Kevin Bacon Admits to Being ‘Bossy’ on Set and His Family Doesn’t Disagree

Kevin Bacon isn’t pretending to be easy to work with, at least not when he’s directing his own family.

At SXSW this year, Bacon appeared alongside Kyra Sedgwick and their two children, Sosie and Travis Bacon, to discuss Family Movie, a deliberately self-referential horror project the family made together. The film, co-directed by Bacon and Sedgwick, centers on a filmmaker shooting a low-budget horror movie with his wife and children when things begin to unravel, both on and off set.

The concept is intentionally close to home. The idea first emerged during the pandemic, when Bacon and Sedgwick, like many others, found themselves confined and restless. What began as a hypothetical, making a film with whatever resources were available at home, gradually evolved into a full project. Screenwriter Dan Beers later expanded the premise, and the couple decided to direct the film themselves, casting their children in key roles.

The result is a film that blurs the line between fiction and reality, something Sosie Bacon said became evident almost immediately during production. “There’s a moment where my character gets an offer to leave the film for another job,” she said. “And then, in real life, I got an offer to do a movie that would’ve required me to leave our shoot. It felt a little too on the nose.”

She ultimately stayed, but the overlap between the script and real-life circumstances underscored just how closely the project mirrored their own dynamics. That dynamic extended behind the camera as well. Asked about what it was like working together as a family, Bacon acknowledged that his directing style can be, at times, overbearing. “I can’t help being a little bossy,” he said.

Sedgwick, sitting beside him, responded immediately, applauding the admission. Their children were less surprised. “I get bossy, and I mansplain,” Bacon added.

Bacon described the habit as something he’s aware of, even if it still surfaces on set. He joked that his explanations often begin the same way: “Here’s the thing…”

The comment drew laughter, but it also reflected the reality of working within a family structure where professional roles and personal relationships overlap. Directing actors is one thing; directing your own children, while collaborating with your spouse, introduces a different level of complexity.

Still, the Bacons framed the experience as largely positive. The film’s premise, a family trying to complete one last project together, mirrors the real-life motivation behind making it. Bacon described his character as someone driven by both a love of filmmaking and a desire to create something meaningful with his family before time runs out.

That theme carried into the production itself. Despite the occasional friction, the project functioned as a shared creative effort, with each family member contributing in different ways. Travis Bacon, a musician and composer, was involved in the film’s music side, while Sosie took on one of the central acting roles alongside her parents.

The film also leans into the absurdity of its setup, including moments that push the boundaries of comfort, such as scenes requiring family members to navigate scripted intimacy or heightened emotional conflict. According to the group, those moments were less awkward than expected, largely because of the collaborative environment they had built.

At its core, Family Movie is as much about process as it is about story. The Bacons approached it as an opportunity to experiment, to work closely together, and to explore the intersection of their personal and professional lives. If that meant dealing with a bit of “mansplaining” along the way, it seems the rest of the family was prepared for it (and more than willing to call it out).