The Guardians of the Galaxy franchise is one of the true highlights of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The three movies, plus an amazing Christmas special, make up a fun and compelling story about some of the MCU’s best characters. It’s also an incredible journey for Kevin Bacon, who, despite only appearing in the Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, has been part of the story since the beginning.
Kevin Bacon isn’t in the first Guardians of the Galaxy movie, but he does get name-dropped because Chris Pratt’s Peter Quill is a big fan. Speaking with Esquire, Bacon reveals that he had no idea he was going to be mentioned in the film, and he was shocked when he heard his name. He (jokingly) says he was a little annoyed because he’d rather have gotten paid if he was going to be included in the project:
I was completely shocked. What I’m thinking is, ‘Well, great, you’re talking about me, but how about a gig?’ You know? I don’t get paid for you saying my name.
It has to be more than a little strange to be Kevin Bacon sitting in a dark theater watching a science fiction Marvel movie and hearing his own name. Kevin Bacon has made some great films in his career and was a staple of '80s cinema. Hearing him referenced by name in a film isn't a wild idea, but this particular flick was certainly one place he was not expecting it.
Of course, Kevin Bacon would eventually get a gig from James Gunn to play himself in The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special. One might think that since Bacon was looking for a gig, that may have been how the appearance came about. However, Bacon says the call from James Gunn, who he had worked with on 2010's Super, came “out of the blue.” Still, he was such a fan that he said yes before even knowing what he would be doing. The actor continued…
Sight unseen, obviously without having read it, I said, ‘I’m in.’ I love the Guardians and the opportunity to, you know, to play myself and make fun of myself and not take myself too seriously.
Bacon plays an exaggerated version of himself in the special. Interestingly, the actor admits he’s actually not a big fan of Christmas, which makes the character he plays even funnier since the Kevin Bacon in the special you can stream with a Disney+ subscription clearly takes Christmas very seriously.
It certainly sounds like Kevin Bacon had a great time working on Guardians. With James Gunn now on the other side of the fence building the new DCU, one has to wonder if there might be a place for Kevin Bacon there eventually, either as himself or playing a character. There’s probably at least one DC comic book character who is a big fan of Tremors.
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