Christopher Atkins says drinking cost him role in 'Footloose

At the Fanboy Expo Knoxville in Tennessee, 65‑year‑old actor Christopher Atkins told a panel that his heavy drinking in the early 1980s caused him to miss a crucial meeting with the producers of the 1984 film *Footloose*. He recalled, “I was a mess back then… I can’t go in right now, I’ve been drinking and carrying on,” and said he blew the audition, after which the lead went to Kevin Bacon.

Atkins, who rose to fame with *The Blue Lagoon* in 1980, said he is now almost 40 years sober and reflected on how the missed *Footloose* role could have altered his career, noting the part launched Kevin Bacon’s stardom.