Director reveals Kevin Bacon ‘trick’ that made actor instant choice for They/Them

Bacon stars in new slasher film as the leader of a conversion camp that promises a group of LGBTQ+ campers a ‘new sense of freedom’

Director and writer John Logan has revealed which particular Kevin Bacon “trick” made the actor the immediate choice to lead his new horror film They/Them.

The award-winning actor stars in Peacock’s slasher film – streaming now – as the sinister Owen Whistler, the leader of a conversion camp that promises a group of LGBTQ+ campers a “new sense of freedom”.

Speaking to PinkNews in a recent interview, Logan opened up about casting for the thriller and why he knew Bacon was the perfect fit.

“I started with Kevin Bacon because when I started writing the movie I kept hearing Kevin’s voice and I kept seeing Kevin as Owen Whistler,” he explained.

“Kevin has that wonderful ability to go from very sincere and very charming to threatening,” he added. “And that’s the trick of the movie; that Owen Whistler when you meet him seems so reasonable.

“He’s using woke language, he seems like not such a bad guy, and then gradually gets more and more sinister.”

Amidst the real-life horrors that the LGBTQ+ community is currently facing, Bacon said they were interested in exploring those injustices through the slasher genre because “you have a bigger chance of exposing something in a genre that sometimes has a great, wide appeal”.

Kevin Bacon (Peacock/NBC)

He likened their tactic to that of Jordan Peele’s 2017 thriller film Get Out.

“I think people are starting to realise that you can reach people with horror. In this particular movie, the horror is the idea that someone can be changed.”

Earlier this week, Bacon resolved the Sarah Jessica Parker mystery surrounding the ending to the 1984 movie Footloose.

They/Them is available to stream now on Peacock in the US, however, no announcement has been made when or if it will be available to UK viewers.