IT’S been 30 years since John Hughes’s seminal movie about a bunch of teen
misfits hit UK cinema screens.
Far from setting the box office alight in March 1985, The Breakfast Club –
like many Hughes flicks – went on to achieve cult status and continues to
strike a chord with new generations of fans.
The film focuses on five high school students forced to spend a day together
in detention.
All subscribing to different stereotypes, the characters learn – after a
series of heartfelt outpourings – that they’ve actually got a lot more in
common than they first realised.
Slide across the pics to see how the movie’s stars have aged over the decades
– and discover what became of their careers…
Emilio Estevez
Estevez, 52, played competitive wrestling ace Andrew Clark.
Having made his Hollywood mark in The Outsiders and Repo Man, the actor – son
of Martin Sheen and brother of Charlie – followed up The Breakfast Club with
a series of high-profile roles in the Eighties and Nineties.
He starred in Young Guns and Young Guns II, two Stakeout movies alongside
Richard Dreyfuss, and the Mighty Ducks franchise before his blockbuster
career hit a wall.
However, he’s clawed back credibility in recent years as a director – stepping
behind the camera for Robert F Kennedy biopic Bobby (2006) and the
critically-acclaimed 2010 film The Way, which starred his dad.
Molly Ringwald
Ringwald, 47, played the spoiled and pampered “prom queen” Claire Standish.
She starred in two other John Hughes movies – 1984’s Sixteen Candles,
appearing alongside her Breakfast Club castmate Anthony Michael Hall, and
1986’s Pretty In Pink.
The actress hit her peak during this spell in the mid-Eighties, though she
does continue to work onscreen – often in TV movies.
In recent years, she’s also released a jazz album and two novels.
Judd Nelson
Nelson, 55, played the rebellious, confrontational criminal John Bender.
Also in 1985, Nelson – along with Breakfast Club buddies Emilio Estevez and
Ally Sheedy – starred in the Brat Pack movie St Elmo’s Fire.
In the early Nineties he had small roles in a number of cinema releases,
including New Jack City and Airheads.
Since then, his career has been limited to TV movies and straight-to-DVD
flicks – though he did have a brief stint as a sitcom star in Nineties show
Suddenly Susan.
Anthony Michael Hall
Hall, 46, played the geeky and brainy bookworm Brian Johnson.
The actor teamed up with director Hughes in three other films – National
Lampoon’s Vacation, Sixteen Candles and Weird Science.
After his mid-Eighties heyday, Hall bagged minor roles in Edwards Scissorhands
and, more recently, The Dark Knight and Foxcatcher.
He also starred in supernatural TV series The Dead Zone from 2002 to 2007.
Ally Sheedy
Sheedy, 52, played the reclusive outcast Allison Reynolds.
Much like her co-stars, the actress’s career tailed off after the mid-Eighties
– when she enjoyed success in War Games, St Elmo’s Fire and Short Circuit.
She reteamed with Molly Ringwald in 1990’s flick Betsy’s Wedding and starred
alongside late comedy giant John Candy in 1991’s Only The Lonely.
Sheedy also reunited with Anthony Michael Hall in an episode of the actor’s TV
show The Dead Zone.
Paul Gleason
Gleason played the strict and uncompromising assistant principal Richard
Vernon.
He appeared in a number of small roles in such blockbusters as Die Hard and
Trading Places, and reteamed with Anthony Michael Hall in 1988 flop Johnny
Be Good.
Gleason died in 2006 at the age of 67 after losing his battle with cancer.
John Kapelos
Kapelos, 59, played the affable and wise school janitor Carl Reed.
That same year, he shared the screen with Anthony Michael Hall for the second
time – taking a small role in Weird Science.
He subsequently appeared on the big screen in Steve Martin comedy Roxanne
(1987), teen witch flick The Craft (1995) and Reese Witherspoon hit Legally
Blonde (2001).
10 Fascinating facts about The Breakfast Club you probably didn’t know…
1. John Hughes originally wanted Molly Ringwald for the role of Allison
– but she was desperate to play Claire. The director held discussions with
studio heads, who agreed to the switch.
2. Judd Nelson fully embraced the spirit of his character John Bender
and was nearly thrown out of the waiting room at the Breakfast Club
auditions after causing several disturbances. However, just as security
guards were about to usher him outside, Nelson was called in to audition.
3. Nelson also caused upset on the set of the movie, staying in
character and mercilessly picking on Ringwald off camera. John Hughes was
very protective of Ringwald and decided to fire Nelson – but the other
cast-members managed to change his mind.
4. The film script originally included a topless scene, whereby the
five students discover a peep hole into the girls’ locker room just as a
female coach is undressing. However, Ringwald and Sheedy expressed their
disapproval and the scene was axed.
5. Rick Moranis – he of Ghostbusters and Honey, I Shrunk The Kids fame
– signed up to play janitor Carl. He turned up on set sporting gold teeth, a
dodgy haircut and a Russian accent – but producer Ned Tanen wasn’t
impressed. Moranis was swiftly ditched and replaced with John Kapelos.
6. The high school library in the movie – where the kids spend their
day in detention – was actually a gym that was also used in John Hughes’s
classic comedy Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.
7. Director Hughes makes a cameo in the film, playing the father of
Anthony Michael Hall’s character Brian. He’s seen picking up his onscreen
son at the end of the film.
8. The pivotal scene of the movie sees the five students pour out their
hearts after smoking pot. Although Hughes had planned for the scene, the
five actors improvised and told their own stories.
9. The David Bowie quote that appears at the beginning of the movie is
all down to Ally Sheedy, who showed it to John Hughes – and had no idea he’d
use it until seeing the final cut. The words are lifted from Bowie song
Changes: “…And these children that you spit on, as they try to change
their worlds, are immune to your consultations. They’re quite aware of what
they’re going through…”
10. Nobody wanted to record the movie’s theme song – both Billy Idol
and The Pretenders turned down Don’t You (Forget About Me), written by
composer Keith Forsey. Simple Minds didn’t want to record it either when
they were approached – but were pressured into it by their label.
