‘Sixteen Candles’ star Anthony Michael Hall declined ‘Brats’ documentary: ‘I’m always trying to move forward’
Andrew McCarthy’s "Brats" documentary featured interviews with many key members of the '80s celebrity group known as "The Brat Pack," but there were a handful of noticeable absences.
One of those was Anthony Michael Hall, the youngest member of the group, who recently opened up about his decision not 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.
He continued, "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."
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In 2022, Hall told Fox News Digital he "didn’t anticipate any of" the fame that came with being in the Brat Pack, saying getting famous so quickly at 15 "was challenging" and "certainly took some adjusting."
"The idea of being recognized, it’s awkward for adults. But it’s magnified at that age when you’re already dealing with all kinds of insecurities. It was very challenging," Hall explained. "I would joke, but it’s true, that it took me probably 20 years to process being 15, because I had experienced so much in between. I’m certainly grateful for it, and I thank God for having strong, great parents."
Two other key members of the group do not appear in "Brats," Molly Ringwald and Judd Nelson.
Nelson told Us Weekly in March, he "politely declined" a request to be part of the documentary, saying, "It’s like, why kind of rebirth something that wasn’t necessarily fun?… How can we be experts on something that didn’t ever really exist?"
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He added, "It seems strange to have that subject matter be something for edited entertainment. Also, like, he’s a nice guy, but I hadn’t seen him in 35 years. And it’s like, I’m not going to [be] like, ‘Hey!’ No, dude."
In a 2016 interview with Fox News Digital, Ringwald admitted she wasn't a big fan of it being called the Brat Pack, saying, "it didn’t feel like a positive or fair moniker for sure. I found it objectifying."
Hall told TV Insider he hadn’t seen the documentary yet but offered praise for McCarthy.
"I think he’s carved out a great career for himself," Hall said. "He’s a writer, and he directs TV. He’s a cool guy. He’s a father, too."
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McCarthy directed the Hulu documentary, exploring his feelings and those of his fellow actors, including Demi Moore, Rob Lowe, Emilio Estevez, Jon Cryer, and Ally Sheedy, about the "Brat Pack" label, first coined by David Blum of New York Magazine in 1985.
"It was such a crazy thing when it first happened. We all hated it," McCarthy told "Good Morning America" last month. "Who wants to be called a brat when you’re a kid? Particularly when you’re a kid and you think you are a brat, so you don’t want to be called it, and you don’t want to be a member of a pack and all that, and we felt it affected our lives, you know?"
He added, "Over time it’s become this wonderfully iconic, affectionate term, you know? And so I just want to see what everybody’s relationship to it was."
McCarthy also told People magazine that while the public appreciated the term, the industry didn’t.
"It had professional ramifications," he explained. "The public embraced us, but the business reacted to it in a negative way."
Fox News Digital's Brie Stimson and Larry Fink contributed to this report.