“The Breakfast Club”

Over the weekend, the cast of “The Breakfast Club” got together for their first reunion in 40 years. It was a special moment seeing these actors from the classic 1980s coming-of-age movie on stage at the Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo this Saturday.

Molly Ringwald, who played Claire in the film, shared how overwhelmed she felt seeing everyone together. She joked about how this was the first time Emilio Estevez joined them in person instead of just being a cardboard cutout.

Emilio Estevez talks Reunion

Emilio, who played Andrew, said he felt it was time for him to join the reunion for his own sake and talked about how meaningful it was to be back in Chicago, where they filmed the movie. The actors took a moment to remember John Hughes, the legendary director known for his iconic teen films like “Sixteen Candles” and “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.”

Judd Nelson, who played John Bender, reflected on Hughes helping them understand the gap between being young and being older. He noted it was a shame they couldn’t see how Hughes would connect their experiences as they grew up.

Emilio also shared a funny story about how he fainted during their first meeting. He’d just had his wisdom teeth taken out the day before. He recalled how after they read the script, Hughes wanted them to watch the first cut of “Sixteen Candles,” which starred both Molly and Anthony Michael Hall.

He laughed about how he didn’t even make it through the opening credits before passing out. When he woke up, the end credits were rolling, and Judd told him, “I think you’re about to get fired.”

Molly, who was just 16 when they filmed “The Breakfast Club,” talked about watching it years later with her kids. She called it a wild experience that really changed how she thought about parenting.

She said that if someone had told her at 16 that she’d one day watch that movie with her 10-year-old, she would’ve been shocked. Although she thought her daughter might’ve been a bit too young for the film back then, their conversations about the characters really made for some amazing discussions.

Molly also mentioned watching the movie again with her 15-year-olds, saying it felt great that they didn’t even pick up their phones during it. To her, that felt like a real win.