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Sarah Jessica Parker said she nearly missed out on playing Rusty in Footloose after balking at a request to cut and dye her hair. The production moved on, then called her back while filming was underway. Parker agreed to join the Utah shoot on the condition that she would not cut her hair—and, she recalled, the character kept the name Rusty.
Why Parker initially turned down Rusty
In a retrospective interview with The A.V. Club, Parker recalled being offered the part of Rusty and then being told to cut her hair and dye it red. Her response, she said, was: “Oh god, I can’t do that again.”
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According to Parker, the production moved on and cast someone else. While she was home working on another movie, she received another call: the filmmakers wanted her to fly to Utah and join the shoot. Filming had already started; Parker remembered that the crew was “well into at least, I think, the first week.”
She accepted with a condition: “I’m not going to cut my hair.” Parker’s account is a later recollection, not a contemporaneous production record, so it should be understood as her description of the casting sequence.
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- The disk has English audio.
Why Rusty’s name stayed the same
Parker said the production did not change Rusty’s name when it brought her back. “They never changed my character’s name. She continued to be called Rusty, inexplicably,” she recalled in the same interview.
Rusty’s place in Footloose
Rusty is a friend and confidante of Ariel Moore, played by Lori Singer, and is connected to Willard, played by Chris Penn. In a 2024 interview, Singer remembered Parker as a “very supportive best friend” to Ariel, describing her own recollection of their on-screen friendship. Singer’s interview
How the casting accounts fit together
Screenwriter Dean Pitchford later said he wrote Rusty with Tracy Nelson in mind and that Parker replaced Nelson during preparations for filming. Pitchford’s account adds context, but it does not fully reconcile with Parker’s version: Parker said she was first offered the role, declined the hair change, and was later invited back after the shoot had begun. The accounts are best kept attributed to the people who gave them rather than combined into a single definitive timeline.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Where to find Parker discussing the film
A 2024 article marking the film’s 40th anniversary reported a two-disc 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray release with a bonus feature titled “From Bomont to the Big Apple: An Interview with Sarah Jessica Parker.” The V13 article identifies the feature; check the specific edition listing, since the report does not establish current retailer availability.
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Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
