Ally Sheedy Hated ‘Princess’ Transformation in ‘The Breakfast Club’ – and John Hughes Didn’t Like It Either
Actor Ally Sheedy’s character Allison Reynolds in the groundbreaking ’80s film The Breakfast Club transforms in the end from the “basketcase” to (somewhat) of a “princess” when Claire Standish, played by Molly Ringwald gives her a makeover.
The moment becomes the character’s big story arc as she suddenly emerges from wearing a mannish, heavy dark sweater and deep, black makeup to wearing a light camisole and a natural glow. The Breakfast Club audiences during the era embraced the metamorphosis. But decades later, Sheedy reflected on her character’s transformation, revealing that she didn’t love the direction.
Ally Sheedy said her ‘Breakfast Club’ character didn’t need to change
“So that was in the script that she is transformed into this sort of like princess thing,” she recalled on the Behind the Velvet Rope with David Yontef podcast. “I don’t feel like that was a necessary thing in the script. That it was part of the ’80s, you know, sort of Rom-Com kind of thing that was going on.”
Director John Hughes had considerable creative control over the film, but he had to bend to studio demands. “I think [Hughes] actually agreed with me,” Sheedy said. “So this was more of a thing where this was something that the studio wanted and he had written it.”
Allison from ‘The Breakfast Club’ removed her ‘armor’
Sheedy recalled how her Breakfast Club character wore heavy makeup. “I had all this black eyeliner on and things for Allison that were part of what she would look like – armor,” she shared. ” And he did let me change it so that Molly is actually taking some of that heavy-duty, you know, scary makeup off of Allison.”
“So I was trying to think of it as more of like an uncovering, do you know what I mean?” she continued. “She takes off that enormous black sweater and suddenly, you know, there’s an actual person in there, something about being able to come out of the hiding really that she had.”
“So to get an element of that in, he really did go there with me,” Sheedy said about Hughes. “It was much more of a make-over thing than when it was originally written. So it did evolve. Got the hair out of the face and, you know, just suddenly start to see this person emerge from what was, did feel to me like armor, but at the same time, you know, aesthetically I like the armor better so.”
Some ‘Breakfast Club’ elements are cringy today
Sheedy acknowledged that while beloved, The Breakfast Club wove themes of sexism and misogyny throughout the film. “I think there are some cringe moments in it,” she admitted.
“I haven’t seen it, in a very, very long time. And I think there are moments that are like sex, sexist and questionable. And I think there is this very dated kind of thing, very ’80s dated that’s in that movie, which is, again, I haven’t seen it for years. But it is one of the things that surprise me about people still loving it, even now.”
“So somehow it manages to rise above that crap,” she added. “I don’t know how. [But]That is actually that is an aspect of the movie that’s problematic. It’s a mixed bag.”
