Hollywood star Molly Ringwald has revealed that filming a certain TV series was the 'worst experience' of her career. The 58-year-old actor, known for iconic films like Sixteen Candles and The Breakfast Club, made the confession while appearing on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen.
Ranking her projects
During the show, Ringwald was asked to rank 10 of her high-profile projects. She placed Pretty in Pink at the top, praising the entire process. However, the conversation took a downturn when discussing The Secret Life of an American Teenager, which ran from 2008 to 2013.
In the series, Shailene Woodley played a pregnant 15-year-old Amy Juergens, with Ringwald portraying her mother, Anne, across five seasons and 96 episodes. Despite her long stint, Ringwald firmly ranked the show lowest, dubbing it the 'worst'. The audience gasped at her confident criticism.
Explaining her stance
When asked to elaborate, Ringwald said: 'It was hard… I loved the cast, I loved Shailene, so many people that I worked with [but] there was one person that was really difficult.' She added: 'I'm not gonna say who that one person is, but they brought it down to a one.'
Ringwald has always been candid about the tougher aspects of her career. In 2024, she spoke about encountering 'predators' early on, noting that being a young actress in Hollywood inevitably brought such challenges. She expressed gratitude for not being a victim of Harvey Weinstein, saying: 'I wasn't raped by Harvey Weinstein so I'm grateful for that.'
Reflecting on her experiences, she said: 'I was definitely in questionable situations… But I do have an incredible survival instinct and a pretty big superego and kind of managed to figure out a way to protect myself. But it can be harrowing.'
Her daughter, Mathilda, is also pursuing acting and appeared in The Idea of You. Ringwald previously shared: 'I have a 20-year-old daughter now who is going into the same profession, even though I did everything I could to convince her to do something else. And it's hard.'
