Kevin Bacon was initially offended by '6 Degrees' game that bears his name
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}It appears Kevin Bacon was at first less amused by the viral game "6 Degrees of Kevin Bacon" than its avid fans.
Speaking to Alex Rodriguez on the podcast "The Corp," the 61-year-old actor said his first reaction was to take offense at the game, in which players try to find the most efficient cinematic connections between an actor and Bacon (ideally, in six or fewer titles).
“‘They’re making fun of me,'" Bacon said, explaining his thought process (via People magazine). "I’m an actor. Exactly. 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?'
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“That’s how that’s just the actor’s insecurity,” he added. “That’s how I felt.”
The game was a variation on the concept of “six degrees of separation" -- which posits that everyone in the world is no more than six links from anyone else. For instance: Leonardo DiCaprio appeared in "Inception" with Ellen Page, who was in "Super" with Bacon. (Boom, two steps from Leo to Kevin.)
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Back in 2012, the former "Footloose" star addressed the game once again during TEDxMidwest, per People magazine.
“In 1994, I’m minding my own business, I’m making movies and raising my family,” Bacon recalled. “People would come up to me like, ‘My cousin came up with a game about you.’”
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“I was absolutely horrified," he admitted. "I know its a cliche, but actors, behind all the muscles and shining white teeth and low-cut dresses, it really is just masking a lot of deep, deep insecurity. I thought, ‘I’m going to be a laughingstock.’”
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Bacon did turn his fears into a good cause though, launching the charity Six Degrees in 2007.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The organization describes itself as building off "the popularity of the 'small-world phenomenon' by enabling people to become celebrities for their own causes by donating to or raising money for local and grassroots charities in the United States."