The Bookish Life of Molly Ringwald

Molly Ringwald is simply a veritable icon of the ‘80s, an histrion known and beloved for films specified arsenic The Breakfast Club, Pretty successful Pink, and Sixteen Candles. This drawstring of films established her arsenic a portion of the “Brat Pack,” a radical of young actors including Rob Lowe, Demi Moore, and Emilio Estevez who often appeared successful coming-of-age ensemble films together. And present that that’s retired of the way, let’s dive into beauteous overmuch each different facet of Ringwald’s beingness and career, overmuch of which has been adjacent to books and the literate world! Not lone an writer and translator herself, her acting vocation has besides been each kinds of entangled with books. Let’s autumn down the rabbit spread of the bookish life of Molly Ringwald, shall we? (Ahem — you volition admit this notation momentarily.) 

Born successful 1968 successful Roseville, CA, Ringwald began her acting vocation astatine the property of 5 successful a signifier accumulation of Alice successful Wonderland, an adaptation, of course, of Lewis Carroll’s 1865 novel. A book-inspired vocation from the get-go. Fast guardant 14 years and Ringwald received her archetypal Golden Globe information for her relation successful the movie Tempest, a escaped adaptation of Shakespeare’s The Tempest directed by Paul Mazursky. Ringwald’s Shakespearian streak continued with a movie adaptation of King Lear successful 1987. (Of course, successful the years betwixt her Shakespearian films, she besides starred successful those 3 highly under-the-radar films: Sixteen Candles (1984), The Breakfast Club (1985), and Pretty successful Pink (1986) — a play of departure from bookish inspiration for which we volition forgive her.)

She returned to the satellite of books with the 1990 romanticist comedy, Strike It Rich, based connected the novella Loser Takes All by Graham Greene. In 1994 she played Frannie Goldsmith successful The Stand miniseries, an adaptation of Stephen King’s caller of the aforesaid name. Her book-inspired vocation continued connected signifier successful 2001 erstwhile she starred arsenic Sally Bowles successful Cabaret connected Broadway. The Kander and Ebb philharmonic is based connected John Van Druten’s play, I Am a Camera, which was successful crook adapted from Goodbye to Berlin, a caller by Christopher Isherwood. In 2003, Ringwald concisely appeared successful Enchanted April connected Broadway, a signifier adaptation of the caller The Enchanted April by Elizabeth von Arnim. During this play of galore adaptations, Ringwald’s idiosyncratic beingness besides took a crook for the literate erstwhile she joined Valéry Lameignère, a French writer, successful 1999. (Though they did divorcement successful 2002.)

In 2006, Ringwald had a supporting relation successful what mightiness beryllium my idiosyncratic favourite of her bookish roles. She played the relation of Molly McIntire’s mother, Helen, successful Molly: An American Girl connected the Home Front based connected the “Molly: An American Girl” publication series. (How galore times did I work those publication series? MANY.) In 2007, Ringwald joined Panio Gianopoulos, different writer and publication editor. Soon aft her 2nd matrimony Ringwald took connected a relation successful The Secret Life of the American Teenger. In a uncommon turning-of-the-tables infinitesimal successful the satellite of adaptations, that bid really inspired its ain book, The Secret Diary of Ashley Juergens. The Secret Life of the American Teenager ran from 2008 until 2013 and successful that time, Ringwald besides work the audiobooks for the novels Laura Lamont’s Life successful Pictures by Emma Straub and The Middlesteins by Jami Attenberg.

More recently, Ringwald has appeared successful Riverdale arsenic Archie Andrews’ mother. Riverdale is based connected the characters of Archie Comics and was adapted for TV by Archie Comics’ main originative officer, Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa. 

In summation to each of her book-inspired roles connected surface (or so connected screen-inspired books!), Ringwald is herself becoming rather a prolific writer and translator. Ringwald published her archetypal book, a bestselling memoir Getting the Pretty Back: Friendship, Family, and Finding the Perfect Lipstick successful 2010. She past ventured into the satellite of fabrication successful 2012 with a novel-in-stories postulation called When It Happens to You. Finally, Ringwald entered a caller literate arena successful 2019 erstwhile she translated the French caller Lie With Me by Philippe Besson. Most precocious she translated from French, My Cousin Maria Schneider by Vanessa Schneider, which came retired successful English successful April 2023. Ringwald’s penning has besides appeared successful The New York Times, The New Yorker, Vogue, Parade, Salon, Esquire, The Guardian, and more. 

The bookish beingness of Molly Ringwald tin beryllium tracked connected surface and connected signifier from her archetypal relation successful an adaptation of Lewis Carroll’s Alice successful Wonderland through Riverdale, which conscionable concluded earlier this year. And that’s not adjacent to notation the books which she has authored oregon translated herself! That said, if you are funny successful learning much astir which books she considers to beryllium the astir impactful successful her life, cheque retired this interview astir the books that person influenced her, oregon this database of her six favourite books.