Kevin Bacon Says It Was 'Just Great' Directing 1st Movie in 20 Years Alongside Wife Kyra Sedgwick: 'She Was Right There' (Exclusive)
Kevin Bacon Says It Was 'Just Great' Directing 1st Movie in 20 Years Alongside Wife Kyra Sedgwick: 'She Was Right There' (Exclusive)
Yamillah Hurtado, Raven BrunnerThu, March 19, 2026 at 2:53 PM UTC
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Kevin Bacon at the premiere of 'Family Movie' at the 40th SXSW Film & TV Festival in Austin on March 13, 2026Credit: Michael Gonzalez/Shutterstock -
Kevin Bacon spoke to PEOPLE about returning to the director’s chair after nearly 20 years at the SXSW premiere of Family Movie
“It was a pretty familiar place to step back into, and to have my partner co-direct with me was just great,” he said
Bacon and his wife Kyra Sedgwick co-directed and starred in the comedy horror alongside their two children, Sosie and Travis
Kevin Bacon got behind the camera for his new film starring his family.
During the premiere of Family Movie at the SXSW Film & TV Festival in Austin on Friday, March 13, Bacon spoke exclusively to PEOPLE about returning to the director’s chair for the first time in nearly 20 years for his latest project.
“It was a pretty familiar place to step back into, and to have my partner (Kyra Sedgwick) co-directing with me was just great because if I missed something or I slipped up or I forgot some detail, she was right there with it,” Bacon, 67, told PEOPLE.
The Footloose star shared that his experience as an actor influenced his role as a director, saying, “I'm someone who's very sensitive to what their director is going through.”
“People have said to me, ‘Well, when you started directing, did you realize how hard it was?’ " he continued. "You'd have to be an idiot to be on a set and not realize how hard it was. All you got to do is look and see. It's just hard.”
Kyra Sedgwick and Kevin Bacon at the 40th SXSW Film & TV Festival in Austin on March 13, 2026Credit: Michael Gonzalez/Shutterstock
The Hollywood power couple, who have been married since 1988, joined forces to direct and star in Family Movie alongside their two kids, Sosie Bacon, 33, and Travis Bacon, 36. The comedy horror film marks Kevin’s first directorial role since his 2005 feature film Loverboy, in which he starred with Sedgwick and Sosie.
"We really both love what we do. I know that Kyra is never as happy as when she’s directing, and I absolutely love acting and love directing," Bacon told The Hollywood Reporter at the premiere.
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In Family Movie, the Bacons star as the Smiths, who “have gathered once again on their quaint family farm to make the latest in a string of low-budget horror movies,” according to an official SXSW synopsis of the film. However, the family tradition takes a turn “when a real dead body shows up on set,” and the Smiths descend into chaos.
Kyra Sedgwick, Travis Bacon, Kevin Bacon and Sosie Bacon in 'Family Movie'Credit: Mac Fisken
Kevin described working with his family on the film as “magical” when speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, while Sedgwick, 60, called the experience “sublime.”
“It’s always been easy, but it’s been shockingly wonderful,” the Brooklyn Nine-Nine actress shared. “The whole time we were shooting, we kept going, ‘God, this is just so great. This is so great.’ When we were in prep, and as soon as we were all four of us together on site, it was better than I could have imagined.”
"I’ve seen Kevin on set — I’ve seen the way he conducts himself on set, but watching the kids and the way they conducted themselves just as humans and colleagues and artists?" she continued. "It's very rare that, as a parent, especially of an adult child, you get to watch them in the world and how they behave with other people. They just behaved so well!"
She concluded by stating she "can’t stop smiling about it." "We made something we’re proud of on top of everything else — it’s the icing on the cake," Sedwick noted.
Sosie told PEOPLE that she was excited to star in Family Movie as Ula Smith and work with her parents, saying, “[My dad] is great to work with. They both are.”
“They’re very respectful of your own process as an actor,” she added. “They are both actors, so it’s a lot easier to communicate, and I just had a great time.”
Travis, who plays Trent Smith and composed the music for the film, shared that working on the project together was a new experience for the Bacon family, adding, “We can put this on our wall and reminisce about it.”
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
