Beverly Hills Cop 4 star Kevin Bacon reveals that he’s thrilled he is finally getting to embrace his villainous side after a 45-year-long career

After 45 years in showbiz, Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F. star Kevin Bacon says he's having a great time playing against type.

"I don't go out specifically and look for villains, but I've never been someone who's afraid of doing bad things in movies because people are gonna think bad things about me. I think there are actors who are like, 'Oh, I don't want to do that 'cause that's not gonna look good.' Because for who I want to be in the public persona – I don't really care about that – I might be able to kind of separate those two things in my life," Bacon tells GamesRadar+.

Beverly Hills Cop 4 sees Axel return to California to help Jane, while also reuniting with his old pals Billy Rosewood (Judge Reinhold) and John Taggart (John Aston), to uncover a sinister conspiracy. Bacon plays Captain Cade Grant, a corrupt police captain who starts lurking about when Axel's (Eddie Murphy) daughter Jane (Taylour Page) finds herself in danger. The actor is also set to play a seedy private investigator in Ti West's MaXXXine.

"And so when you open that door, that means that you're gonna get some opportunities to play people that do morally reprehensible things. I have no problem with it. To me, it's not so much about whether or not I'm playing a villain. It's more about, is it a complex part? Is it an interesting part, and is it, different from something that I've done before? And do I have a hook into how to walk in this man's shoes?"

Bacon was just 19 when he made his feature film debut in National Lampoon's Animal House. He would then go on to star in the first Friday the 13th installment before starring in 1984's Footloose, which would go on to launch his stardom and make him a Hollywood staple. Though Bacon seems to be leaning away from typical dramas and leading-man roles, the actor says he's picking his projects "the same way I always have."

"Send me the script. I'll take a look at the elements. Look, if there's something fun for me to do in it – I don't think about the genre. I don't think about the budget of the movie. I don't think about the size of the part," Bacon explains. "I think about if it's good and if I can do my shit. I love to act and to me, to get the opportunity to be able to keep doing it after so many years – I'm incredibly grateful for it, because the time between action and cut, like, that's my sweet spot."

Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F. hits Netflix on July 3. For more, check out our list of the most exciting upcoming movies in 2024 and beyond.