This week, we are getting the second Marvel special on Disney+ about a month after Werewolf By Night introduced a new format to the MCU. In The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, Kevin Bacon will play himself, closing up on running references about the actor in the galactic corner of the Marvel universe. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, he talked about how it came together and what he liked about doing the role.
The crew wants to cheer up Chris Pratt’s Star-Lord in the new special by celebrating Christmas on Earth. Drax (Dave Bautista) and Mantis (Pom Klementieff) go the extra mile by kidnapping Kevin Bacon in the Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special. This exaggerated version of himself was the main draw to the project.
“I like to make fun of myself or play some heightened version of me. I don’t get a chance to do things that are fun and silly that often. I’m often part of something more dramatic or some kind of darker, edgier stuff.”
Kevin Bacon on The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special
Back in the day before exploding as a major player in Hollywood, James Gunn worked with the Footloose actor, who he first mentioned in the MCU with a reference in the first Guardians movie, in 2010’s Super. On Twitter, the director revealed that he wrote the actor into the story before asking. When he called and said the idea of being kidnapped by Drax and Mantis, the star “signed on.”
Stepping onto a Marvel set with The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, Kevin Bacon said that “you’re walking in another universe.” It was emphasized that he never saw his co-stars in normal clothing as everyone was in makeup, prosthetics, and costumes the whole time. It was like he got to meet the real characters rather than the actors.
“I never saw the cast outside of their makeup, so meeting them was just like [their characters],” he said. “So, it’s kind of a funny thing to step into and have everybody call you Kevin Bacon all day long.”
The upcoming special will be an epilogue to Phase 4 after Wakanda Forever. Like any Marvel project, it has weight in the universe and the characters, making it required viewing for anyone wanting to keep up with where these characters will go in the future. It will connect to the third standalone film for the funny bunch of galactic heroes on May 5, 2023.
The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special hits Disney+ on November 25. It will be roughly 40 minutes long.