The cast of 1980s teen classic The Breakfast Club reunited for the first time in years to celebrate a milestone that left fans nostalgic and delighted.
Molly Ringwald, Judd Nelson, Ally Sheedy, Emilio Estevez and Anthony Michael Hall came together in Chicago on Saturday for the 40th anniversary of the iconic film, taking part in a lively panel at the Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo.
Hosted by Josh Horowitz for a special taping of his Happy Sad Confused podcast, the cast shared heartfelt memories, behind-the-scenes stories and emotional reflections on their journey from teenage stars to cultural icons.
Though some members had previously reunited, this marked the first time Emilio joined the group since the film’s release in 1985.
“I skipped all my high school reunions, so this was something that finally felt like I needed to do, just for myself,” Emilio shared with the crowd.
“This one felt special because it’s here in Chicago where we made the film, it’s the 40th anniversary and I just love all of them, so it just made sense.”
© WireImageFor Molly, who played the elegant Claire, the reunion meant saying goodbye to a longtime placeholder.
“We don’t have to use the cardboard cutout anymore,” she joked, before adding, “I feel really moved that we’re all together.”
© WireImageWhat is The Breakfast Club?
The 1985 John Hughes film, often described as the definitive high school movie, followed five students from vastly different backgrounds forced to spend a Saturday in detention. Over the course of the day, the “princess,” the “athlete,” the “criminal,” the “brain” and the “basket case” discover they have more in common than they ever imagined.
Emilio, who portrayed the golden boy athlete Andrew, described the film’s enduring impact. “This is one of those movies that stands the test of time. It’s a cross-generational film. We were lucky enough to be at the right place at the right time.”
© WireImageJudd, who brought rebel John Bender to life, reflected on the singular voice of director John Hughes, who passed away in 2009. “Hughes meant it when he said to us to participate in the process of making this movie. He liked us. I didn’t know how rare it was going to be for a director to like actors. He’s the first writer who could write a character who was young without them being less.”
The panel included stories about the audition process, with Anthony Michael Hall recalling how Hughes never even handed him a script. “John just called up and said, ‘I want you to come in.’ He didn’t give me a script. He just asked me, ‘What do you think about this? What do you think about that?'”
© WireImageEarly memories
Molly also shared her early memories of working with Hughes. “Originally, he was going to do The Breakfast Club before Sixteen Candles. But then he wrote Sixteen Candles, turned it into the studio, and they said, ‘Oh, we want to do that one first.’ So they put The Breakfast Club on hold.”
She revealed that other actors were once considered for the roles, including John and Joan Cusack. “John Cusack was going to play Bender and Joan Cusack was going to play Allison,” she said. “And then after Sixteen Candles, he gave me the script.”
© WireImageThe film went on to be a critical and commercial success, earning over $50 million at the box office on a modest $1 million budget. The ensemble cast quickly became known as members of the “Brat Pack,” a term coined by the media to describe a group of young actors frequently cast in coming-of-age dramas.
At a separate appearance earlier this year, Molly addressed her complicated feelings about the “Brat Pack” label. “It was a play on the Rat Pack,” she said. “It kind of minimized the work that we were doing. I mean, that’s the way that I felt.”
Reflecting further on her time as Hughes’ muse, Molly discussed how the director reportedly wrote Sixteen Candles after seeing her headshot. “He told me that story. I had nothing really to compare it to. I had done more movies than John at that point, but I was still only 15 years old. I didn’t have a lot of life experience.”
“It didn’t seem that strange to me at the time. I mean, now it does,” she admitted. “It’s always felt incredibly complimentary, but yeah, looking back on it, there was something peculiar.”
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