Lori Singer made her breakthrough role as Ariel Moore in the 1984 musical film Footloose. A young Kevin Bacon also turned in a star-making performance in the film. The film was the decade-defining musical of the 80s with its foot-tapping dance numbers and amazing soundtrack still etched into people’s minds.
The film has stood the test of time and continues to be celebrated to this day. Singer recently reflected on the relevance of the film and her experience making the film. Singer committed herself to some daredevil stunts and even got slapped on her face during an intense scene.
Lori Singer Got Slapped By John Lithgow for an Intense Scene in Footloose
1984’s Footloose led by Kevin Bacon and Lori Singer was a smash hit in the 80s. In addition to being an entertaining musical, the film also dealt with themes about going against authoritative norms and dance being the revolutionary symbol against it. Singer played the daughter of that authoritative figure, who is her father, played by John Lithgow.
As the film celebrates its 40th anniversary, Singer sat down with The Daily Beast to talk about her experiences and even revealed some surprising anecdotes about making the film. She states that during the confrontation scene between her and Lithgow’s Reverend Shaw Moore, she got slapped for real, and the impact was so hard that it left a handprint on her face. She said,
“We had a very intense relationship. During the breakfast scene, he actually slapped me. That was a full-on slap. However, it looked, that’s what that slap was. My face had his handprint on it.”
The father-daughter duo are seen constantly arguing throughout the film due to Shaw’s strict religious nature and not allowing any form of dancing in town. The scene described by Singer is one of the confrontations between the duo as Ariel starts going against her father’s wishes and teams up with Bacon’s Ren to bend the rules and bring the joy of dancing back.
Lori Singer and Kevin Bacon Had Natural Chemistry While Doing Footloose
In addition to the foot-tapping dance numbers, Lori Singer and Kevin Bacon‘s sizzling chemistry was one of the highlights of 1984’s Footloose. Both actors became huge movie stars after the success of the film. Singer recently reflected on working with Bacon and stated that they had a natural chemistry between them.
Singer called their chemistry an electric one that didn’t need an extra prep. She is grateful to director Herbert Ross and cinematographer Ric Waite for beautifully capturing the essence of their characters. She told People,
“It was electric. It’s just one of those things when you have somebody like Herb Ross as a director and he’s been with so many great actors … he was already very established, so he knew what he was doing. But when you have someone like Ric Waite as a cinematographer and Herb Ross directing, then they can manage to actually capture what they wanted to capture, which was electric”
The film continues to be discovered by audiences, and the incredible soundtrack featuring Kenny Loggins’ title track and Bonnie Tyler’s Holding Out For A Hero are still bangers. Both Ren McCormack and Ariel Moore have become celebrated characters over the years. Fans can watch Footloose on Netflix or Amazon Prime.
