Molly Ringwald solidified herself as the teen queen of the 1980s, with lead roles in “Sixteen Candles,” “Pretty in Pink” and “The Breakfast Club.”
But the budding actress was eager to transition to more mature roles after appearing in those coming-of-age flicks, and came close to scoring parts in two iconic movies.
In an interview with Variety, the new 56-year-old dished on the directors she met at the end of the 1980s, saying: ” I got really close on a couple movies. I met with Mike Nichols for ‘Working Girl’ and Jonathan Demme for ‘The Silence of the Lambs,’ but ultimately I was too young.”
For “Working Girl,” which was released in 1988, Ringwald was presumably in talks to play plucky young secretary Tess, with the role eventually going to Melanie Griffith.
Griffith, who is a 11 years older than Ringwald, earned a Best Actress Oscar nomination for the part.
Meanwhile, in “The Silence of the Lambs,” which hit screens in 1991, Ringwald likely would have played FBI agent Clarice Starling.
The role went to Jodie Foster, six years Ringwald’s senior, who nabbed the Best Actress Oscar for the iconic thriller.
While those two roles would have undoubtedly altered the course of her career, Ringwald says she continued to be typecast for her hit roles in John Hughes’ teen flicks.
The redhead became an integral member of a group the media dubbed the “Brat Pack” — a clique of young stars who acted together in various teen films throughout the 1980s.
Ringwald told Variety that she wasn’t a fan of that label.
“I feel like that was kind of a way to dismiss us,” she declared.
And while her parts in Hughes’ movies were iconic, she was offered other roles in teen films that didn’t level up.
“Not everyone was able to write for teenagers as successfully as [Hughes] did,” she she stated. “And even though I wanted to take on adult material, I was limited because I was still a teenager.”
Hughes died in 2009 at the age of 59, but left a lasting legacy with also directing other movies, including “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,” “Weird Science” and “She’s Having a Baby.”
However, in recent years Ringwald has been appearing in critically-acclaimed TV series such as “The Bear,” “Feud: Capote vs The Swans” and “Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story.”
Ringwald made a cameo in “The Bear” in its first season as the leader of an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting that Jeremy Allen White’s character, chef Carmy Berzatto, attends.
She revealed to Variety why making a guest appearance in “The Bear” was important for her.
“There were a lot of people that didn’t even recognize me, which to me is the biggest compliment,” she said.
She continued: “Working with really strong actors completely raises your game. I am still waiting for a role that uses me to the best of my abilities.”.
