If you were a teen in the 1980s, then you might remember a flurry of "Brat Pack" movies where filmmakers like John Hughes captured forever the angst of growing up in the "Me" generation. The 1986 movie "Pretty in Pink," which was shot in the same high school as "Grease," was a personal favorite of leading actress and brat-packer Molly Ringwald. In fact it has her fingerprints all over it, including a role for then-boyfriend Dweezil Zappa. Even the ending was re-shot in part because of the brotherly vibe she got from co-star Jon Cryer, who played Duckie, who had originally been written to be her romantic lead.
Cast
John Hughes was one to work repeatedly with his favorite actors, most notably John Candy, Anthony Michael Hall and of course, pouty-perfect teen goddess Molly Ringwald. Interestingly enough, Ringwald was not the only actress considered for the lead role of Andie. Other actresses considered were Brooke Shields, Lori Loughlin, Diane Lane, Tatum O'Neal and Sarah Jessica Parker. Jodie Foster, in fact, turned down the role. Charlie Sheen auditioned for the role of Blaine, and Robert Downey Jr. almost got cast as wonderful weirdo Duckie -- both of those actors actually might have led to a very different ending.
Plot
Originally Hughes had written that Duckie and Andie would find true love in each other, but test audiences consisting mostly of teen girls decided they'd rather see the fairy-tale ending where the poor girl got the rich guy. The whole ending had to be re-shot, and if you look closely you will see that Andrew McCarthy, who played Blaine, was noticeably gaunt in those final scenes because he lost weight in preparation for another role. Ultimately Hughes wrote the plot he wanted in "Some Kind of Wonderful" a year later, where the lead character (a poor boy) finds love in the quirky best friend rather than the rich girl. Ringwald turned down the role of the rich girl, thus ending their successful professional relationship.
Soundtrack
This significant plot change also resulted in a quick scramble for the soundtrack. The iconic "If You Leave" by O.M.D was substituted because their original composition "Goddess of Love" no longer fit. The Psychedelic Furs tune "Pretty in Pink" inspired Hughes to write the movie, although frontman Richard Butler says the dark meaning of song was lost in the teen-friendly movie adaptation. Ringwald had supplied the song to Hughes, suggesting that it should be in one of their movies, and in fact her favorite music is threaded through her John Hughes vehicles. The Rave-Ups not only performed in "Pretty in Pink" but were referenced on her notebook in "16 Candles."
Special Dedications
The movie was dedicated to two young colleagues who participated on the film but died shortly after. Actress Alexa Kenin, who portrayed Jena, was a familiar teen face in the 1980s thanks to a handful of "After School Specials," as well as her roles in "Little Darlings" and "Facts of Life." She was murdered in New York by her ex-boyfriend before the movie was released. Three months following her death Oscar-nominated set decorator/production designer, Bruce Weintraub, succumbed to AIDS.
References
Photo Credits
- Jason Merritt/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images
