Molly Ringwald‘s high school algebra finals hit her mind when she thinks back to Pretty in Pink.
Algebra Exam and Acting
The actress will never forget the pressure on the set of the 1986 teen romantic comedy-drama as she did an exam while deciding whether to get with a childhood lover or her rich, sensitive classmate as Andie Walsh.
Looking back 40 years, Molly, who was 17 at the time, told People that “it almost seems like a different life.” However, it’s doing her “finals on set for my high school algebra test” that she “remember[s] the most.”
But Molly, now 58, was not the only cast member to have a big moment on the set. Her longtime best pal Matt Freeman, the inspiration of Philip F. “Duckie” Dale (Jon Cryer), who has a long-term crush on Andie in Pretty in Pink, entered adulthood.
She remembered, “[Matt] celebrated his 18th birthday on that set, and I have a picture of him blowing out the candles.”
Molly and Matt’s Friendship
Molly and Matt’s friendship dates back to sixth grade. She landed him a job as a personal assistant on the cult classic aged 20, before he came out as gay.
She told British Vogue in March 2021 that their school friends “suspected he might be gay, but he and I always had an extremely nonromantic relationship.” Molly said that reflected how she felt about Duckie and Andie in Pretty in Pink.
The entertainer added, “The studio agreed, so we had to go back and reshoot the ending where I ended up with Blane [McDonagh, played by Andrew McCarthy].”
“By that point, Andrew had already shaved his head for a play he was doing in New York, so that’s why he’s wearing a really bad hairpiece in the prom scene.”
Molly made Matt the godfather of her eldest daughter, Mathilda, 22, and he made Molly the godmother of his child.
80s Teen Star
The actress became a household name in the 1980s. She appeared in several hit movies, including The Breakfast Club and Sixteen Candles.
But Molly felt she was “taken advantage of” when she burst onto the scene.
The artist explained she “never really felt like I was part of a community when I was in Hollywood, just because I was so young, really. I wasn’t into going out to clubs”.
But added on the WTF with Marc Maron podcast, “I feel like I’m more social now than I was then. I was just too young. I was taken advantage of. You can’t be a young actress in Hollywood and not have predators around.”