It's incredibly disappointing how so many industries prey upon women. Particularly, if you have even a remote interest in art, you're likely to run into one of these veteran producers or an important decision-maker in a company. Sometimes, they're even our creative co-stars. Molly Ringwald knows far too well how predatory Hollywood could be.
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The 80s teen movie actress speaks about these issues on Marc Maron's 'WTF' podcast. Additionally, she talks about how isolating it is when you don't indulge in industry meetups. She recalls, "I never really felt like I was part of a community when I was in Hollywood, just because I was so young, really. I wasn't into going out to clubs. I feel like I'm more social now than I was then."
You would think this makes Ringwald one of the lucky few who managed to avoid the rich and powerful types exploiting her. When you're not all in the faces of these people, they don't have the opportunity to do anything. Maron thinks similarly. He responds, ""Well, you're lucky you didn't get taken advantage of or got into some sort of horrible situation."
Unfortunately, this isn't the case. The Breakfast Club actress soberingly reminds us not to be so naive. "Oh, I was taken advantage of," she bluntly replies. "You can't be a young actress in Hollywood and not have predators around."
Molly Ringwald Looks at The Industry & Her Old Films Differently Now
She continues, detailing how she maneuvered the industry at the time and how to best evade them. She recalls plenty of uncomfortable scenarios, the kind that raises eyebrows and leaves your stomach in knots. However, she credits "incredible survival instinct and a pretty big superego" as the skillset that protects her from predators itching to exploit.
Naturally, these war stories make her queasy when she thinks about her daughter getting into the film industry. "It can be harrowing," Ringwald sighs. "And I have a 20-year-old daughter now who is going into the same profession, even though I did everything I could to convince her to do something else. And it's hard."
The DNA of the industry bakes itself into the brains of everyone who works in the field. It's a shame when it spreads to art you'd otherwise be proud of. The actress tenses up, remembering some of the material that speaks to a different time period. She remembers watching The Breakfast Club with her daughter and she loves a lot of it. But still, she says, "There are elements that haven't aged well — like Judd Nelson's character, John Bender, who essentially sexually harasses my character."
At the very least, she feels a measure of relief in how society is inching towards the better. Ringwald says, "I'm glad we're able to look at that and say things are truly different now."
