The industry has been blessed with innumerable big names over the years. It’ll be difficult to count the number of gems Hollywood has produced, with each big name having to his credit a crazy fandom. But amongst the galaxy of big names, there is one which stands out. There are many who have a star of their name on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. But there’s only one who has inspired the game, Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon.
Kevin Bacon was making a name for himself
It’s the 1990s. The decade might be one of the most illustrious decades in the history of Hollywood, witnessing the release of all-time favorites like Forrest Gump, The Shawshank Redemption, Goodwill Hunting, and Schindler’s List amongst many other films. And Kevin Bacon was emerging as one of the promising stars in the industry.
Back when Kevin Bacon had just gotten a foot in Hollywood, three college students at Albright College in Reading, Pennsylvania came up with an idea that would immortalize them along with the X-Men: First Class star. The Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon was their brainchild.
The afternoon that inspired Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon
Speaking years down the line, and years after the game became a sensation, Kevin Bacon revealed how he felt the game was just a cheap joke at his expense. But it was so much more. And that becomes clear once you take into account its history.
The year is 1994 and three college students have no option but to watch Footloose on TV. That is when they came across an advertisement for The Air Up. And one thing common to both flicks is the presence of Kevin Bacon. For those three, the 65-year-old was everywhere. And eureka!
Kevin Bacon was at the center of the Multiverse
Craig Fass, Mike Ginelli, and Brian Turtle couldn’t help but notice that Kevin Bacon had a plethora of projects under his belt. Not to mention, he must have worked with so many names in the industry. It wouldn’t be difficult to believe that Bacon would be one guy who must have relations with many big names in the industry.
The Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon was born.
Based on the theory of six degrees of separation that any two people are only ever six or fewer connections apart, involves linking anyone in Hollywood to the Tremors star. And it didn’t take much time for the game to become a global phenomenon. Even Bacon, who was initially not in love with the idea came across it. Speaking to the Corp Podcast, he said,
“I thought the joke was, ‘Can you believe that such a lightweight could be connected to Laurence Olivier or Meryl Streep or whatever in six steps or less?'” (The Corp Podcast)
The resentment is a thing of the past. He is now embracing the tag, even using it as the title of his own website — SixDegrees.org which forms the backbone of his charity campaign and brings together people from various walks of life.
Watch the video here:
