Patty Gopez
Whether you were a teenager in the 1980s or a teenager-at-heart who just loves the ’80s era, you can’t help but adore the classic John Hughes flick, Sixteen Candles. Starring ’80s teen queen Molly Ringwald, the movie encompassed what it was like for many girls (and guys!) and, no matter what era they grew up in, was a pretty accurate account of just how many felt trying to navigate the sometimes-emotionally brutal social aspects of high school. While the movie’s Samantha Baker celebrated her sweet 16, the film itself has just left its twenties and turned the big 3-0!
In honor of Sixteen Candles‘ 30th birthday, here are 10 random facts about the movie:
1. When Molly Ringwald and Anthony Michael Hall first met, they did not get along at all. Director John Hughes took them shopping at a music store and they discovered they had similar musical tastes and eventually got along. They ended up dating briefly in real life in between Sixteen Candles and The Breakfast Club.
2. Molly Ringwald almost lost the part of Samantha to Ally Sheedy, her future The Breakfast Club co-star.
3. Anthony Michael Hall, who plays one of the main characters, is listed as “The Geek” in the credits. During the movie his name is never revealed, although he calls himself Farmer Ted and other characters refer to him as “Ted”.
4. The cake at the end of the movie is actually made out of cardboard.
5. The license plate number on Jake’s car “21850” is actually John Hughes’ birthday: February 18, 1950.
6. Both Molly Ringwald and Anthony Michael Hall were 16 years old upon release of Sixteen Candles. Molly Ringwald says that because the two of them were too young to entertain themselves at bars or nightclubs, they often spent their Saturdays off from filming crashing Bar and Bat Mitzvah receptions that were being held at the hotel in Skokie, Illinois, where the cast was staying at during filming.
7. They didn’t have the budget to air-condition the gym during the school dance scene — it was over 100 degrees during filming.
8. In 2003, the USA network announced that a made-for-TV sequel called 32 Candles was being planned, showcasing the original characters 16 years after the original film. It was unknown at the time of the announcement whether any of the original cast would be involved with the project. Since then, there has been no word about it. (What a bummer!)
9. Jim Carrey auditioned for the role of Ted “The Geek”.
10. Lastly, the question on everyone’s minds: What ever happened to Jake Ryan?! Hunky actor Michael Schoeffling, who went on to appear in the movie Mermaids, retired from acting in 1991. At the time, he was already working as a carpenter in Pennsylvania, married with two children. Since then, there’s been little-to-no interviews or updates on him. He’s now 53 years old.
Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images
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