Molly Ringwald shares the truth about being an '80s teen star

You've probably seen Molly Ringwald in a movie. I'm going to go further and say that you've definitely seen Ringwald in an '80s movie. A core member of the Brat Pack and darling of John Hughes, Ringwald was the IT girl of the decade, but not everything was perfect.

Recently, Ringwald was on the WTF with Marc Maron podcast and talked about the reality of being an '80s teen star. When discussing how she didn't feel like she was part of the Hollywood circle at the height of her career, she emphasized to how young she was. “I never really felt like I was part of a community when I was in Hollywood, just because I was so young, actually. I didn't go to clubs. I feel like I'm more sociable now than I was then. I was just too young,” she said.

Host Marc Maron responded by saying that she was lucky, given how Hollywood worked and especially what was happening in the '80s, that she wasn't exploited by someone at power. Ringwald responded by saying that she had been taken advantage of a lot.

“Oh, I was taken advantage of,” she said. “You can’t be a young actress in Hollywood without having predators.” Ringwald went on to say that she was “definitely in some questionable situations” but used her “incredible survival instincts and a pretty big superego” to keep herself out of trouble. That's when she said she was trying to stop her daughter, Mathilda Ereni Gianopoulos, from playing. Gianopoulos, who was recently in The idea of ​​youis Ringwald's daughter with her husband Panio Gianopoulos.

“It can be painful. And I now have a 20-year-old daughter who is going into the same profession, even though I did everything to convince her to do something else. And it's hard.

Ringwald wasn't afraid to open up about the 80s

In the past, Ringwald has spoken about the aging of his films. Talk with NPRshe explained how the films have aged and specifically talked about watching Sixteen candles with his daughter. “I feel about films very differently now, and it's a difficult position for me, because there are a lot of things I like about them. And of course, I don't want to sound ungrateful to John Hughes, but I object to a lot of what's in these films.

The interview took place during the Brett Kavanaugh hearings and touched on how sexual assault was considered a “normal teenage experience” in the '80s. Ringwald went on to explain how his films still matter , but they should spark a conversation. “I believe there is still a lot of good in films and there are a lot of things that I am proud of,” she said. “And I feel like in many ways they touched teenagers and sparked an important conversation.” And having a teenage daughter myself, I know that it's not always easy to get teenagers to talk. But these films kind of break that. You know? There's something that really affects teenagers, especially The breakfast club I feel like it kind of gives them permission to talk about their feelings – it tells them that teenagers' feelings really matter. And I think that's a really powerful message and for that reason I really love it. Pretty in pink, I love my character. I think she's a strong woman and I'm proud of the choices she makes.