“I didn't really enjoy it, honestly.”

Maxxine, the third part of the X series of films by the director You Westis a slasher film that follows an actress trying to achieve mainstream stardom 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 an it-boy, he didn't spend enough time enjoying the experience. He offered his advice to rising stars.

Enjoy it. I didn't really like it, honestly. I worked so hard to become famous. When I got there, I was like, 'Oh shit, I don't think I like this.' I didn't like doing photoshoots or being interrupted, and it was stupid,” he said. I should have just said, 'You idiot, you're working so hard for this. Enjoy it. Ride the wave.'

In Maxxine, Bacon plays a no-nonsense private detective who knows full well that Hollywood attracts young talent only to see many hopefuls leave disappointed.

“The movie is a lot about that. It chews you up and spits you out, that's one of my lines,” Bacon said.

In X, The first installment of the trilogy, Maxine Minx (Mia Goth) survives a massacre that occurs while she and her friends are filming an adult film in a rural area. Maxxine, Minx is now a well-known adult film star, haunted by the violence of her past and struggling to cope. She has been offered a role in a controversial horror movie sequel, while her new friends appear to be targeted by a serial killer known as the Night Stalker.

West wrote and directed all three films in the series. X series, including the X prequel, Pearl, which stars Goth as another budding star. He told Yahoo Entertainment that he specifically chose the 1980s for the setting of Maxxine because there had been a puritanical debate about what was acceptable to be shown and discussed in films and music.

There was a real debate that went all the way to Congress about whether music could say certain things or whether movies could be violent and whatnot, West said. That was a relevant theme for the film.

Moses Sumney, who makes his film debut as one of Minx's closest friends, told Yahoo Entertainment that he liked 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 it.

Veteran actors of 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 films on a budget, which is exactly what they're looking for. X And pearl were.

“I find that kind of inventiveness and creative genius fascinating to me,” he said. “These two films are completely different, even though they were shot back to back, in every way, from tone to music. I just wanted to work with this guy.”

Giancarlo Esposito told Yahoo Entertainment that his daughters encouraged him to join the film by sending him viral clips of X And pearl.

I go to my daughters because they are on the cutting edge 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 it's [Goth] and the West.

Esposito plays a shady but well-meaning Hollywood agent who gets close to Minx. He said the film, set in the '80s, reminded him of filming in that era as a young actor, when it was easier for actors to play with their roles.

“I would come in dressed in my costume and a director would tell me if 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 The trilogy is coming to a close. The filmmaker said he believes fans identify so strongly with Minx because the films present a nonjudgmental look at the quest for fame.

“A lot of people want to be famous, but there’s more to it than that. The grass is always greener than the grass. There’s always something that people are looking for that seems out of reach,” he said. “The ambition that she has and the audacity with which she pursues that ambition… I don’t know if it’s inspiring, but it’s certainly something that resonates with people.”

West was tight-lipped about what he would work on next. He said he enjoyed doing X And pearl quietly, back to back and without much involvement from the outside world.

The secrecy and pomp that has gone into this trilogy has been fun, because there's so much being revealed online now. [about movies] Before I saw them, he said. I liked to keep things… more mysterious. I'll keep doing that.

Maxxine is in theaters July 5.