Maxxina, the third installment of X director’s film series Westis a horror that follows an actress trying to achieve mainstream fame in 1985 Hollywood.
Kevin Bacon, who plays a key role in the film, reached new heights of fame in his real life in the 1980s. He told Yahoo Entertainment that when he was a “trendy” kid, he didn’t spend enough time appreciating the experience. He offered his advice for emerging stars.
“Appreciate it. I didn’t really like it, honestly. I worked so hard to be famous. When I got it, I was like, ‘Oh shit, I guess I don’t like this.’ I didn’t like doing photo shoots or being interrupted, and it was stupid,” he said. “I should have just said, ‘You idiot, you work so hard for it.’”
In Maxxine, Bacon plays a smarmy private eye who knows all too well that Hollywood attracts young talent only to see so many hopefuls leave disappointed.
“The film talks a lot about this. ‘It chews you up and spits you out’ — that’s one of my lines,” Bacon said.
In X, In the first part of the trilogy, Maxine Minx (Mia Goth) survives a mass murder that occurs while she and her friends are filming an adult film in a rural area. In Maxxine, Minx is now a well-known adult film star, haunted by the violence of her past and fighting to escape. She’s offered a role in a controversial horror sequel, at the same time her new friends appear to be being targeted by a serial killer known as the Night Stalker.
West wrote and directed all three films in the series X series, including X prequel, Pearl, which stars Goth as a different wannabe star. He told Yahoo Entertainment that he specifically chose the 1980s for the setting of Maxxina because there was a “puritanical” discussion about what was acceptable to be shown and discussed in films and music.
“There was a real debate that reached Congress about whether it should be acceptable 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 debut in the film as one of Minx’s closest friends, told Yahoo Entertainment that he loved how West wanted to “push the envelope” with the themes explored in the film.
“I knew this would upset my parents,” he joked. “I could never get over it.”
Veteran actors from Maxxina The cast, including Bacon, said they were impressed with West’s work on the other films in the trilogy.
Bacon said he is a fan of genre films and “people who are making really well-shot, compelling films on a shoestring budget, which is exactly what X It is Pearl they were.”
“I find that kind of inventiveness and creative genius attractive to me,” he said. “These two films feel completely different even though they were filmed side by side, in every way, from tone to music. I just wanted to work with that guy.”
Giancarlo Esposito told Yahoo Entertainment that his daughters encouraged him to be in the film, sending him viral clips of X It is Pearl.
“I look for my girls because they are at the forefront of pop culture. My daughter sent me one clip of Mia Goth screaming, ‘I’m a star!’ and I wanted to do something with someone who was fearless and innovative… and that’s [Goth] and West.”
Esposito plays a shady but well-intentioned Hollywood agent who gets close to Minx. He said the ’80s-set film reminded him of being on set back then when he was a young actor, when it was easier for actors to play with their roles.
“I would arrive dressed in my costume and a director would tell me whether it worked or not,” he said. “Today everything is prepared for you. It’s very different, but I like to explore, play and be free.”
For West, it’s bittersweet that the X trilogy is coming to an end. The filmmaker said he believes fans identify strongly with Minx because the films present a “judgment-free” view of the pursuit of fame.
“A lot of people want to be famous, but it’s more than that. It’s a “the grass is always greener” kind of thing. There is always something that people seek that seems out of reach,” he said. “The ambition that she has and the fearlessness that she has to pursue that ambition… I don’t know if it’s inspiring, but it’s certainly relatable to people.”
West was coy about what he’ll work on next. He said he liked to do X It is Pearl silently, back to back and without much involvement from the outside world.
“The secrecy and pomp that is part of this trilogy has been fun, because there is so much revealed online now. [about movies] before seeing them,” he said. “I liked keeping things… more mysterious. I’ll stick with it.”
Maxxina will be in theaters on July 5th.
