Anthony Michael Hall explains why he wasn’t in the Brat Pack doc: ‘The truth is …’
He didn’t want to light those 16 candles again.
The Hulu documentary “Brats” (now streaming) about the famous Brat Pack has some big omissions.
It covers the famous group of ’80s stars, including Rob Lowe, Emilio Estevez, Demi Moore, Ally Sheedy and Andrew McCarthy — but notably, Anthony Michal Hall and Molly Ringwald don’t appear, and Judd Nelson participates in it only briefly.
Hall, 56, broke his silence about why he declined to participate.
“I was asked to be a part of it, but you know what, I’ll tell you my attitude is you have to wish everyone success. It was just something I chose not to do because I’m always trying to move forward and make new things and do new stuff,” Hall told TV Insider, in an interview published Tuesday.
The documentary follows director McCarthy – who was himself a member of the Brat Pack, co-starring in “Pretty In Pink” and “St. Elmo’s Fire” – as he tracks down his former compatriots to reflect on how they felt about the “Brat Pack” label defining them.
In the doc, Lowe, 60, says, “No one liked [the Brat Pack label]. I don’t want to come off seeming like I’m so Pollyanna that I don’t realize or didn’t know at the time what a f – – king disaster and how mean-spirited and what an attempt that was to minimize our talents.”
However, he’s now at peace with the label.
“It pains me when I see folks who don’t see how much love is infused into the Brat Pack. It’s nothing but goodwill,” he said.
Hall, meanwhile, famously starred in “The Breakfast Club” and “Sixteen Candles.”
“The truth is, I’ve had to embrace the John Hughes period of my life all my career, and I’m happy to do so, obviously, as I’ve hopefully relayed here. It’s never been an issue for me. But I also think time has taught me you have to wish everyone success,” he told the outlet.
Ringwald, 56, also declined to participate.
“She said she’d think about it and that was really the end of it,” McCarthy, 61, told Us Weekly.
During the doc, he notes how hard it was to track down his fellow actors and get them to talk to him.
“Judd [Nelson] is at some undisclosed location and not available … My wife said making this movie would be ‘good for my humility’ and now I understand what she was talking about,” he said.
“I asked Molly if she liked to speak. She said she’d think about it but she’d like to just keep looking forward.”
Despite his hesitation, Nelson made a surprise cameo at the end — via a one-sided phone call — when McCarthy can be heard answering his phone and saying, “Hello. Judd?!”
“It seems strange to have that subject matter be something for edited entertainment,” Nelson told Us Weekly in March, adding that he “politely declined” McCarthy’s offer to join the project.
“Also, like, he’s a nice guy, but I hadn’t seen him in 35 years,” he went on. “And it’s like, I’m not going to [be] like, ‘Hey!’ No, dude.”
Hall said he hasn’t watched the documentary yet, but praised McCarthy.
“I think he’s carved out a great career for himself,” he told TV Insider. “He’s a writer, and he directs TV. He’s a cool guy. He’s a father, too.”
