‘The Breakfast Club’ Cast Reunited After Decades! All About Their Reunion and What They Said About the Film

These days, we could all use a little bit of good-old-fashioned nostalgia to get us through our days, and nothing does that quite like seeing the casts of our favorite films from days gone by side-by-side after so many years. Over the weekend, the cast of The Breakfast Club got together at the Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo, and seeing the five beloved actors who brought this film to life after 40 years was a treat every ‘80s kid and film aficionado can appreciate. Here, read all about the Breakfast Club reunion! 

What is ‘The Breakfast Club’ about?

The 1985 coming-of-age film told the story of five high school students, all from different walks of life and social groups, who are forced to spend a Saturday together in detention. The group consisted of spoiled princess Claire, played by iconic ‘80s actress Molly Ringwald, typical high school jock Andrew, played by Emilio Estevez, “basket case” and outcast Allison, played by Ally Sheedy, bookworm and brainiac Brian, played by Anthony Michael Hall and lastly, the rebellious John Bender, played by none other than Judd Nelson. 

While these five students couldn’t be more different from one another, over the course of their day spent under the rule of their principal, they come to learn that there’s more to their detention companions than they had initially thought. 

Who attended the ‘Breakfast Club’ reunion?

Moderated by Josh Horowitz, all of the five principal cast members were in attendance, something that has yet to happen since the movie came out decades ago. “I feel really, very emotional and moved to have us all together,” gushed Molly Ringwald. “This is the first time that Emilio has joined us. We don’t have to use the cardboard cut-out anymore.”

As for what kept Estevez from joining his costars, the actor explained his reasoning to the audience after Horowitz inquired about his hesitation. “I skipped all of my high school reunions, so this just was something that I finally felt that I needed to do for myself,” he shared. “But Josh, this one felt special. It’s here in Chicago, where we made the film, and obviously the 40th anniversary, and it just felt like it was time.”

What happened at the ‘Breakfast Club’ reunion?

While on stage, the cast reflected on their memories of both making the film and watching it years later. One funny anecdote that Estevez shared pulled the curtain back on a read-through the cast had attended—only the actor had gotten his wisdom teeth pulled the day before. With a swollen face, bleeding mouth and feeling the effects of his pain pills, Estevez showed up, and when John Hughes went to show the cast a cut of Sixteen Candles, he passed out before the opening credits had even begun. “Then I woke up at the end credits and I looked at Judd and Judd said, ‘I think you’re getting fired,’” he recalled. 

The cast looked back on many fond memories together, including how much of the dialogue in the smoking scene was improvised, as well as Ringwald’s experience with watching the movie with her teenage kids. We loved seeing this crew together at last!