In the new horror movieThey/Them(get it?
“Horror is a genre that has such a large audience,” Bacon tells EW.
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: What attracted you both to makeThey/Them?
Kevin Bacon in ‘They/Them’.Josh Stringer/Blumhouse/Peackock
CARRIE PRESTON:The script was really well-made.
It was written by John Logan [Gladiator,The Aviator], who is an absolute genius.
He managed to create this story of LGBTQ empowerment in a gay conversion camp.
The concept alone was just incredible.
Plus, I felt the characters really came to life on the page.
Speaking of, you famously starred in the originalFriday the 13th.
Did it feel a bit full-circle for you?
PRESTON:We did a good amount of research before filming.
BACON:You know, the older I get, the more I realize I have more to learn.
And I think many people my age are going through a similar experience with that.
But I’m always trying to learn and grow, so it was good to sit back and listen.
PRESTON:We did, and we all knew we were being trusted with something like that.
How does it feel to see subtext become text in something likeThey/Them?
When I was younger we were told to keep our private lives to ourselves.
BACON:They’d say, “Stay in the closet.”
Because otherwise, you won’t get cast.
Sadly, that was very true.
But thankfully, we had trailblazers who helped get people out of that mindset.
But to think that these young actors were cast for this moviebecauseof who they are is really inspiring.
It gives me a lot of hope about where we’re headed as storytellers.
Did you hear that from your cast mates or viewers?
I want them to realize how monstrous it is.
So it’s happening to minors, and that’s truly horrifying.
Why do you think horror is such a good way to tell these stories?
But horror is a genre that has such a large audience.
It’s taken us a long time to realize that horror can have positive messages about social injustices.
So much of the genre was built on morals and religious beliefs.
Has there ever been a horror movie you auditioned for but ended up not getting?
And is there a horror franchise you’ve always wanted to star in?
PRESTON:Oh, this is funny: I auditioned to play the alien in M. Night Shyamalan’sSigns.
BACON:They were casting a wide net.
But clearly, I didn’t get the part.
BACON:I’m a huge zombie fan, I absolutely love zombie movies.
I really wanted to be inZombielandorZombieland 2, but it just didn’t work out.
Did you ask to be in those?
BACON:Of course I did!
And they said no.
