Maxxine, the third part in the X film series by director Ti Westis a slasher film about an actress trying to break through in Hollywood in 1985.
Kevin Bacon, who plays a key role in the film, reached new heights of fame in real life in the 1980s. He told Yahoo Entertainment that when he was an “it” boy, he didn’t spend enough time appreciating the experience. He offered his advice to rising stars.
“Enjoy it. I honestly didn’t enjoy it. I worked so hard to be famous. When I got it, I was like, ‘Oh shit, I don’t think I’m going to like this.’ I didn’t like doing photo ops or being interrupted, and it sucked,” he said. “I should have just said, ‘You loser, you work so hard for this. Enjoy it. Ride the wave.’”
In Maxxine, Bacon plays a slick private detective who knows all too well that Hollywood attracts young talent, only to see as many potential candidates leave disappointed.
“The movie talks about this a lot. ‘It chews you up and spits you out’ — that’s one of my lines,” Bacon said.
In X, the first part of the trilogy, Maxine Minx (Mia Goth) survives a mass murder that takes place while she and her friends are filming an adult film in a rural area. In Maxxine, Now a famous adult film star, Minx is haunted by the violence in her past and struggles to break free. She is offered a role in a controversial horror sequel, while her new friends seem to be the target of a serial killer known as the Night Stalker.
West wrote and directed all three films in the X series, including the X precursor, Pearl, in which Goth is another aspiring star. He told Yahoo Entertainment that he specifically chose the 80s as the setting for Maxxine because there had been a ‘puritanical’ discussion about what was acceptable to show and discuss in films and music.
“There was a real debate that went all the way to Congress about whether it should be okay for music to say certain things, or whether movies should be violent and things like that,” West said. “That was thematically relevant to the film.”
Moses Sumney, who makes his feature film debut in the film as one of Minx’s best friends, told Yahoo Entertainment that he loved how West wanted to “push the boundaries” with the themes explored in the film.
“I knew it would upset my parents,” he joked. “I could never get over that.”
Experienced actors in the Maxxine The cast, including Bacon, said they were impressed with West’s work on the other films in the trilogy.
Bacon said he’s a fan of genre films and “people who make really well-shot, compelling movies on a budget, and that’s exactly what X And Pearl goods.”
“I find that kind of inventiveness and creative genius attractive to me,” he said. “Those two films look completely different, even though they were shot back-to-back, in every way from the tone to the music. I just wanted to work with that guy.”
Giancarlo Esposito told Yahoo Entertainment that his daughters encouraged him to participate in the film by sending him viral clips of X And Pearl.
“I go to my girls because they are at the forefront of pop culture. My daughter sent me a clip of Mia Goth screaming, ‘I’m a star!’ and I wanted to do something with someone who is fearless and innovative… and that’s [Goth] and West.”
Esposito plays a shady but well-meaning Hollywood agent who becomes close to Minx. He said the film, set in the 1980s, reminded him of being on set as a young actor when it was easier for actors to play their roles.
“I would come in dressed in my costume, and a director would tell me if it worked or not,” he said. “Nowadays, everything is set up for you. It’s very different, but I like to explore and play and be free.”
For West it is double that the X trilogy is coming to an end. The filmmaker said he thinks fans can relate to Minx so strongly because the films offer a “judgment-free” look at the quest for fame.
“A lot of people want to be famous, but it’s about more than that. It’s a ‘grass is always greener on the other side’ type of thing. There’s always something that people are striving for that seems just out of reach,” he said. “The ambition that she has and the fearlessness with which she pursues that ambition … I don’t know if it’s inspiring, but it’s definitely relatable to people.”
West was shy about what he’s going to work on next. He said he’s excited to X And Pearl quietly, one after the other and without much interference from the outside world.
“The mystery and pomp and circumstance that was part of this trilogy was fun, because now so much is being revealed online [about movies] before you see them,” he said. “I’ve enjoyed keeping things … more of a mystery. I’m going to continue to do that.”
Maxxine is in theaters from July 5.
