Andrew McCarthy Talks Molly Ringwald, Judd Nelson Not Being in ‘Brats’

Published: 1:45 PM PDT, June 12, 2024

Andrew McCarthy says he holds no grudges against Molly Ringwald and Judd Nelson for not appearing in his new Hulu documentary, Brats. 

Sitting down for an ET rETrospective, the 61-year-old actor shared that he did not take it personally when The Breakfast Club actor, 64, and his iconic red-headed co-star, 56, turned down his request to talk about their experience as teen actors in the 1980s. Nelson and Ringwald were two of a handful of actors in “The Brat Pack.”

“I mean, they both are in the film in a sense that there’s a lot of clips and interviews and things,” the Pretty in Pink star said. Ringwald and Nelson both appear in the film via archival footage and clips from the height of their fame in the ’80s. Nelson also makes a brief appearance through a phone call at the end of the movie.

McCarthy continued, “The Brat Pack is an ongoing relationship, you know what I mean? And some people are at different places in their lives to want to or not want to talk about it. I think that just informs it even more. I mean, that’s my takeaway from it.” 

The St. Elmo’s Fire star, who has picked up more jobs behind the camera in recent years on shows like Orange Is the New Black and The Sinner as well as the feature-film documentary he is currently promoting, joked with ET that while he was excited to begin the filmmaking process on Brats, he feared being spurned by all those he reached out to.

“I was surprised as many people would want to speak to me [that] did, you know, because I thought the biggest challenge would be to get people to participate,” he quipped. “I knew it was still so sort of dodgy in some people’s lives.”

While Nelson and Ringwald opted out, McCarthy was able to get Emilio Estevez, Demi Moore, Ally Sheedy and Rob Lowe to appear. He also brought in “Brat Pack” adjacent stars like his Pretty In Pink co-star, Jon Cryer, and Back to the Future actress Lea Thompson. The term applies to the teen actors from the ’80s who seemingly ran Hollywood thanks to their slate of massive films like The Breakfast Club, St. Elmo’s Fire, Pretty in Pink and more. 

McCarthy said that while some who tune in for the documentary may see the final scene as a tease for a potential sequel, he is pretty confident one Brats film is enough for the group of actors who spent the majority of their foundational years in the spotlight. 

“We’re getting ready for part two,” he joked, adding that for the gang who came together to unpack their trauma, “I think once was enough.”

Back in May 2023, McCarthy spoke with ET and revealed that he reunited with his Brat Pack pals, Lowe and Estevez, for the documentary on the ’80s crew. He kept details up his sleeve at the time but shared that he was excited for the world to see the project. 

“It seems crazy,” McCarthy said when asked about their reunion. “I went back and started hunting everybody down again and we just hadn’t seen each other in all these [decades]. So it was great to catch up with everybody again.” 

Watch the trailer for Brats in the player below: 

Brats premieres on Hulu June 13. 

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