Molly Ringwald Doesn't Want to See a 'Breakfast Club' Remake
Molly Ringwald (Getty Images)
Reboots and remakes are all the rage these days, but Molly Ringwald has one request for Hollywood: Don’t touch her beloved iconic ‘80s movies.
“It’s interesting to have a modern take on certain things, but I don’t think it’s interesting to remake something the same way,” Ringwald told Yahoo Celebrity. “I think if they called it The Breakfast Club and remade the same movie with a different cast, I wouldn’t feel happy about it. I think it would dilute it for people. And not to mention, the movies still resonate as they are. I have people coming up to me at performances and speaking engagements, and they’re 12 and 11 years old, and they’re crying when they meet me because those movies are so meaningful to them. It’s crazy to me because those movies were made so long ago, but it speaks to so many generations. I’ve had a lot of people tell me The Breakfast Club is one thing they can agree on with their parents — this one connection they have, and I’m really grateful for that. As a parent, I look for those ways to connect with my kids, too.”
As part of the reboot of Jem and the Holograms, which hits theaters Friday, Ringwald plays Aunt Bailey, who acts as somewhat of an adoptive mom to Jerrica and the girls as they rise to stardom. And while the film eschews most of the hallmarks that made the original cartoon a sensation in the ‘80s, Ringwald says it still has the spirit of its inspiration intact — not to mention, tons of fashion and music.
Ringwald chatted with us about why fans of the cartoon should be open to the reboot, and her thoughts on the Hollywood remake train — as well as her ‘80s fashion foibles.
What can you tell us about your character Aunt Bailey?
Well, I think Aunt Bailey is the aunt that everyone wants to have. She has the cool clothes, she’s nurturing, warm… she has these girls who are very, you know, creative and artistic, and they’re in a nurturing environment. To me, I imagined Aunt Bailey to be like Andie from Pretty in Pink, but kind of grown up in a way.
Aubrey Peeples and Ringwald in ‘Jem and the Holograms’ (Everett Collection)
What was it that attracted you to this role? Was it that connection to Andie and bringing your past and present together?
A big part was Jon M. Chu, who directed the movie. I think he’s talented and I was drawn to his passion for it. He directed the [Justin] Bieber documentary, but I loved the announcement he did for Virgin Airlines. It’s the first time I watched an in-flight announcement all the way through because it was so fun, with music and choreography. He comes from music video experience, so I thought that if he could bring that to movie, it would be great. I think he did a great job with it.
Any fun behind-the-scenes stories you can share from shooting the film?
I’m bad at coming up with specifics on the fly, but it was a really fun shoot. The girls are fantastic. They are so talented, the music is fun, the fashion is fun. Juliette Lewis — who kind of plays the villain — is hilarious, and it had tons of energy. It was the first movie I’ve ever done that was partially crowd sourced – lots of people were writing in and sending video messages. There are moments in the movie where one of the actresses is filming during the scene, and the footage she filmed was in the movie. Even though it’s based on the cartoon from the ‘80s, it has lots to do with social media, You Tube, and how do these girls exist and be creative in this world? How do you navigate that? It’s a subject that’s dear to my heart, as I have three kids growing up with digital media.
We already know some of the hallmarks of the original show aren’t going to be in the film as it’s a reimagining of the original story. What else can people expect from the movie? Are Jem fans from back in the day still going to love it?
I think so, but I don’t think you have to be a Jem fan. I know Jem has a cult following, but the cartoon was only on for three years. So if you’re alive from that time and of a certain age and totally crazy about it, I can’t imagine you’d be satisfied with something live action because our characters are real people and Jem was a cartoon. It couldn’t be exactly the same — the only way it could be is if we made another cartoon, and that’s not what we wanted to do. More importantly, any time you take from another era, it’s not as interesting to do it exactly the same. So for example, in the ‘80s I was doing other eras, reinterpreting the ‘20s or ‘50s, but there were things I took out of each of those different eras and mushed all together so that it became its own style. I think it’s interesting to take things from a different era and modernize them.
'The Breakfast Club’ (Everett Collection)
You’ve been around the industry for a while and seen it go through its ebbs and flows… what do you think of this current trend of rebooting older properties for this newer generation?
You know, I think it depends on what it is. It’s interesting to have a modern take on certain things, but I don’t think it’s interesting to remake something the same way. The only time to do something like that is if they didn’t get it right the first time — like it’s a good idea but the movie didn’t work. But remakes of the classics don’t make sense to me. We don’t need to remake Sabrina, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, or Singin’ in the Rain. It’s interesting to be inspired by a movie and reimagine it now, but do it as a whole different project. People ask if I would want to see The Breakfast Club remade. I don’t, but it’d be interesting if you take different characters and make it now, because it’d be a different movie.
Jem was kind of a fashion icon and her stage style was definitely reminiscent of the ‘80, but let’s face it, some — if not most — of ‘80s fashion was questionable. Do you have any fashion or style regrets from the 80s?
No, I don’t. I feel like Jem was outrageous — totally outrageous — but it worked for Jem. I was never that crazy or provocative. My clothes were inventive, but I was proud of how I dressed as a teenager. I expressed myself through my clothes and didn’t overdo it, I didn’t dress too sexy before I was grown up… So many kids today don’t really know how they’re supposed to dress, and they feel pressure to overly sexualize themselves before they’re ready. I’m sorry, I know you asked me this as a fun question and I totally politicized it.
No, it’s a fair point. But you really have no regrets?
My hair sometimes — it could be overprocessed, frizzy, and sprayed. And leather pants at 13 — pleated leather pants were never a good idea for anyone. But mostly when I look at pictures of myself as a teenager, I look back at my style with a sense of pride.
Ringwald in 1985 (Bob Riha Jr./Getty Images)
I wish I could say that. I went through a phase of wearing flower-printed acid wash jeans.
But how old are you – are you younger than me?
Yeah, a bit.
When you were coming up, your ‘80s got a little worse than my ‘80s, I think. As we were heading toward the ‘90s, it was like, “We can’t take this anymore. The world can’t take this much ‘80s.”
Who were your favorite bands during that time period?
You know, I’ve always been split because I grew up singing jazz, so I listened to a lot of jazz… but I did it secretly because there weren’t a lot of teens listening to jazz. But I listened to a lot of The Cure, Elvis Costello, The Smiths, and David Bowie. Those were who I listened to the most.
Molly also liked the Beastie Boys. Remember when she dated Adam 'Ad-Rock’ Horowitz? (AP Photo)
What’s coming up next for you?
I’m doing a TV series in Canada called The Wonderful Wayneys — it’s a sitcom created by Tom Saunders, who was behind Arrested Development. I’m not sure when that’s going to be released. I also just did a part with James Franco and Christian Slater in the film King Cobra — I play Slater’s sister. Hopefully this year I’ll also get to record my next album, and I’m working on a next book.
And when are you going to sleep?
Good question. Hopefully sometime today!
