Molly Ringwald on Her Inspirations: Films, Singers and Even a Kids’ Cartoon

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Credit Collette Lash

There are few actors more iconic or more identifiable with a specific pop-cultural moment than Molly Ringwald. Her performances in the classic 1980s John Hughes films “Sixteen Candles,” “Pretty in Pink” and “The Breakfast Club” have created the enduring image of teen ennui for multiple generations. This week, “The Breakfast Club” is being re-released in select theaters to mark its 30th anniversary. (Fun fact: Ringwald picked out her costumes for the film.)

Now 47, Ringwald has enjoyed a remarkably varied and somewhat peripatetic career.