Molly Ringwald Says 'Predators' Took Advantage of Her as a Young Actress

Ringwald talks about being able to 'protect' herself as a young Hollywood actress.

By Ashley Turner

Molly Ringwald says she found herself the target of predators when beginning her career in Hollywood's entertainment industry, similar to many other young celebrities. The 56-year-old Pretty in Pink actress revealed on the WTF with Marc Maron podcast this past Monday that she was shy during her younger years and avoided attending nightclubs or actively participating in the celebrity social scene. 

"Well, you're lucky you didn't get taken advantage of or got into some sort of horrible situation," host Marc Maron remarked in response, prompting Ringwald to counter, "Oh, I was taken advantage of." "You can't be a young actress in Hollywood and … not have predators around," the Breakfast Club alum said. "But I wasn't raped by Harvey Weinstein, so I'm grateful for that."

While Ringwald refrained from providing further specifics regarding the individuals who allegedly exploited her or the precise nature of the incidents, she has previously addressed her encounters publicly. The Sixteen Candles star penned an essay for the New Yorker in 2016, which she informed Maron, 60, was intended to illustrate that Weinstein, 72, was "not the only one." 

In the article titled All the Other Harvey Weinsteins, Ringwald wrote, "When I was thirteen, a fifty-year-old crew member told me that he would teach me to dance, and then proceeded to push against me with an erection." She continued, "When I was fourteen, a married film director stuck his tongue in my mouth on set."

Ringwald recounted that during a period when she was still grappling with her own sexuality, "at every turn some older guy tried to help speed up the process." "And all this went on despite my having very protective parents who did their best to shield me," she added. "I shudder to think of what would have happened had I not had them."

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The Brat Pack member told Maron that her daughter Mathilda Ereni Gianopoulos is now working on establishing herself in the entertainment industry, despite Ringwald's attempts to dissuade the 20-year-old from doing so, noting, "It's hard." Ringwald explained that despite her ordeals, she managed to "protect" herself during her adolescence. 

"I was definitely in questionable situations," she conceded, "but I do have an incredible survival instinct, and a pretty big super-ego and kind of managed to sort of figure out a way to protect myself." However, the actress acknowledged, "It can be harrowing."

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