Holiday Re-Release: Molly Ringwald 58:21

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Discover automatically doubles the cash back earned on your credit card at the end of your first year with Cash Back Match. Now that's a real crowd pleaser. Everyone knows how it ends. Double the cash back. See terms at discover.com slash credit card. Hey, everybody, I have another holiday gift for you. I presented the lovely Jennifer Aniston re-release last time. I think we're working on a genre here.

a genre called America's Sweethearts. And one of the early pioneers, Miss Molly Ringwald. She is pretty in pink. She is. And she remains. And I'm putting that out for you guys, for your holiday cheer, a look back at our talk that we had. Lots of good 80s nostalgia is revisited here with Miss Ringwald.

Hello. Hi. Nice to see you again. You know that you were voted idol of the millennium or something, and I was number two? Wow, that's pretty impressive. I mean, I guess that's an accomplishment of some kind when you're firmly in middle age. ♪

I'm trying to think, it can't be that the last time we saw each other was when we worked together, can it? Because that was a bazillion years ago. I think that was actually the last time we saw each other. Oh my God. For those of you who don't know, we did The Stand together, the great Stephen King miniseries. I loved that miniseries. Did you like it as much as I did? I loved it. I did. I really did. I know that they just did a new one, which seemed like a sort of odd thing.

either really great timing or really terrible timing. Right? Yeah. I didn't see that one. But yeah, I really did like the one that we did together. I thought it was special in a good way. I'll tell you what was...

Really special about it is Stephen King was there all the time and he adapted it. And super nice guy. Right. Super nice guy. And I remember going to a lot of we shot it all in Utah. And I remember going to a lot of Utah jazz games with Stephen King. And there's this great moment we were walking through a parking garage and we're just kind of silent. We kind of couldn't find the car for a minute. And he was like, parking garages are scary.

I want to write. I want to write about a parking garage. I was like, well, you know, when Stephen King is scared in a parking garage, it's scary. And I'm sure he did write it like in a day. Speaking of writing, I went back and reread a lot of your writing. I love your writing so much. Thank you. I really, I really, really do. I was trying to think of why, like what it is that I respond to in your style. And I think you have a tremendous clarity and insight about,

And you but you don't write in a showy way. And yet it's totally evocative. And it's like there's a great quote I have on my desk that Da Vinci said is simplicity is the ultimate sophistication. I've taken to collecting really good quotes. And I think you kind of write in that in that in that style. Have you who's your favorite? Do you have a favorite quote?

Like celebrity memoir. Mine was the David Niven books. I don't know if you've ever read those. You know, I don't I don't think I've read a lot of celebrity memoir books. I think I when I read it's mostly it's mostly fiction. I think that's kind of what's what's always, you know, kind of drawn me in. Yeah.

I think the Louise Brooks, though. I think I was always... You know, whenever I read a celebrity biography, it's usually...

somebody that I'm, you know, sort of interested in for, for some reason, you know, maybe thinking about playing her in a movie or I don't know. Um, so the last one that I really remember loving was, uh, was Lulu and Hollywood. That's a good one. I really liked the ones where, where it's pretty clear that the person is, is writing it themselves or, or if, um,

They're ghostwritten. It's so well ghostwritten that it doesn't take you out of it. But I think, you know, there's a few that really write. Like, I think Mia writes her own. Julie Andrews. I read hers. Hers is pretty great. Yeah. I have so much admiration for writers. In my experience, it's such a sort of difficult and torturous thing

thing to do as opposed to acting, which, you know, I've been doing since the day I was born. So it's, it's a little easier, but, uh, but writing is, I don't know. I just have so much respect for writers. Um, so when somebody manages to, to do it well, it's, um, inspiring. Was the first time that people were aware of your writing was when you wrote about John Hughes after he passed? Do you think the New Yorker piece probably? I think it was for me, I know. I think,

You know, getting published in The New Yorker for for any anyone is sort of like the pinnacle. I mean, it's if you if you want to be published anywhere, it sort of is like it's it's like a stamp, you know, like, OK, this person's an actual writer. They're not, you know, a dilettante. But, you know, I've been writing for years. You know, I've been writing sort of like, you know, book reviews and profiles. You know, I had a friend who is a writer and

named Dave Daly. I don't know if you've read his book. It's about he kind of wrote the book on gerrymandering called. Oh, wow. Yeah. Called Rat Fucked. I love that title. Yeah. Well, that's what they that's what they call it. So he he before he was writing full time, he was an editor and a publisher. And he was one of those people that just, I don't know, kind of

encouraged me to write at a time when I didn't think that I necessarily could. Or that, let's put it this way, I didn't think that anyone would accept me as a writer because I sort of grew up in this time, as did you, but I'm a woman, where you're only supposed to do one thing.

you know, and if you do anything else, then no one's going to take you seriously. And, you know, and so I like to sing and I like to write, but I thought, ah, no one's going to take me seriously as a writer. And my friend Dave was just relentless with here. I want you to, you know, he knew that I liked, for instance, uh, the magnetic fields. And he would say, I want you to write, are you interested in doing a profile on Stephen Merritt, you know, or whatever. And so he would just, he was the person that kind of really encouraged me and to sort of

kept me writing. And then, um, and then I just got better, I think, because I don't think anybody, well, maybe some people start as a good writer, but I think it took me many years to, to really get better and to really kind of call myself a writer. My writing journey began with, uh, ghost, for lack of a better term, ghostwriting screenplays that I would end up in. Like it'd be a script I'd be in and I'm like, eh, yeah, I'll do it. I don't, I don't, uh,

And then you're kind of like at lunch in your trailer, scribbling out different speeches and what have you. And I did that a lot. And that's what got me started. Did you ever do any ghostwriting or like body and fender work on any of your movies?

Oh, yeah, I definitely did. I mean, I in the John Hughes movies that I did, you know, so much of that was was improvised. I mean, the scripts are really great to start out with, but he was really open to to improv and to, you know, just making shit up and improv.

But I don't think everybody was like him. I've worked with a lot of people who are really precious about their writing and make it really difficult to change even one word. And so after a while, you sort of throw up your hands a little bit. But in my experiences, the best writers are actually the ones that are the most open to what you're talking about. I don't know. Has that been your experience? I mean...

I would say that. And then, and then I think of Aaron Sorkin, who's a great writer and you are not changing jack shit. Well, I was talking to Brad Whitford actually the other day, who was who you worked with in West Wing. And I said to him what I just said to you. And then he brought up Aaron Sorkin. And my response to that is Aaron Sorkin is in his own, you have like Shakespeare over here. And I,

you know, I honestly think you have Aaron Sorkin over here. So he doesn't count. We just like take him out of the equation. Exactly. When he's, he's listening, Aaron, you're, you're in your, you've made it. You're in the same breath as, as Shakespeare. Um,

I you know, it's funny is when people talk about the Brat Pack, they always assume, first of all, that maybe you and I had done more movies than we did together. We never did. We'd never worked together at all until the 90s. And then I never was in a John Hughes movie. John Hughes was not calling my number. And I've been thinking about it for a while. I was like, why is it? Because I auditioned for Breakfast Club. Did you? Yeah. I auditioned for which part?

For Bender, for the part that Judd Nelson played. Okay. Did you go the distance or did you just do one audition? I don't think I barely made it out of my interview with John. My only memory was the script was great. It was great. It was great. You're like, oh, this is going to be great. And I just remember the Bender character in the script wore a cowboy hat.

And I'll never forget his life. I promise you, because it's not something I would just like make up. And like, why do I remember that? A cowboy hat? I'm telling you, Molly, in the original draft, Bender was wearing a cowboy. And then, of course, when I saw Judd with his, you know, literally that is Judd Nelson's actual outfit with the untied shoes.

That man never tied a shoelace in his life. Well, you know what John did? I don't know if you know this, but he asked me to do The Breakfast Club just as Sixteen Candles was ending because he had actually already cast it with local Chicago actors. In fact, Joan Cusack was going to play Allison and John, I think, was going to play John.

Bender and then the studio wanted to do 16 Candles first because it was much more I don't know like I mean even though it was a female lead it was kind of more of the teen movies that everyone was used to in terms of like big parties and you know all that stuff so so then he offered me a part at the end of of that and I remember reading it on a plane he wanted me to play Allison at first and

And I lobbied for the role of Claire, who was called Kathy at the time. I like lobbied hard. I was like, please, you know, no one would ever think of me in this broad. They'd only think of me as the weird girl and, you know, the introvert and all of that stuff. And so and so then I did it. But by the time that we got to I think this was I think we filmed in February and he had offered it to me at the end of summer. By the time we actually started.

got to rehearsal, he called me up and he's like, are you excited? And I was like, yeah, but you know, it's a really different script. And he's like, what do you mean? And I said, I, you know, it's just like so different than the one that I read. And he was like, huh. And then the next day he brought in a stack of breakfast club scripts that he had written and

And he just handed them out to all of us and said, okay, pick your favorite part. And these speeches just got put back in. And characters were cut because he was trying to appease the studio. So he had like a nude teacher swimming and he had this and that. But he always maintained that his scripts really never got a lot better in rewrites.

He didn't like to rewrite because he felt like they just didn't get better. So, I mean, I've never experienced that before where a writer director was like, pick your favorite parts. By the way, if you take nothing else at all away from this conversation, just know that the way to appease a studio is nude teachers swimming.

Back in the day, that was it. That's what they're looking for. Yeah, I used to, I always knew that on page 72, I had the page 72 rule. On page 72, invariably, that would be when the character they wanted me to play would be nude.

It was always on page 72. Always. And what did you do? Did you do it? Did you turn it down? Did you have a body double? Sometimes I did it. Sometimes I turned it down. But it was always on page... I think every script written in the 80s, if you can get it on microfiche at the library, my favorite word, um...

On page 72, you'll see the characters having something steamy. Just had to do it. Like, you know, nude teachers swim. That's what they do. That's what they do up at school. Come on. Yeah. Evidently, nude teachers like to hang out on a Saturday and just swim nude in the school pool. Like any teacher is going to want to be at a school where they work on a Saturday. It made absolutely no sense. But the other part is somebody has to be watching, of course.

Oh, of course. Of course. Of course. Yeah. I got to make it as creepy as possible. Like if you swim nude and nobody watches, did it really, did you really swim nude? Did it, did it happen? Did it happen? That's really the question. Um, yeah. So I auditioned for John and it's, listen, it's not like John only made one or two movies that I would have been right for. I mean, let's fucking get real for a minute. Uh, I could have been in a lot of John Hughes movies. Nope. Nope.

Yeah. No ringy dingy. No phone call. No incoming phone call. He was not having what I was selling. And I've spent a lot of time trying to figure out what it is. And here's what I think it is. Here's my philosophy. And I know you have many philosophies on John. And I and I and just from a 50,000 foot view, I think you're spot on. But I think what would you think would be unfair to say that John had a little bit of Svengali in him?

Oh, yeah. Definitely. Yeah. Well, I was a lot of things, but I was definitely not the kind of person that you went, ooh, that's a guy who needs a Svengali. I think you were probably too good looking for him. I think he was very...

He was very intimidated by, you know, very good looking guys. And I mean, you're still a good looking guy, but like at the, at the time, I mean, no, you're a great looking guy. I mean, let's be, let's be real here. But at the time I think you were just like Apollo and I think, and, and he was super intimidated by that.

God, even with a cowboy hat? I couldn't take the curse off of it? Wait a minute. I want to know, did you go to the audition with a cowboy hat? No. Oh, here's the other thing. Here's the other thing. It was a straw cowboy hat. Not just any cowboy hat. I was thinking straw. I guess it's kind of a Midwestern thing. I guess. It is. Yeah, no. Straw cowboy hats are definitely like rural things.

Indiana, rural Illinois, for sure. You can get away with it. But no, I'm not a hat guy. I've never been able to pull off a hat. And I knew that if I did put on the hat, there's no way I was getting the part. Yeah.

That's so funny. So what was he like in the audition? I actually never auditioned for John. Yeah. So I'm always curious to know what that experience was like for other people. I mean, really, I think the only it was he was unremarkable. The only thing I the only reason I remember it is because I knew it was going to be it was a very movie everybody wanted to be in and it was really going to be good. And, you know, like you've said before, is, you know, this was a

Breakfast Cup to this day, I show it

I mean, it is, for me, the movie of the 80s. It stands up. I mean, there's stuff in it, clearly, that's very, very dated, which you've written eloquently about. But it's, like, revolutionary. Like, along with Fast Times. Along with Fast Times at Ridgeway and High. Like, they're real movies. Yeah. And, you know, we weren't offered movies like that. They weren't making movies like that. So to be in a, you know, a real movie was an exciting thing, although it was not to be. And I blame the fucking cowboy hat.

Hang on. I'm just going to let my dogs in because they're going to win. Yeah, let them in.

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Qualifying plan required. Wi-Fi were available on select U.S. airlines. Deposit and Hilton honors membership required for 15% discount terms and conditions apply. What kind of dogs you got there over there? Oh, I have a few. I have five. I have three dogs. I have, um, I have a little tiny dog. Yeah.

Oh, yes. This is Millie Ringwald. Millie Ringwald. Millie Ringwald. Yeah. That's the greatest. Has her own Instagram. I mean, come on. Like, this needs their own Instagram. She needs her own Time Magazine cover. Yes, she does. Why don't you do that? Ain't she sweet? Ain't she sweet? By the way, I remembered that that's what the tagline was. Yeah. Yeah.

Yeah, I wasn't I wasn't crazy about that when I saw that. I was like, OK, there you are there. There's your now you're going to be typecast pretty much for the next 40 years. How did that happen? They tell you you're going to be on the cover of Time magazine. And how old were you? 18. I was. Yeah, I was 18. What's that like? I got I got the cover of Bop magazine. That's where my career was. Tiger. Yeah.

I didn't understand that it was as big of a deal as it was. It was actually Warren Beatty, who I'm still friends with, who was the one to tell me that it was a really, really big deal. Because I was like...

I was really psyched about Seventeen magazine. I mean, I was a kid. And so Time magazine, I just didn't... I wasn't reading Time magazine at the time. I didn't really care all that much about it, but I knew that everybody else really cared about it. And of course, now I realize that it was a big deal.

Today, now that no one cares about Time magazine or any other magazine. Yeah, that's right. That's true. But I still feel like it's, you know, it's an honor. Like, I remember going to a party in the 90s where everyone who was ever on the cover of Time was invited to with the exception of three people.

And see if you can guess who those three people were who were not invited. OK, what time? What you need to know what year it was. This was like 90. These late, late 90s. Muammar Gaddafi. He well, I don't know if he was invited, but no, that's not one of the three. Monica Lewinsky. Yes. Bing, bing, bing, bing, bing. Ding, ding, ding. And two more. Hang on. Hang on now. Hang on now.

OK, who are the other two? Who are the other two? Ken Starr. Yes. And O.J. Simpson. Yeah, O.J. couldn't make it. Yeah, those are the and everybody else. I mean, I invited my friend Victoria and it was one of these experiences. I mean, I'm sure you've had these experiences where you're just like, wow, anybody that I would ever want to meet is in this room. And, you know, and who who is it like? Who do I really want to talk to or have a conversation with?

And so my friend, I'm pretty shy, but my friends who I invited is not at all. I mean, she will meet and talk to anyone. And I always like to be around people like that because it makes me a lot more outgoing. And she said, let's pick two people each and go and meet them and talk to them. And I said, OK. So my two people were Anita Hill and Toni Morrison. And her two people were Bill Gates and Gorbachev. I mean, wow.

I mean, by the way, that sounds like an actual dream.

So I met Anita Hill and then I talked to Gorbachev. It sounds like a dream. Yeah, it was pretty cool. And everybody seemed really excited to be there and happy to be social. It felt kind of exciting. So when I think about Time Magazine and what that means, I felt pretty proud to be. Because I've never gotten awards or been nominated for anything. I think I was nominated for...

One thing, like best newcomer at the Golden Globe Awards, but lost out to Sandal Berkman, who was in that movie Red Sonja. Yeah. Red Sonja. What are you going to do? Red Sonja beat me. I've lost to a long line of luminaries. Believe me. Yeah.

Tell me, because I'm a huge Warren Beatty fan and know him a little bit, but not like you do and not like a lot of my friends do. And he's, I mean, he's one of my idols. It's like, who I kind of, you know, thought like he was it. I did have one great, one amazing evening at his house where we, he screened a Burt Reynolds double feature. He had just won the Oscar for Reds. He had just won it.

And the notion that he had to really do a deep dive on Burt Reynolds's oeuvre kind of made me laugh. Yeah, I wonder what he was doing. I mean, he must have been researching something. I just remember him turning to me in the screening room. I mean, he insisted that I was with my girlfriend and he was with his girlfriend of the moment. And he insisted that I sit next to him and that in halfway through the movie turned to me and he goes, yes, I see.

He goes, yes, you see, he's using so many long lenses. And I remember going, whoa. Oh, my God. How does he know what lens? Yeah, he's pretty amazing to talk to and not just about his technological prowess and his understanding of films, but his

he pretty much has met everyone. Everyone. Not just met, but has had a conversation or a story about everyone. And I really wish that he would write, you know, his memoir. Because, I mean, I know a lot of the stories, but I've never written them down. And I just, I think it's just so interesting and fascinating. And there's just not that many people, you know, in our business that are left that have that kind of, you know, sort of access to,

to like old Hollywood, old theater, you know, and, and also, I mean, he had a, you know, an experience with Marilyn Monroe, you know, like it's just. That story is amazing. The Marilyn Monroe story. Yeah. It's, it's just, and I'll butcher it. I don't really, I've heard it apocryphal a bunch, but. Okay. I was going through your credits, credits, credits. And were you in the short film of Sling Blade? I was. What? What?

Yeah, it was interesting. I was living in France at the time and kind of, you know, I would say I put my career firmly on the back burner, but stuff was still sent to my parents' house. And it was my mom who called me up in Paris and she was like, you know...

There's this script that I got that I just, you know, I think is really interesting. And it was this short film called, some folks call it a sling blade.

And I came back to shoot it. It was not directed by Billy Bob. It was directed by a man who has since died named George Hickenlooper. Did you know him? Oh, I know the name. I didn't know he was involved in that. Yeah. So he directed it and Billy Bob was in it. And I played the reporter who comes to interview him at the hospital.

And it was really interesting because when we met before at a diner or something, he said, you know, I kind of do this character. I don't know. Do you want me to just, you know, wait? Do you want me to do it now or do you want to wait? And I was like, you know, save it. Save it. I want to see it like the first time. So the first time that I ever saw him do it, the camera was on me. Nope. And...

That was like completely authentic. I mean, I was not acting in that. I was just amazed. I mean, he was amazing. He completely transformed and, and yeah, it was, it was extraordinary. I was really happy to be a part of that.

I was not so happy that he didn't call me back to be a part of the movie. I sort of was really bummed out about that. But I guess the movie really didn't focus on that. It really focused on him outside of the hospital. Yeah, I don't even remember the reporter being in the movie. Yeah, yeah, I don't think it was. But yeah, that was really, really something, that character. People forget, and I know Billy a little bit. In fact, Billy is the person who told me I should write.

He was my guy that was like, you should be writing. And so I'm indebted to him and I've always been a huge fan, but he told me the story. And I can't do a Billy Bob Thornton impersonation. I used to be able to, but it's been too long. But I wish I could because it helps the story. But he said he was sitting in some like honey wagon on some awful movie that he hated and waiting to act and just like, is this my life? I'm like the seventh lead actor.

in a shitty movie up in fucking some freezing Canadian town in the middle of the winter. And he's looking at himself in the mirror and he just made that face. He made the Carl Slingblade face. Yeah, this one. And then did it. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

And he started just fucking around, like just because he was bored, just entertaining himself. Yeah, that was the origin of Carl. And that was the origin of Sling Blade. And and then he told me he wrote a short about.

And I said, wait, it was a short? And then to see that you were in it. It's definitely one of my cooler credits. Like that one and Jean-Luc Godard. I kind of like put that and working with Cassavetes. I sort of I put all of those sort of at the top of the list. Yeah. Do you still talk to him? I haven't seen him in a long time. I talk to him a lot.

When he was because my my my best friend was who passed away a few years ago was Bill Paxton and Bill and he were really, really good buddies and did numerous movies together. One false move is a great Sam Raimi movie. So that was sort of my, you know, intersection with Sam.

With with Billy Bob. God, I love him and that I can't believe I'm so jealous. Who else was in the movie? Was it just my my my. I feel like it was like shot in a black box with a dangling light and it's just you and Billy. That's what I feel like it was like. Yeah. No, it was it was another really fantastic actor who I think might have been in the the actual movie. And I'm blanking on his name. And it's J.T. Walsh.

I think that was him. I bet it was. He was, he was another patient. Yeah. He's insane. He's unbelievable. It's unbelievable. Yeah. He, he, he, he's died since then, but he was, he was amazing. Suzanne Cryer played the, do you know Suzanne Cryer? Uh,

That was her first job. She never, she came out of Yale drama and had never even been on film before. And I remember, you know, telling her like what marks were and kind of like, you know, favor the camera a little bit, you know, and, and, you know, and then of course she went on to have a great career. I'm trying to think of who else was in it. Billy Bob. Oh, oh, you know, who was in it is Jefferson Mays.

Oh. Jefferson Mays. Great actors. Yeah, great actor. Yeah, it was a really cool project. Do you ever feel, because you've been acting since you were literally, you're not kidding, like a baby, right? Yeah, yeah. Yeah, so that stuff like favorite of the camera, what marks are, it's so in your DNA. Yeah. It's like it's in your DNA you don't even think about it. I haven't thought about it in years. And then you...

Work with somebody who's brand, brand, brand new and you're like, oh, bless them. Listen, if you can't see the camera, the camera can't see you. Yeah. Did you have to do that with Emilio Estevez? You did, didn't you? You had to be like, Emilio Estevez.

These are marks. I know your papa didn't have them in the jungle when he was making Apocalypse Now, but this is a library set. No, Emilio had done a few things before, you know, before we did Breakfast Club, right? Yes. He did Repo Man. He did, well, of course, The Outsiders. He did a few stuff. Yeah, I was just buzzing. I mean, all of those people, I mean, I'm trying to think, so...

Ali, I did two movies with. Emilio, I did two movies with. Judd, I did one movie with. That's the main group of The Breakfast Club, right? Yeah. Well, Anthony Michael Hall. Anthony Michael Hall. Oh, never worked with him. I loved him. He was so good in those movies and still is. He's an amazing actor. Yeah, he really is.

He he's so funny, so smart. I don't know if you've been watching the Bo Burnham inside. Of course, there's something I mean, I'm kind of obsessed. And, you know, now I think I've watched it like five times all the way through just because I'm so I'm so intrigued to know how he how he did it. Basically, like I want to like take it apart like a watch and put it back together again.

But there's something in Bo Burnham that reminds me a lot of Anthony Michael Hall. I don't know. It's like just how incredibly smart and sharp. And also when I knew Michael, he was really tall. Like he grew just overnight to, you know, I think he's way over six feet and he's kind of gangly and, you know, love George Carlin. There's just something in the two of them that I think is really similar. But I haven't seen him for years.

I visited, I can't remember what set it was. Which one of your movies was Joan Cusack in? She was in Sixteen Candles. She played the neck brace girl. Right. That's, yes. And is Michael Schofling in that? Yes, of course he is. He's the guy. Yeah, Michael Schofling is the guy. I visited that set. Didn't meet you, but I was there one day. In Chicago? In Chicago, yeah. I was doing class.

Oh, yeah. And John Cusack was in class. That's right. Right. And Andrew McCarthy. That's right. So I came and I remember meeting everybody. And then my girlfriend at the time was going off to do a movie with Michael Schofling then later. And I was like, ooh, that handsome little bastard. Yeah.

I was very jealous of Michael Schofield. And Michael Schofield just like disappeared. I mean, yeah, I mean, just completely from from public eye anyway. He just tapped out. He said, I've had enough. I'm taking my winnings and leaving the casino of Hollywood. Yeah. And and and I think he's the last I heard. He's like a carpenter. I don't I don't know if that's just like an urban legend or what. But no, that's that's Daniel Day-Lewis.

No, he's a tailor, isn't he? Oh, that. Yes. Isn't he a tailor or making shoes or something? Or is he a cobbler? Maybe he's a cobbler. I think it's a cobbler. Maybe he's making cobbler. Daniel Day-Lewis's fruit cobbler. So insane. Okay, I'm obsessed with the pickup artist because here's what I remember about the pickup artist. Okay. That was another one that like as a young actor, everybody's like, ooh.

up artist like James Toback. Ooh, edgy James Toback. And Warren Beatty was like, he was like under his auspices and everybody wanted to be in it. And it was all very misterioso. And, you know,

I just picture these meetings at Warren's Mulholland Spaceship House. It's become this mythical movie to me. And then there's the urban legend that Toback is such an inveterate gambler that he chose the locations to be close to the off-track betting sites. Have you ever heard that one? Yeah, that doesn't surprise me at all.

Yeah, it was. Wait, did you did you do any of that? I know that Warren had a lot of readings at his house, sort of like trying out different people. Did you ever do any of those? No. Again, you know, Warren, like John Hughes, was not was not calling my number. And I don't know what it means. I'm very disappointed that my hero was not. I know. But he's always said nice things about you. Oh, I love hearing that.

I'm a huge Warren fan. What can I say? Just that he's he's the man. But I was very now I remember why I remember it so much, because I was in therapy over it that I never got to go. You know, that was a cool house, though. You went to the spaceship house, right? Right. OK, so my memory of it. OK, this is great because I've never this is. Oh, thank you. Because my memory of it is it's a fucking spaceship. And and when I went, there was no.

or very little furniture, except the Oscar was on the mantle for Reds. And he said, yeah, I'm sorry. I just haven't had a chance to really furnish it. I've been away shooting for a couple of years. I was like, yeah, I know. I know.

I think maybe he went to the spaceship house before I did because by the time I Went there there there was some furniture not a lot It was not it was a pretty sparse house, but I remember this big huge grand piano. Yes And because Warren plays piano actually he did piano bar before you know while he was you know supporting himself as a as an up-and-coming actor

And then I remember, you know, the next time I was there, there was just a Degas statue that was just sort of casually placed on the piano. I was like, what? You got the Degas. I got the Oscar. That's that's that was his move. Just oh, by the way. Yeah. Were you were you always the like. So who did you read with? Who are the different people that you came up and read with up there at the spaceship house?

I never read with anyone, but I knew that readings were happening. I really wanted to do it because I just really wanted to work with Warren. Yeah, of course. I would have loved to have been in a movie that Warren directed. And Warren kind of. I mean, Toback was the director, but Warren was involved, so he was...

he was directing everyone all the time. But I remember he would call me and say, you know, "Hey, hey, what do you think of Demi Moore? What do you think of, you know, Susie Amos? What do you think of..." And he would ask me what I thought of all these other actresses, and it was driving me crazy. I was like, "Just Cassie. I want to be in it."

But he was like, I don't know if this part is big enough for you. Because this is after Pretty in Pink and everything. But I actually really liked the idea of playing supporting roles coming out of those movies. I really wanted to not feel like a movie was sitting on my shoulders. So I liked that idea. And I liked the script. I thought the script was funny. Of course, it would never get made today. None of them would. Yeah, I know. Yeah.

I mean, it's hard when you go through your resume, when one goes through one's resume. I mean, Breakfast Club, I can't imagine that ever getting made. It certainly wouldn't get made as a movie to be in the movie theater. No. If barely at all. I mean... It'd be made for absolutely a shoestring. And it would be, you know, a Sundance movie if you're lucky. Yeah. Yeah. And I kind of miss that. I have to say I miss...

I miss movies that aren't spectacles. I mean, I enjoy going to spectacles too. I just went to see the black widow with, you know,

with my kids and you know i'm not a big superhero kind of movie but you know i enjoyed it but the part that i enjoyed the most was the relationship with this the acting yeah the acting and the relationship between um uh scarlett johansson's character and and uh florence pew um yeah i thought they were amazing and i thought that the reason why it's a good movie is because you are invested in these people you know i think you'd be great in a marvel movie i i

As a Marvel mastermind. I want you as I see you as a mastermind, though. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. With that. Yeah. With those hands. That vibe. Yeah. I would actually love that. I would love to play a supervillain. By the way, just the notion of you, your name, like and guess who's playing. I don't know. I don't know. Give me a supervillain name. What's it like? Just let's make up your own.

I always thought, I mean, it's not a Marvel property. I think it's DC, but I thought if I ever did a super villain, I would want to play bookworm. Oh, great. There you go. I mean, how cool would that be? I think it'd be super fucking hip. Yeah. Well, let's put it out there, Rob. Let's put it out there in the universe. Yeah. Uh, you be bookworm. I want to be green Hornet.

Oh, OK. I believe I could be green. You know, I mean, it could happen. You know, they're going to run out of actors at some point. At some point. Yeah. And I feel like it would just be it would be such a great opportunity to get in shape. You know, like I really want to be put on that like Marvel diet. I just, you know. Yes. Right. And take those those whatever they're doing to to look like that. You know, I want some of that.

I say that same thing all the time. I go, the whole point of being in Marvel is to have, you know, Dr. Feelgood. He probably carries a Marvel doctor bag that has the Marvel logo on it. And he shows up to every actor who's 20 pounds overweight, who just signed to play the green henchman or whatever the fuck character it is, and opens up that bag. And the next thing you know, you're on...

drugs and you are just shredded. Yeah. You don't know what hit you. That's what I want. That's what I want. I mean, it's quite something. Do you think there's like a special floor thing?

at the Marvel building where they have like actors on treadmills, like where they do animal experimentation, except it's on actors. And they're like, have you seen Kamau Njani? Look at him. He's went from a, from a 36 inch waist to a 28 inch waist. He's got a tortoiseshell abs.

Yeah, I'm sure they are all ripped. I mean, they just they all look better than they will ever look in their entire lives. So so, yeah, I feel like if that could happen, I would definitely be up for a superhero movie. Do you know that I never you know who the first person who ever got me to to work out was? Who? OK, let me know. This is a good game. Yeah.

Okay. This is, Oh, Oh, I know who it is. I know who it is. I know absolutely who it is. Amelia. It's Amelia. Totally. I knew it. I knew it. I fucking knew it. I knew it. I never even, I don't even think I, I understood the concept of working out. I mean, it was like you had PE at school. You, you know, maybe took a couple of tennis classes, you know, but like working out actually, you know, yeah, he hooked me up with this guy, Jackson Sousa. Oh,

Get out! I swear, he came to my house. In his van? My parents' house. I don't remember his car. No, it was in the back of it because I was still living with my parents when I was doing these movies. And I remember, and I was pretty skinny. I mean, I was just like very naturally a skinny kid. But I remember him pinching me and telling me, oh, you know what that is? That's subcutaneous fat. I was like, what? What?

Yeah, I've never, never even, I'm not sure I knew what subcontinuous meant and never, ever was called fat in any way, shape or form. But by Jackson Sousa. But that was the first time I ever worked out with a trainer. Thanks, Emilio. He was my trainer, too, Jackson Sousa. And he'd show up in a van and sometimes we would find a street, literally a cul-de-sac and pull over and he put all his shit out in the street. We work out in the middle of the street. Oh, wow.

And that was an Emilio. Emilio used to wake me up. I'd be asleep and I'd wake up and Emilio would be standing over my bed. And he'd have he would be fully dressed in his dolphin shorts and his tank tops. And he would hold my running shoes in front of my face and wake me up in the morning. You know, because you make me always said, wake up. It's your worst nightmare. An actor in running shoes.

And that's what he said. And then I would have to go run with him from Point Doom to Trankus and back. Wow. Wow.

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Are you still friends with Emilio? I haven't seen him in a long, long, long, long, long time because he's I think he's like living in Ohio part time and stuff. And then he's shooting up in Canada. Yeah, same. I see Martin a lot. We did the West Wing reunion and he's, you know, just the best. And and every once in a while I'll I'll get a really funny phone call from Charlie. Yeah.

And I had McCarthy, I had Andrew on the podcast a few weeks ago. He was so great. I hadn't seen or spoken to Andrew in so many years. And his book's amazing. If you haven't read it, it's quite great. I haven't read it yet. He very nicely sent me all of the, you know, sections that I was in, which, you know, he didn't have to. But I thought that was really nice of him. And he was very respectful and, you know.

He's a really good writer. I mean, he's another one who's been sort of writing for years and getting progressively better and yeah, he's a good guy. His son played my son in his first movie, which was weird because it was like I would have these moments where I would look across and I would just see Andrew's eyes. Like they don't really look a lot alike, but they have the same eyes.

And they're both a total pain in the ass. So I feel like, oh, my God, I'm like back in time. Oh, well, my my youngest son is an actor and starred in his first movie this summer. Big independent movie. Well, independent. I don't think it is. But his independent movie and his dad was played by Andrew.

Oh my God. And so it really feels like the, like the matrix is about to break. Yeah, I agree. My daughter, Matilda has just started acting, just did her first self tape and. Oh my God. Oh,

And it's so funny because I feel like I've gotten to the point now where, you know, rejection doesn't sting as much as it always did. Because, you know, I've had incredible success. But like any actor, you know, you go through. There's always somebody else that they want. No matter how much you do, there's always that sting of rejection. But I finally have gotten to a place where I get a lot of my creative talent

you know, juju from somewhere else. And so I don't really need it as much. And then now that my daughter's doing it, I feel rejection so much more. And I'm just like, oh, my God, now I have to start all over again, feeling all of this stuff. And it's way worse when it's your kid. I don't know if you feel that way. But I mean, I feel that way. Like, how could anybody not

Just think, you know, is and she's really good. I was really that was another thing I was really nervous about is what if I have a an actor kid and they just suck? You know, what am I going to what am I going to say? Yeah. Oh, that's you. That's a real issue. I tell you what I freaks me out is all of the self tapes.

Because when we were when we were in there was no self tape. I remember when it was a big deal for them to have a camera in the audition. Like they did tell your agents they were going to do it. You had to agree to it. It was super frowned on. Yeah. It's like you would always say, you know, she'll she'll do the meeting. She'll do the reading, but she won't do the self tape.

Or, you know, or she'll meet with you, but she won't read. I mean, yeah, there's all these rules about it. And the self-tape, they would always say, oh, it's just for blah, blah, blah. It's just to see the chemistry or it's just for this. Nothing's ever going to happen with it. But of course, like they're all on YouTube now or, you know, I just got, I just got, I had to sign off to have a self-tape that I did or not a self-tape, but, you know, a videotape because they're releasing the, the behind the scenes for, you

Labyrinth, which I auditioned for back in the day that Jennifer Connelly got. And I was part of me was really annoyed just because they told us, you know, that these weren't going to go anywhere. And then the other part of me is like, fuck it. I don't care. The Outsiders auditions are out there a lot. And they're they're so not they're so mental. My favorite one is Kate Capshaw. Wow. And it's like so incongruent. You're like, wait, that's Steven Spielberg's wife.

And they're like, and how old are you? And she goes, yeah.

Good answer. Yeah. Those old audition things are so crazy. I love Matilda. Matilda. I love that. That's so good. Maybe she and Johnny can do a movie together. Yeah. How old is your son? He's 25. Okay. And did you do the thing where you didn't let him act for a long time or were you always... Yep. Yeah. It's the Gwyneth Paltrow rule, I call it. What's that? So I'm very friendly with the Paltrow family and have been since Gwyneth was...

probably 15. And it was like patently obvious that she was a sensation in waiting. It wasn't even up for debate. Yeah. And, you know, people throwing movie roles at her, modeling contracts. She's like a 15 year old girl. She's like, whatever.

And and I would and then when she finally she finally did, you know, work and won the Oscar so early, I remember at the party talking to her dad, Bruce Paltrow, who created many great television series. And I had young kids and I was fearful that they wanted to be in the business. And I said, Bruce, what did you do with one? I was like, how did you handle it? And he said, we just had one rule. She had to go to college and she did not act until she was at least 18.

And now, by the way, Gwyneth immediately dropped out of college. But that was that was the rule I had with with with my boys to the Paltrow rule. OK, well, that's good. I wish I had known the Paltrow rule because I have been I have been suffering for years. Why won't you let me? Why won't you? You know, and I'm like, look, you can you can act. You can learn to act. I got her teachers. You know, I feel like I could teach you.

somebody else's kid how to act or I could teach them to be a better actor. You can't do that with your own kid, or at least I can't. So I got her with a really good teacher and I'm like, you know, you're just you just need to have a really big toolbox because, you know, maybe more doors will open for you. But people maybe might be a little bit more critical than they will with the average person.

but I wish I would have known the Paltrow rule because that would have made my life a lot easier. But it's hard, though, like if they get like somebody comes to them with something that's really great. You're like. There's something I want to ask you, actually. Please turn the tables. Are you still married to the mother of your children? Cheryl? Yes. Cheryl and I celebrated our 30th wedding anniversary last week.

Congratulations. Thank you. That's amazing. So I'm sure people have asked you this before, but what do you what do you attribute to the longevity? Because I think, you know, especially in Hollywood, that's not that's not so easy to to be with the same person for, you know, forever. We always say the same thing. It's that I believe it's Alfred Hitchcock. It might have been another director. It might have been Billy Wilder.

But when they asked them, what do you attribute the keys to a hit movie? And he said, casting. And I think that's what it is with a marriage. It's it's casting and, you know, picking the right person, you know, and I really believe that that battle is won and lost right there. And, you know, for you know, for me personally.

Cheryl is and was and is my best friend. Right. And so no matter what, we started from that place and the rest of it all followed. And so no matter what, that's the basis when everything ebbs and flows and look, you know, there's good days and there's bad days in any long term relationship. But if the baseline is best friendship, like like when something good or bad happens, it's the first person you want to talk to about. Or if you have.

I remember I had one, I had the ability to bring somebody on a press tour around the world on a movie. Anybody when I was single, anybody. And there are times when I brought male friends, my best buddies. And when I met Cheryl, I was like, I'm going to bring Cheryl. And that's sort of when I was like, yeah, if you have one seat on a worldwide tour and you want that person to be with you. Oh, yeah.

I really love that. I'm going on next February will be 21 years with my husband. No, that's a long time. Who also, as you can see, was also my IT guy. I love that.

But yeah, I feel the same way. You know, I really feel like if I was going around the world, he would be the person I would want to go around the world with. And he's, he's the one I want to talk to at the end of the day and, you know, wake up to in the morning. And, and that really has never gone away. And, and,

So, yeah, I feel really grateful for that. Yeah, I'm happy for you. That is good. And, you know, people listening is like that's a really good litmus test. You know, if it isn't that person.

Maybe you want to rethink it because the rest of it comes goes whatever but that never goes away Yeah, and also somebody that can make me laugh I mean he makes me laugh like crazy and that that's always been really important for me. That's actually something that I Realized about you because I didn't really know you I mean, I feel like we had all these people in common, but I didn't know you until we did the stand together and I remember

Sort of like, oh my God, he's so funny. Like, I just thought of you as this like good looking guy. And then you just made me laugh so, so much. Do you remember that scene that we had to do where it was like the camera, we all, we had to respond to something and the camera was like moving in really fast and you had to be like,

Do you remember that day? Yes, I do. You know, I think we shot it for a hundred years. I mean, we literally shot it. It was a six month shoot in Utah. Six months. Yeah. Six months. So, um,

I had never, we're talking about acting and acting, learning acting, acting coaches. I was pretty much self-taught and started working from such a young age. I learned on the job. But my wife, as is her want, will say things to me like, you know, this is a really good part, honey. Thank you. Maybe you should get an acting coach. Thank you, I think. So when I got the stand...

I'm playing the character who can't talk, can't hear. And so she's like, this is really an opportunity. So I went and I studied with Roy London. Now, Roy London, if you don't, he was the man in Los Angeles. Yeah, the guy. The guy. And so he had, I think, Brad Pitt when he was blew up with Thelma and Louise was a big Roy London. Sharon Stone from The Jump was Roy London. Gary Shandling.

And so I met with Royce. You know, he says, send me the scripts and then we'll come talk about them. I sent him the scripts. He reads all the scripts. I come and sit with him. And he says, so tell me what you're thinking. And I said, well, you know, I don't know. He's deaf and...

You know, I'm deaf in one ear as well. I can barely I can't hear at all on one side of my head. So, I mean, it might be an interesting thing where I get a device and, you know, like a titanus, whatever, the tinnitus device and put it in my ear so I can put a white noise in it. So then I don't hear it. And he goes, let me just please let me just let me just ask you, why would why would you want to do that? I said, well, what do you mean? Because he's deaf. And I mean, yeah, I understand that. But you're playing the part and you're not deaf.

Yeah. Because why would you ever want to add another level of falsehood to your performance? Because I'm thinking about like people who are blind. They put a fucking mask on and stagger around their house for eight weeks. All that shit you hear about all the time from actors. And Roy's thing was that's exactly what you do not do.

And his thing, and this is the most counterintuitive, bizarre thing. And by the way, I don't use it all the time. But he was like, the fact of the matter is you hear. So what you have to do is figure out why your character hears and chooses to let people think he doesn't. And he goes, and of course, you must not ever tell anyone. Oh, my God.

Molly Ringwald, this has been so fun. This makes my heart just swell and be happy. It's really, really great to see you again, talk to you. I'm so glad. Congratulations on living your best life, as the kids say today.

Thank you. You too. And I hope that we get a chance to work together again, maybe in a Marvel movie. And I'll see you at the Marvel, the super secret Marvel gym. I will be in the treadmill next to you, hooked up to an IV. Right on. Thanks, Molly. Thank you. Well, that was fun. She's so thoughtful and smart. It's always good to see somebody who's been there, done that.

and is living a great life and loving their life and in a great place and just legitimately makes my heart happy. I hope you had as much fun as I did. I know you're ready. I know I am. It is time. Yes, it is for the lowdown line. Hello, you've reached literally in our lowdown line where you can get the lowdown on all things about me, Rob Lowe. 323-570-4551.

So have at it. Here's the beep. Hey, Bob. This is Dakota here in Nebraska. I was wondering if you actually like the Atkins products, kind of looking heavily into that, you know, low-carb, high-protein, low-sugar too. So, yeah. Bye. Dakota in Nebraska is great. It could have been Nebraska and Dakota just as easily. So thanks for the call. Yeah.

Not only do I love the Atkins stuff, like one of the things when I was talking about getting into business with Atkins, because I've been eating the Atkins way for years and frankly wasn't even aware they had products at first, was when they sent me the protein shakes and they were like literally like milkshakes. And I was like, this has to be bullshit.

It has to be like these protein bars are so yummy. They can't possibly be as good for you and have the ingredients that they have. And they do. So, yeah, I'm a big believer in low carb life. It's made a real difference for me. And same with low sugar, although that's that's hard to beat. That's a struggle that I one step forward, two steps back. Hey, everybody, thanks for listening. Next week, we are kicking off 2024 with all new episodes.

And it is a sick lineup. See you then. Booking by Deirdre Dodd. Music by Devin Bryant.

Special thanks to Hidden City Studios. Thanks for listening. We'll see you next time on Literally with Rob Lowe.

All set for your flight? Yep. I've got everything I need. Eye mask, neck pillow, T-Mobile, headphones. Wait, T-Mobile? You bet. Free in-flight Wi-Fi. 15% off all Hilton brands. I never go anywhere without T-Mobile. Same goes for my water bottle, chewing gum, nail clippers. Okay, I'm going to leave you to it. Find out how you can experience travel better at T-Mobile.com slash travel.

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