Molly Ringwald spoke about the predators she faced as a young actress in Hollywood on the “WTF with Marc Maron” podcast on Monday.
The “Pretty in Pink” star, now 56, recently spoke about the struggles she faced as a young actress in Hollywood. exterior Speaking on the “WTF with Marc Maron” podcast, Ringwald revealed that despite being far from the typical Hollywood nightlife, she still faced the darker side of the industry.
“I was taken advantage of,” Molly Ringwald said. “It’s impossible to be a young actress in Hollywood and not have predators around you.”
“It’s horrible. And I have a daughter who is now 20 and she wants to go into the same profession, even though I’ve done everything I can to dissuade her… pic.twitter.com/F2hTRlZDPN
— Variety (@Variety) May 28, 2024
“I was taken advantage of. It’s impossible to be a young actress in Hollywood and not have predators around you,” she explained. “I was not raped by Harvey Weinstein, so I’m grateful for that, but I also wrote an essay in The New Yorker called ‘It’s Not Just About Harvey Weinstein. It’s Not Just About Him.'”
Ringwald has used her “incredible survival instincts and pretty big superego” to get herself through these questionable situations. Despite her tenacity, Ringwald has expressed concern about her daughter following in her footsteps and pursuing an acting career, despite her attempts to encourage her to follow a different career path.
MIAMI, FL – APRIL 6, 2024: Molly Ringwald attends the Variety Creative Vanguard Awards ceremony honoring Molly Ringwald during the 41st Miami Film Festival at Chapman Conference Center in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Ivan Apfel/Getty Images)
“But yes, it’s heartbreaking,” she continued. “And I have a daughter who’s 20 now and she’s trying to go into the same profession, even though I’ve done everything I can to convince her to go into something else. It’s tough.”
Ringwald reflected on feeling lonely during her early years in Hollywood, saying she didn’t feel like she belonged to any community. (RELATED: Actor Matthew Lawrence claims his agent fired him after he refused to strip for director)
“When I was in Hollywood, I was really young and didn’t really feel like I was part of a community,” Ringwald says. “I didn’t like going to clubs. I feel like I’m more outgoing now than I was then, but I was just too young.”
