Molly Ringwald calls Secret Life of the American Teenager career low
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Molly Ringwald has revealed that starring in The Secret Life of the American Teenager was the worst experience of her career, telling Andy Cohen on Watch What Happens Live that one unnamed colleague was so "really difficult" to work with that they dragged the whole experience down to the lowest possible score. She stressed she loved most of the cast, including Shailene Woodley, but declined to name the person responsible for souring her time on the show.
Ringwald played the mother of Woodley's character across all five seasons of the ABC Family drama, which ran from 2008 to 2012 alongside co-stars including India Eisley, Ken Baumann, Daren Kagasoff, Megan Park, Francia Raisa, Greg Finley and Mark Derwin. By contrast, she rated Pretty in Pink, the 1986 John Hughes film written specifically for her, as the best experience of her career, giving it a perfect ten and noting she still keeps a homemade collage from the film in her bedroom.
- Ringwald calls Secret Life of American Teenager her career's worst experience
- Blames one unnamed "really difficult" colleague on the show
- Rated John Hughes's Pretty in Pink a perfect ten by contrast
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Molly Ringwald is a US actress best known for teen films of the 1980s, including Pretty in Pink, which was written specifically for her by director John Hughes. Between 2008 and 2012 she played a lead role in The Secret Life of the American Teenager, a family drama on the ABC Family channel, appearing as the mother of the character played by Shailene Woodley, alongside a wider cast including India Eisley, Ken Baumann and Daren Kagasoff.
Ringwald has been reflecting publicly on her career, comparing different projects she has worked on over the years, including in interviews such as the one referenced here on the US talk show Watch What Happens Live, hosted by Andy Cohen. Such retrospective comments from veteran actors often touch on both the creative side of a production and the working relationships behind the scenes, without necessarily naming everyone involved.
This kind of story matters mainly to readers interested in celebrity culture and behind-the-scenes accounts of well-known television and film productions, since it offers insight into how actors experience long-running shows compared with earlier, more celebrated work in their careers.
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Originally published by The Hollywood Reporter as “Molly Ringwald Says ‘Secret Life of the American Teenager’ Was “Worst” Experience of Her Career”.