It’s almost impossible to imagine Pretty in Pink with anyone but Molly Ringwald playing Andie. That was almost the case, though, as Ringwald wasn’t the studio’s first choice for the role. As a result, the Brat Packer wasn’t sure she wanted to do the movie, either. Luckily, the film’s director, Howard Deutch, knew how much the screenwriter, John Hughes, liked working with Ringwald, and appealed to him to get her in the role in the movie.
With Pretty in Pink, which is available to stream with a Peacock subscription, celebrating its 40th anniversary this year (man, I feel old), the film’s director, Howard Deutch, spoke to People about the casting in the movie. He explained that despite the role being written for Ringwald (something Hughes did a lot of in that era), the studio was looking elsewhere. Here’s what Deutch says about it:
The studio wanted me to meet all different kinds of actresses. I met with the actress in Flashdance and a lot of others, and I kept saying to John, 'You know, you wrote this for Molly, you know, this character is her.
Jennifer Beals actually passed on the project, so Hughes, who had already worked with Ringwald on Sixteen Candles and The Breakfast Club, and Deutch, who later directed Some Kind of Wonderful as well, made a final pitch to Ringwald, explaining:
I went to Molly, and I said, ‘You gotta do this movie,’ and she said, ‘Well, they don't want me.' I said, ‘Well, I want you.’ So she said, ‘Well, can I pick out my clothes?’ I said, ‘Absolutely.’
Hopefully that includes the iconic pink prom dress at the end of the movie.
According to the various reports over the years, there were a bunch of up-and-coming actors who Paramount was considering for Andie, including Jodie Foster, Sarah Jessica Parker, Tatum O'Neal, and Lori Laughlin. While I’m sure any one of those choices would have been great, I really don’t think the movie is nearly as good without Ringwald. She was Hughes’ muse at the time, and anyone who has seen the movie knows she is perfect in the role.
Careers Took Off
Pretty in Pink was a launching pad for quite a few actors early in their careers. Jon Cryer, Andrew McCarthy, and James Spader all scored big roles in the movie, and it helped launch them into stardom. There were also smaller roles for Andrew Dice Clay (who plays a character called “The Diceman”), Kristy Swanson, Gina Gershon, Maggie Roswell, and even a cameo from musician Dweezil Zappa.
They were joined in the cast by the more established actors Annie Potts and Harry Dean Stanton, bringing together what I think is close to perfection in all the roles. I really can’t imagine anyone other than Spader playing the preppy jerk, or Cryer playing the lovelorn best friend. Even if I think Cryer’s character Duckie should have gotten the girl in the end, the movie is one of the best examples of an ‘80s rom-com and too often flies under the radar among Hughes’ best films.
