Minor spoilers ahead for They/Them.
The horror genre has been on a roll for years now, with many of the biggest modern classics coming from Blumhouse Productions. That includes the new streaming slasher They/Them, which was released on Peaco*ck last weekend. The movie stars the great Kevin Bacon, and the movie’s cast recently spoke to CinemaBlend about how they stepped up as an LGBTQ+ ally.
Kevin Bacon has had a long history with the horror genre, dating back to the original Friday the 13th movie and reaching new releases like You Should Have Left. But They/Them is a new type of horror movie, set at a gay conversation camp. As you can see in the video above, I had the chance to speak with the movie’s cast, where actress Monique Kim revealed how Bacon is using his platform for the queer community. As she put it,
Now he’s doing work with Born Perfect, which is an organization that’s trying to get rid of conversion camps. And he could have very easily just done the press, promoted this movie, and be over with it. But he’s taking that extra step to use his name to make a difference. So we really appreciate that.
Talk about a class act. On top of helping They/Them get made thanks to his dual role as an actor and executive producer, it looks like Kevin Bacon is further helping the LGBTQ+ community. Namely by helping Born Perfect, which aims to close conversion therapy camps like the one seen in the horror flick. And that allyship clearly means a great deal to his young They/Them co-stars.
Peaco*ck subscribers who tuned in for They/Them will know that Kevin Bacon was far from an ally as his character Owen Whistler. He’s the man running the conversion camp, and has some truly unsettling sequences throughout the movie’s 104-minute runtime. So it’s nice to hear how kind Bacon actually was, and how he stepped up for LGBTQ+ folks in the movie’s cast and beyond.
They/Them director/writer John Logan brought a refreshingly inclusive cast together to bring the movie to life, containing some truly powerful performances. The movie also shows how violent words can be, even when paired with typical slasher violence. And Kevin Bacon seemingly wants to help queer youth out there who are vulnerable in these conversion camp environments.
Of course, Monique Kim wasn’t the only person to sing Kevin Bacon’s praises regarding his contributions to They/Them. Actress Anna Lore also spoke to what it was like working with the Footloose icon on the new horror movie, saying:
He’s just super generous with his time and his energy. There is no difference in levels. We understand him to be a fantastic, legendary actor, but he doesn't act like it. He was so down. And I think it also speaks to his incredible allyship as well. He was really excited to be part of this film and to be an executive producer on this film. It was wonderful.
It sounds like working with Kevin Bacon was a real dream for the cast of They/Them. This includes both his work on the horror movie’s set, as well as work out there in the real world. No wonder the actor is such a living legend.
On top of the horror renaissance, this year has seen number of movies telling authentic LGBTQ+ stories released to the public. Hulu recently put out the raunchy comedy Fire Island, while Billy Eichner’s Bros will feature a cast of exclusively queer actors.
They/ Them is streaming now on Peaco*ck. Be sure to check out the 2022 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience.
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Corey Chichizola
Movies Editor
Corey was born and raised in New Jersey. Graduated with degrees theater and literature from Ramapo College of New Jersey. After working in administrative theater for a year in New York, he started as the Weekend Editor at CinemaBlend. He's since been able to work himself up to reviews, phoners, and press junkets-- and is now able to appear on camera with some of his favorite actors... just not as he would have predicted as a kid. He's particularly proud of covering horror franchises like Scream and Halloween, as well as movie musicals like West Side Story. Favorite interviews include Steven Spielberg, Spike Lee, Jamie Lee Curtis, and more.
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