Looking back at Molly Ringwald characters in John Hughes's films after actress shares they don't represent teenagers in American schools today 

Actress Molly Ringwald recently spoke about her characters from 1980s films during her appearance at the Miami Film Festival. Talking about the roles she played, she mentioned that "they were very much of the time." She added that filmmakers will have to work differently, if they are willing to do a remake of those projects.

"And it would have to be, you know, you couldn't make a movie that white. Those movies are really, really, very white. And they don't really represent what it is to be a teenager in a school in America today, I don't think," added Ringwald.

Molly Ringwald received the Creative Vanguard Award from Variety at the Miami Film Festival on April 8, 2024. The actress is known for her collaborations with director John Hughes on a few projects.

Ringwald also added that although John's films "were really great", they mostly featured his experiences during his teenage days when he was living in Northbrook, Illinois. Meanwhile, Molly's comments were not well-received by the public and they reacted to the same on different social media platforms.

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Molly Ringwald worked with John Hughes in three films: Characters and other details explored

Previously in 2018, Molly Ringwald talked about films where John Hughes was in the director's seat. During an interview with The New Yorker, she stated that Hughes did the best when it came to films made for teenagers and added:

"Portrayals of teen-agers in movies were even worse. The actors cast in teen roles tended to be much older than their characters – they had to be, since the films were so frequently exploitative."

Notably, Molly and John joined each other for three films that turned out to be successful in terms of box office collections and critical response. Here are the films and the characters portrayed by Ringwald:

1)Samantha Baker in Sixteen Candles (1984)

Sixteen Candles, contributed to making Molly Ringwald a popular face among the masses. In the comedy film, the 15-year-old protagonist feels embarrassed about a note that mentions her crush, Jake Ryan. Despite that she does not develop any romantic feelings for anyone, she is frequently irritated by Farmer Ted, a freshman geek.

Samantha Baker is portrayed as someone confused, anxious, and overwhelmed by the emotions, resulting from adolescence. She even believes that no one can understand her. Moreover, Sixteen Candles gained recognition for being the first film by John Hughes as a director.

2) Claire Standish in The Breakfast Club (1985)

The comedy-drama, The Breakfast Club, marked the second collaboration between Hughes and Ringwald. The main premise of this movie is centered on five students of Shermer High School and Molly Ringwald portrays Claire Standish, who is known for her outfit. She is given detention as she opts to skip classes for shopping.

Standish is considered rude since she shares her opinion with modesty. She even attempts to appear cool in front of everyone and works to find the reason for her unhappy life. Furthermore, she even suffers a lot due to frequent disputes between her parents. Since she fails to be a part of the family, she tries to find that bond among her friends.

3) Andie Walsh in Pretty in Pink (1986)

Pretty in Pink, features Molly Ringwald in the lead role as Andie Walsh, born to a single father who fails to find any kind of employment. She also becomes a victim of bullying at school, but her best friend Duckie develops feelings for her. Moreover, Andie struggles to start loving herself.

Steff McKee, one of the students at the school, frequently targets Andie, who is also dating Duckie. Steff and Duckie's friendship also leads to problems between the duo. Despite having a lot of teenage troubles, Walsh is ultimately satisfied with who she is and does not want to be manipulated by anyone.

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Molly Ringwald has watched The Breakfast Club with her daughter

As mentioned, The Breakfast Club was Molly and John's second project together. While speaking to The Times on April 3, 2024, Ringwald said that she does not like to see herself on the screen and The Breakfast Club was the only film she "rewatched" since her daughter, Mathilda, was willing to see it with her.

"There is a lot that I really love about the movie but there are elements that haven't aged well – like Judd Nelson's character, John Bender, who essentially s**ually harasses my character," added Ringwald.

Molly Ringwald further stated that she never allowed Mathilda to be a part of the acting industry and her daughter even fought with her mother for the same. The actress said that acting is not the perfect profession for a child "to grow up" in and continued:

"It's way too stressful, and it's a c**p shoot on whether or not the kids can make it through. I did my first professional job at 10 years old and it was not easy."

In the same interview with The Times, Molly also recalled the other two films she did with John, saying that they were "fun movies to make." She further stated that as soon as Hughes began filming, all the cast members worked to improvise themselves and described the entire experience as free and creative.

In another interview with Jimmy Fallon in January 2024, Molly Ringwald revealed that she did not go for an audition to get selected for Sixteen Candles. She added that John Hughes got her photo "from a stack of headshots from ICM" following which he penned the script for the film.