Andrew Mccarthy Admits That He Has Never Seen ‘Pretty in Pink’

Despite being the film to launch his fame, Andrew McCarthy admits that he has never even seen Pretty in Pink. After reading the original script, he hated his character so much that he called his agent to quit the film. And to this day, decades since the film’s release, he admits that he has never actually seen the whole movie.

How did Andrew McCarthy get cast in ‘Pretty in Pink’?

The casting story behind McCarthy’s role as Blane is a rather interesting one.

Initially, John Hughes (who produced the film) thought that McCarthy was the exact opposite of the person who should play Molly Ringwald‘s love interest. Initially, Hughes planned on having a more “square-jawed, masculine” actor for the role. He was thinking of casting someone similar to Ringwald’s love interest in Sixteen Candles, Jake Ryan.

But during the audition process, which Ringwald attended, she grew smitten once McCarthy entered the room. Ringwald held a torch for the soulful-eyed actor. She told Hughes, “That’s the kind of boy I could see myself falling in love with.”

According to Ringwald, she liked how “poetic” and “sensitive” he seemed.

Because Hughes had written the film for his muse, Molly Ringwald, he knew he had to fulfill her request. Therefore, about a week later, McCarthy received a call from his agent saying he got the part.

Andrew McCarthy hated the script for ‘Pretty in Pink’

McCarthy gladly accepted his role in Pretty in Pink. As an up-and-coming actor, getting the opportunity to work with John Hughes and Molly Ringwald was an offer that he simply couldn’t refuse. But it wasn’t until he actually read the original script for the movie that he changed his mind completely.

According to McCarthy’s recently published memoir, Brat: An ’80s Story, he didn’t like his character’s cowardice, and found him to be a terrible person. In the initial script for Pretty in Pink, Duckie was supposed to end up with Andie instead of Blane. McCarthy’s character, Blane, was supposed to be portrayed as spineless because he couldn’t get over the fact that he and Andie were from such different social classes. His shame for being seen with Andie ultimately led to him un-asking her to prom while spending the night at home instead.

Molly Ringwald also disliked the original script

But he wasn’t alone in disliking the original script. According to Ringwald, she strongly disliked the film’s initial ending as well. She didn’t think it was realistic that her character would end up with Duckie rather than Blane because she felt like she only had natural chemistry with McCarthy’s character.

Ultimately, they altered the script just weeks before it premiered, finalizing it with Blane and Andie ending up together.

“John was able to come up with the changed ending because it worked better,” said Deutch. “In the end, my lesson is that when women or a girl like Molly wants the cute boy, you can’t take that away from her regardless of the politics.”

“I remember Rob Reiner said, ‘You can’t give the princess the frog. So, I didn’t like it when he said it, but the point is that new ending, movies, to me, when they’re working, if it’s really working, it’ll tell you what it wants to be,” he added.