It’s safe to say that throughout the 1980s, John Hughes, a director, and Molly Ringwald, an actress, became young cinema sensations as a result of their collaborations. Hughes wrote for Ringwald in Pretty in Pink, the 1986 movie directed by Howard Deutch and produced by Lauren Shuler Donner, after the two collaborated on Sixteen Candles and The Breakfast Club. Stars like Harry Dean Stanton, Jon Cryer, Annie Potts, James Spader, Andrew McCarthy, and Kate Vernon are among those who appear in this teen comedy-drama alongside Ringwald.
The movie Pretty in Pink, which took its title from a Psychedelic Furs song, centers on Andie, a brilliant working-class student who lives with her unhappy and jobless father after his wife abandoned the family. The young girl divides her days between job and school, where things are also difficult because the popular kids bully her all the time. Fortunately, Andie can rely on Duckie, her best friend and fellow misfit who is secretly madly in love with her. Andie’s life completely changes when she falls in love with Blane, one of the popular lads at school, despite the fact that their disparate social backgrounds pose a threat to their union.
Pretty in Pink, which won praise for the actors’ performances and the fantastic soundtrack, became a cult favorite and drew admirers from all over the world. As it stars performances by Ringwald and McCarthy, two of the Brat Pack’s main actors, as well as Cryer and Spader, two actors who were closely linked with this group of up-and-coming young actors, it is also regarded as a Brat Pack movie. Let’s look at the actors from Pretty in Pink’s recent efforts.
Andrew Dice Clay
A bouncer named Andrew Dice Clay forbids Duckie from entering Andie’s preferred nightclub. In this performer’s career, stand-up comedy and acting have coexisted. In fact, he was the first stand-up comedian to sell out Madison Square Garden in New York City for two straight nights in 1990. Andrew has appeared in two hugely popular shows recently: Pam & Tommy from 2022 and the Bradley Cooper movie A Star Is Born. In addition, he took home the title of My Kitchen Rules’ 2017 champion.
Andrew McCarthy
Blane McDonough, Andie’s potential love interest, is Andrew McCarthy. This actor has worked as a travel writer and a TV director over the years. Although he hasn’t worked on many movies lately, he has been in a number of TV shows in a variety of roles. He directed episodes of shows including Orange Is the New Black, The Sinner, and The Blacklist in his capacity as director. He currently has a leading role in the medical drama program The Resident.
Gina Gershon plays Trombley, one of Benny Hanson’s henchmen, in the film. This actress has acted in a variety of movies and television programs over the course of her career. As of 2018, she co-starred with Ringwald in Riverdale as Gladys Jones. The Netflix film Don’t Look Up and the crime thriller Emily the Criminal are two of her most recent productions, albeit her sequences in the latter were cut. Additionally, she appeared in the TV shows New Amsterdam, Loafy, and made a cameo appearance in the 2022 program Chucky as herself.
James Spader
Beautiful in Pink Steff McKee, played by James Spader, is a wealthy, well-liked, and rather nasty young man who, whether he likes it or not, has feelings for Andie. Spader has worked on a variety of projects over the course of his career, but lately he has concentrated on three particular ventures. He joined The Office’s cast in 2011 as Robert California, and a few years later, he played Ultron in Avengers: Age of Ultron, part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Since 2013, Spader has played Red Reddington on the television series The Blacklist, for which he received numerous accolades and honors.
Jon Cryer
Following his breakout performance as Duckie in Pretty in Pink, Jon Cryer pursued a career in acting but also tried his hand at directing, writing, and producing a number of movies and television programs. However, co-starring in the CBS series Two and a Half Men with Charlie Sheen and later Ashton Kutcher was one of his most significant career endeavors. In the television shows Supergirl, Arrow, Batwoman, The Flash, and Legends of Tomorrow, he also played the role of Lex Luthor.
Kate Vernon
Benny Hanson, a popular schoolgirl who despises Andie, was portrayed by Kate Vernon in a supporting role in the movie. Vernon has primarily worked in TV series and movies throughout her career, but in the previous year, she was less active in the sector. Her most recent appearances to date have been in the science fiction drama Another Life, which was canceled after two seasons, and the television series The Morning Show, starring Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon.
Kristy Swanson
The gorgeous young lady known as Duckette who draws Duckie’s attention at prom is credited in Pretty in Pink as Kristy Swanson. Swanson’s portrayal of Buffy Summers in the 1992 movie Buffy the Vampire Slayer is, however, what made her most famous. The actress has worked on a limited number of projects in recent years. In 2019, she had a small part in the television series SEAL Team, and in 2021, she co-starred with Scott Baio in the movie Courting Mom and Dad.
Margaret Colin
Margaret Colin, who played a teacher in the movie Pretty in Pink, completes the list. Colin’s portrayal of Eleanor Waldorf in the Gossip Girl television series, which she recurred in a 2021 relaunch episode, remains her most well-known character. Her other most well-known recent works include the TV shows Veep and Chicago Med. She hadn’t appeared in a movie since 2016’s Equity, when she took the lead in Three Wise Men and a Baby.
Molly Ringwald
Following her selection for the NBC sitcom The Facts of Life, Molly Ringwald’s acting career took off in the 1980s. She went on to star in several of the decade’s biggest blockbusters. Ringwald has recently been a part of a number of successful projects, including the TV series Riverdale and the movie series The Kissing Booth, in which she plays Mary, Archie Andrews’ mother. Ringwald expanded her career at the same time, working as a journalist for The Guardian and making her translation debut in 2019 by translating Philippe Besson’s French book Lie With Me into English.
