The classic teen romantic comedy-drama — starring Ringwald, Andrew McCarthy and Jon Cryer — was released 40 years ago
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NEED TO KNOW
- Molly Ringwald revealed she was pulling double duty while filming the 1986 cult classic Pretty in Pink
- “It almost seems like a different life,” Ringwald told PEOPLE at the opening night of Beaches on Broadway on April 22
- Ringwald was 17 while filming the John Hughes-written film
Forty years after Pretty in Pink came out, Molly Ringwald revealed that there is one specific memory from the set she’ll never forget.
The actress, 58, recalled filming the 1986 teen romantic comedy-drama when she was 17 while speaking exclusively with PEOPLE during the opening night of Beaches on Broadway in New York City on April 22.
“It was such a long time ago. It almost seems like a different life,” Ringwald said, before adding, “I had to do my finals on set for my high school algebra test. … So I think that’s what I remember the most.”
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The Sixteen Candles star also fondly remembered celebrating the birthday of her best friend, Matt, whom she said inspired the Pretty in Pink character Philip F. “Duckie” Dale (played by Jon Cryer).
“[Matt] celebrated his 18th birthday on that set, and I have a picture of him blowing out the candles,” Ringwald told PEOPLE at the Majestic Theatre.
Ringwald added that they’ve been friends since the sixth grade.
“[Matt] was the character that Duckie was based on in Pretty in Pink,” she continued. “And he’s the godfather of my elder daughter, and I’m the godmother of his kid. And yeah, we’ve been friends forever.”
The Breakfast Club star is the mom of three kids: daughter Mathilda Ereni, 22, and twins Adele Georgiana and Roman Stylianos, both 16.
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Pretty in Pink — written by John Hughes and directed by Howard Deutch — became a cult classic after its theatrical release in February 1986.
Aside from Ringwald and Cryer, Pretty in Pink also starred Andrew McCarthy, Harry Dean Stanton, Annie Potts and James Spader.
