Kevin Bacon joins Leave the World Behind cast

Kevin Bacon has joined the cast of 'Leave the World Behind'.

The 63-year-old star and Farrah Mackenzie have signed up for Sam Esmail's Netflix movie.

The pair join a cast that includes Julia Roberts, Mahershala Ali, Ethan Hawke and Myha'la Herrold.

'Leave the World Behind' is based on Rumaan Alam's novel about a family holiday on Long Island that is interrupted by a pair of strangers bearing news of a mysterious blackout.

As the threat grows, both families must decide how to survive the potential crisis while figuring out their own place in the collapsing world.

Esmail has adapted the screenplay and is producing with Chad Hamilton through his Esmail Corp banner. Roberts, Lisa Gillan and Marisa Yeres Gill are also producing for Red Om Films.

Meanwhile, Kevin recalled being told that he would be good for soaps and commercials before landing the lead role in the 1984 film 'Footloose'.

He said: "They would say: 'You’re gonna be good for the soaps and commercials. You’ll be the boy next door.'"

Bacon – who stars in mobile network EE's TV advertising campaign - started his acting career in theatre and revealed that he was astonished when he saw a film set for the first time.

He said: "I’d only ever worked on stage so to be thrown into this – all the people, cameras, cranes, dolly tracks, walkie-talkies – my jaw absolutely dropped. But I also fell in love with it. Every piece of it felt so magnificent to me."

The 'Apollo 13' actor also admits success for an actor "shouldn't be measured by box office sales".

Kevin said: "Success isn't measured by box office sales. I kind of have to say that. I have probably made close to 100 movies and only a small percentage of them are successful, either financially or critically. Yet I've been able to keep working. If my career was really reliant on box-office success, I wouldn't be."