Sam Amico
If you’re going to play a reverend, it probably wouldn’t hurt to learn everything you can about the part.
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So that’s what actor John Lithgow did for his role in the 1984 classic Footloose, starring a young Kevin Bacon.
Lithgow played the role of Rev. Shaw Moore, who more or less serves as the movie’s antagonist. Moore’s son is killed in a drunk driving accident, leading him to persuade the city council to set strict guidelines against loud music and dancing, among other things.
But playing a reverend did not come naturally to Lithgow, who grew up the son of a theatre producer and director. Lithgow spent most of his childhood in Ohio, though in different locations in Ohio — from Akron to Lakewood to Yellow Springs.
For his role in Footloose, he did the research.
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“I’m not a religious person,” Lithgow told GQ. “I grew up in eight different places. There was never even the opportunity to become part of a religious community, even if my family were so inclined, which they weren’t.”
He also needed more than just a reverend to talk to for the part. He wanted one from a small-ish town, just like the one in the movie.
“I felt I had to find someone,” he said. “And I went and I got some spiritual counseling from a very, very kind and emphatic and smart man who talked to me about his deep relationship with Jesus. And I really needed to hear that.”
Lithgow, 76, went on to play the role flawlessly, selling his character as someone the audience could root against. Eventually, the reverend came around to the dancing, of course.
While Footloose was never much of a hit with the critics, it became one of the largest-grossing movies of the 1980s and helped define an era. And Lithgow and his portrayal of Rev. Shaw Moore played a role in all that.
