Molly Ringwald, the star of “The Breakfast Club” and some of the most beloved teen movies of the 80s, is not a fan of cancel culture.
Ringwald decried the current climate in America as “unsustainable” in an interview with The Guardian. She also had thoughts on Harvey Weinstein and revealed a surprise role that she turned down because it just didn’t feel right to her.
Via Fox News, Ringwald had this to say:
“a lot of people have gotten swept up in ‘cancelation,’ and I worry about that,” she told the Guardian. “It’s unsustainable, in a way. Some people have been unfairly canceled, and they don’t belong in the same category as somebody like Harvey Weinstein.”
“What it ends up doing is make people roll their eyes,” she continued. “That’s my worry. I do want things to change, for real. Workplaces should be places where everyone can feel safe – not just in Hollywood, but everywhere. Particularly Americans. We can never do things incrementally; we’re so binary, so all or nothing. We’re basically a bunch of puritans.”
"We're basically a bunch of puritans." Get more of Molly Ringwald's view on cancel culture. https://t.co/cjgSC8R8a2 pic.twitter.com/BKaPC3Hq3N
— Fox News (@FoxNews) April 25, 2023
Truly our nation doesn’t transition easily to any cultural shift, so she is correct there. Ringwald, who gained fame with roles in “The Breakfast Club,” “Pretty in Pink,” and “Sixteen Candles,” said she didn’t “feel comfortable” with the level of stardom she had at the time. Instead of turning to drugs and alcohol as so many young stars do, she was mature enough to know she needed to go. She has lived in Europe for a number of years and acts sparingly.
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She continued to the Guardian via Fox News:
“It’s hard to grow up under that. I don’t want to overdo this – and boohoo, I fully recognize my privilege – but I needed to get out from under all that scrutiny. Some people are really good at it. Taylor Swift is amazing! But I didn’t feel comfortable with that level of stardom. I was projected as this perfect, sweet American girl next door. Which wasn’t me, but I was figuring out who I was, too,” she said. “I was pretty young.”
While Ringwald longed for more serious roles, she also made some huge career mistakes. She didn’t get the role in the Harrison Ford movie “Working Girl,” and she passed on “Pretty Woman,” the role that shot Julia Roberts to superstardom. However, it doesn’t seem like Ringwald has any regrets over passing on one of the biggest roles in movie history.
Ringwald continued: “Julia Roberts was wonderful in it, but I didn’t really like the story,” she explained. “Even then, I felt like there was something icky about it.”
Even though she is no longer a superstar or part of the zeitgeist, Molly Ringwald has learned from a career and life full of mistakes and privileges, and missed opportunities. She has emerged from it all, happy and mature. A rare place to be for someone that had fame at such an early age as she did. She has emerged as an advocate for common sense and a harsh critic of cancel culture. More Hollywood types would be well advised to listen to what she says.