In all its legacy,The Breakfast Clubis a 1985 coming-of-age drama that follows five high schoolers as they endure Saturday detention under the watch of their authoritarian principal. The movie reached worldwide acclaim and is easily the most memorable film by the late writer-directorJohn Hughesas it laid the groundwork for many of the tropes that viewers see in entertainment today.
The classic has been referenced in various movies and television shows over the decades, including the parody comedyNot Another Teen Movieand television shows fromVictorioustoBob’s Burgers, and more recently the Peacock originalOne of Us is Lying, dubbed “Gossip GirlmeetsThe Breakfast Club” byPolygon. One of the movie’s stars—and notable member of the “Brat Pack”—Anthony Michael Hall spoke with Game Rant aboutThe Breakfast Cluband Hughes’s legacy and his upcoming movieThe Class, which pays homage to the popular work.
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The Classfollows a group of high school seniors at Saturday school as they take an exam. While the day plays on, the students confide their struggles and complexities with one another and develop a special bond, unbeknownst to their authority figures. Hall executive produces and steps into the role of one of the adult characters, the antithesis of his prior portrayal of the brainy-yet-misunderstood Brian Johnson. “The Classis not a remake, it’s an original script and original film. It really took me by surprise. I met Nicky Celozzi [director] a couple of years ago, and we started talking. He sent me the material and I was impressed. I thought he did a great job reimagining the basic structure ofThe Breakfast Club,” says Hall.
He continues, “What makes itsodynamic is that, from a writing standpoint, the stakes for the characters are much more modern, whether it’s alcoholism or sexuality, or a number of things, like life-threatening illness. It was really dynamic in terms of screenwriting, and I thought, ‘Wow, this is really great!’ So, we partnered up, and it’s a co-production through my company Manhattan Films.”
In the film, singer-songwriter Debbie Gibson, who has starred in Broadway productions ofLes MisérablesandCabaret, along with holding appearances in popular television shows likeBeverly Hills, 90210andLucifer, plays Miranda, the teacher facilitating the test. Unlike Hall’s character (Mr. Faulk), she is empathetic towards the teens and seems like she was raised on the movies likeThe Breakfast Club, given her soft approach to education and the mind-boggling chaos of being a teenager. “Debbie was great. I thought she was a natural. She comes across as very likable, she’s a pro. I thought she was great in the film, along with our whole cast,” says Hall.
The Boston-born actor notes that the entire cast bonded during their time filming at Elmhurst University in suburban Chicago—which was, in part, due to Hall’s suggestion that they adopt a practice used byThe Breakfast Clubdirector. “I told Nicky that one of the great things John Hughes did to accommodate us actors was carve out a week, sometimes two, for rehearsal.” And that’s what the production did with its younger actors Charlie Gillespie, Lyric Ross, Hannah Kepple, Colin McCalla, Juliette Celozzi, and Michael Sebastian.
“That process was really great. They were really supportive of each other during rehearsal, asking questions, flushing out their roles, figuring out how they wanted to approach it. Then off set, they were with each other all the time. They’d go to parties and hang out on the weekends, and go hiking and camping. It surprised us. It was just a suggestion, and then it really benefited the project because as it turned out, they really all became good friends, which was very cool.” This is one of the many examples of how Hughes’ legacy lives on through his work and his frequent collaborators with actors like Hall, Molly Ringwald,Macaulay Culkin, and Chevy Chase. “I got to do four films with John. The first wasVacation,and then we did three more together. We were destined to work together, and I couldn’t have asked for a greater mentor and a greater guy. He was really an awesome person to work with and to work for.”
To this day, Hall still finds himself reflecting onThe Breakfast Cluband the life-changing impact it had on its viewers. While he doesn’t often rewatch it, he has had “nearly three decades" to think about the effects of the film. “It’s about the deconstruction of stereotypes. The message in the film is really powerful, and it holds up for that reason.”
He adds, “It’s interesting. I think what happens, in an unconscious way, is almost like group therapy for people. They project themselves onto one character.The Breakfast Clubhas held up as a real testament to John Hughes and his great writing. It’s a film that I’m really proud of.”
And when it comes toThe Class, Hall says, “Hopefully John would be proud of us. I think he would smile and be happy with it.”
The Classis in theaters and on digital September 9th.
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