”) adaptation of Chris Kraus’ crassly-titled 1997 book “I Love Dick,” is more outre than his fans may be used to.
Bacon stars as Dick Jarrett, a renowned but weary, cowboy-esque artist who runs a small-town Texas teaching institute that makes hipsters salivate and locals roll their eyes. He questions his life and reputation when struggling filmmaker Chris (Kathryn Hahn) — wife of visiting institute fellow Sylvere (Griffin Dunne) — tries to impress and seduce Dick with a stalker’s frenzy.
“He’s the biggest fish, by far, in a very small town,” Bacon says, adding that the series was filmed in Marfa, Texas (population: barely 1,700), and LA. “Everybody hangs on his every word, women throw themselves at him. He is questioning that and whether or not anything that he’s created actually has value or will have an impact.”
Bacon recently called The Post from LA to talk about being a 58-year-old sex symbol, how his wife, Kyra Sedgwick (“The Closer”), helped him adjust to Soloway’s unconventional directing style, and more.
Why did Dick interest you?
I wanted to explore the ideas of the darker side of celebrity — to peel some of that away and see that this is a man that has his own set of struggles and he’s a little deeper than just a guy on a horse.
This was your first project with Jill Soloway. Did her indie methods surprise you?
Jill’s methodology is much more experiential and looser. The agenda wasn’t to deliver the work of the writers in a traditional way. That was surprising to me because the writing was so good. It felt like I was back in Circle in the Square [Theatre] in 1976 — you know, in acting school. How did you react? I’m a slightly jaded old guy at this point. I’ve been through about a bazillion processes when it comes to how films and television are created. I was honestly initially just kind of put off. I’ve got my own process: I’m gonna do my homework, you show up with a camera and turn it on, and tell me if you like it or don’t like it. I will have figured this out — I got this.
How did you get past doubts?
Kyra was actually really, really helpful. She said, “Listen, you’re not so old that you can’t have a new experience. You should leave your art and voice and body and mind and instrument open to this.” I heard her on that and eventually gave myself over to it — and when it works, it’s fantastic. There’s a graphic scene in Episode 2 in which Chris and Sylvere dance naked and then have sex as Dick watches. How
difficult was that to shoot?
It was more difficult for those guys than me. We did two takes. They did it once without me, then they invited me to the set. Griffin said, “OK, buddy, hang onto your hat.” Kathryn said, “I’ll see you on the other side.” I’m sitting there, the music comes on and out of my periphery come these two naked people dancing. It was spectacular and long — it wasn’t just 30 seconds. I really was wanting to crack up — it was all hilariously inappropriate and cool and funny. I just kind of rode it out.
You get butt-naked or shirtless yourself several times. You’ve still got it. How does it feel to still be a sex symbol?
[laughs] Thank you so much. You know what? To be objectified at my age is not the worst thing. I’m absolutely fine with it.