Summary
- Ringwald's '80s It Girl reputation still stands out among other famous actresses on Ryan Murphy's FX series Feud Capote vs The Swans.
- Recent hype around Ringwald raises questions about her being an "insufferable diva" in real life, as reported by several fans she met.
- Ringwald decided to leave Hollywood due to the scrutiny and discomfort that came with being a teen star, moving to Paris in the '90s.
Molly Ringwald's TV comeback on Ryan Murphy's FX series, Feud Capote vs The Swans had fans talking about the her '80s It Girl reputation. Some say she still stands out among the Swans: the "blacklisted" Ally McBeal alum, Calista Flockhart; '90s It Girl, Chloë Sevigny; Demi Moore; Diane Lane; and Naomi Watts, whose grieving performances were influenced by her traumatic childhood.
But to one insider, Ringwald's recent hype only reminded them of that time she was an "insufferable diva" when she visited their town. In April 2023, the once-reluctant John Hughes muse admitted that she "wasn't" that "sweet American girl next door" Hollywood made her out to be. But does that mean she has a prima donna in real life? Here's what we've discovered.
"Insufferable Diva" Molly Ringwald "Refused To Meet" Fans And Sign Autographs
In a Reddit thread from January 2024, a netizen recalled how "awful" Ringwald was when their group hosted her in their town. "She came to my town to sing and was an insufferable diva who refused to meet any of the locals here," wrote the insider. I was part of the performing arts group that hosted her, and she was awful."
In 2013, Mike the Fanboy also shared a similar incident in a blog titled, "Here's A Question… Why Is Molly Ringwald Such A Nasty B**ch? A Report From Her Book Signing At The Festival Of Books! 1980's Nastiness!" Apparently, the Sixteen Candles star was "straining to be nice" to her fans during a book signing for her novel, When It Happens to You.
"Well, before plunking down my $25.00 for a book [redacted] I wanted to see if she was signing other items," the blogger recounted. Unfortunately, Ringwald's "handler told one elderly lady that Molly would not sign her small autograph book." Mike said "the elderly lady was clearly miffed" and that "it was interesting too to watch the interaction between her and the people buying the book."
The disappointed fan said of Ringwald: "She was straining to be nice. Like, 'I have to be nice' and as soon as one person left she went back to scowling."
Mike went on to share how he and his friends attempted to get Ringwald's autograph on their other prized merchandise. However, it only caused the actress to "snap" at his friend. "Karalee quietly asked if she could get a quick photo and Molly snapped back… 'No posed photos!'" he wrote.
Molly Ringwald has an estimated net worth of $11 million.
Molly Ringwald Admitted She "Wasn't" That "Sweet American Girl Next Door" In Real Life
In April 2023, Ringwald told The Guardian's Zoe Williams that her "sweet American girl next door" image was just "projected" on her back in the '80s. During the interview, she compared her experiences with Last Tango in Paris star, the late Maria Schneider – whose French biography she had recently translated.
"In a way, my experience was the opposite of Maria's," she explained. "The way she was thought of, this wanton muse, this louche character; that's what was expected of her. It was the very opposite of me."
Ringwald said of her reputation: "I was projected as this perfect, sweet American girl next door. Which wasn't me, but I was figuring out who I was, too. I was pretty young."
Although she didn't admit to being a diva, the Pretty in Pink alum knows that people still see her as those teen sweethearts roles she played in the '80s. "There will be some people who will always see me that way, until I do something that's as big as one of those movies – and it would be pretty hard to top those in terms of box office," she said.
True enough, her five highest-rated films on Rotten Tomatoes are mostly from her teen star days.
| 89% | The Breakfast Club (1985) |
| 83% | All These Monuments (2018) |
| 81% | Sixteen Candles (1984) |
| 75% | Pretty in Pink (1986) |
| 71% | The Big Time (2002) |
Molly Ringwald Left Hollywood Due To "Scrutiny" That Came With Being A Teen Star
Ringwald eventually got "uncomfortable" with the "level of stardom" she had by the late '80s. "It's hard to grow up under that. I don't want to overdo this – and boohoo, I fully recognize my privilege – but I needed to get out from under all that scrutiny," she told Guardian of what led her to leave Hollywood and move to Paris in the '90s.
She continued: "I just wasn’t cut out for it in a way that certain other people are. Some people are really good at it. Taylor Swift is amazing! But I didn't feel comfortable with that level of stardom."
The Betsy's Wedding star also struggled to get parts by the time she was in her 20s. "I didn't really feel like darker roles were available to me. The ones that I wanted to do, I didn't get. I was too young for certain roles. I was at this weird in-between stage," she lamented. In 1988, at age 20, she was rejected for Mike Nichols' Working Girl.
"'She really needs to be at that moment where you feel the pain,'" Ringwald recalled the director saying. "'You have your whole life ahead of you – nobody’s going to believe that of you.'" She was also turned down for The Silence of the Lambs and passed on Julia Roberts' Pretty Woman. "Julia Roberts was wonderful in it, but I didn't really like the story," she said. "Even then, I felt like there was something icky about it."
Molly Ringwald has been married to Panio Gianopoulos since 2007. They have three children together: Mathilda, 20, and twins Adele and Roman, 14.
