Andrew McCarthy revealed to his fans that he almost left his famous role as John Hughes in the popular 80’s romantic comedy “Pretty In Pink” because he was disappointed at the ending of the script.
The actor-director, now 58, recently spoke The New Yorker about his successful career as an American heartthrob throughout the '80s, the Hollywood Reporter writes. McCarthy starred in hit films including “Weekend at Bernie’s” (1989), “Mannequin” (1987) and “St. Elmo’s Fire” (1985). His role in “Pretty in Pink” (1986), a film about love and social cliques in American high schools, was one of his most popular.
McCarthy revealed to his fans that he initially regretted signing on to do the film after he read the script and discovered the original ending had been changed. Andie Walsh, who is played by Molly Ringwald, no longer ended up with McCarthy’s character Blane McDonough at the end of the film.
“I didn’t read the script until I was on the plane out to Los Angeles, and I was shocked that Blane turned out to be sort of spineless,” McCarthy told the outlet.
He continued, “When I landed, I called [my agent] and said, ‘You gotta get me out of this movie! This guy’s a jerk. He’s just, like, a wimpy loser.’ And they said, ‘Honey, you read the script. You knew what it was.’ And I was, like, ‘Um … yeah, O.K.’ So when we reshot it, the audience seemed to agree that it was better if they got together. It was a fairy tale, so it has to end in a certain way.”
McCarthy recalls the first ending, saying, “I showed up at the prom, alone, and Andie hooked up with Duckie, and they were together.”.
He added, “And I was just with some other rich girl on the other side of the room. The audience didn’t like that we didn’t get together when they did a test screening, so John rewrote it so that I go up to Molly and tell her, basically, ‘You’re wonderful. I’m a jerk. I’m sorry. I love you.’ And then we kiss in front of car headlights.”
McCarthy recently released his new memoir tilted "BRAT: An ‘80s Story" available HERE.
Lights, camera, action! Get the latest updates on movies and television from The Reel Buzz on Audacy.
LISTEN on the Audacy App
Sign Up and Follow Audacy
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram