At a recent fan convention in Chicago, the full cast of The Breakfast Club came together to celebrate the movie’s 40th anniversary. Molly Ringwald, Judd Nelson, Ally Sheedy, Emilio Estevez, and Anthony Michael Hall sat down in front of a live audience to discuss how they landed their roles in the film that followed five students from different social cliques as they spent a Saturday in detention.
Directed by John Hughes, the movie became a huge hit for its honest look at teenage life and its sharp dialogue. It has remained a pop culture favorite since its release in 1985. During the panel, Ringwald shared a surprising detail: the movie almost had two very different actors in two of the lead roles.
John Hughes almost cast John Cusack and Joan Cusack in ‘The Breakfast Club’
According to Ringwald, director John Hughes considered casting John Cusack and Joan Cusack as Bender and Allison when he was still auditioning actors in Los Angeles. Both Cusacks had already worked with Hughes for Sixteen Candles, where they played small roles.
Since then, the two siblings have built successful film careers. John starred in films like High Fidelity and Say Anything, while Joan earned praise for her role in Working Girl and School of Rock. Even though they were strong candidates, the roles of Bender and Allison ended up going to Judd Nelson and Ally Sheedy.
John Hughes also considered other famous actors for various roles apart from the siblings
The Cusacks weren’t the only big names considered during casting. Reports have mentioned that Nicolas Cage and Alan Ruck were both casting choice for the role of Bender. Also, Rick Moranis was originally hired to play the school janitor but was later replaced by John Kapelos.
Even Molly Ringwald wasn’t picked initially to play Claire. At first, Hughes wanted her to take on the role of Allison. Ringwald, who had played the lead in Sixteen Candles, asked for the part of Claire instead. She felt it would give her a chance to do something different from her past roles.