Rob Lowe is standing by the famous Brat Pack label after previously slamming the nickname, saying it was “designed to belittle us.”
New York Magazine's David Blum first coined the term Brat Pack in 1985, comparing the group of then-20-something rising stars, including Lowe, to the famous Rat Pack. Though their peers hated the label, it became a hit with fans, and its members are still known by that nickname nearly 40 years later.
During an interview with wall street journal Lowe, now 60, explained in Tuesday's edition of the magazine that he now views the label more favorably.
“We should all feel lucky that our contributions as actors have been recognized and that, 40 years later, our fans still care about us,” Lowe said.
'The Breakfast Club' star Anthony Michael Hall reflects on Brat Pack fame: 'I never expected that'
Rob Lowe (right) embraces the “Brat Pack” label. (Getty)
The Brat Pack released “St. Elmo's Fire'', “The Breakfast Club'', “About Last Night…'', “Sixteen Candles'' in the 1980s. “Beautiful pink” It defined teen angst for a generation and became a pop culture touchstone.
In addition to Lowe, Brat Pack members include Emilio Estevez, Judd Nelson, demi mooreAndrew McCarthy, Ally Sheedy, Judd Nelson, Molly Ringwald, Anthony Michael Hall, Estevez, Jon Cryer, and more. However, it is not always clear which actors fit into the group.
in bloom New York Magazine article, Titled “Hollywood's Brat Generals,” the journalist named Lowe, Estevez, and Nelson as members of the Brat Generals, but also mentioned other young stars as potential members, including Tom Cruise, Sean Penn, and Nicolas Cage. .
“This is Hollywood's 'brat pack,'” Blum wrote. “The Rat Pack was to the 1980s what a roving band of famous young stars on the prowl in search of parties, women, and a good time was to the 1960s.”
Stars of the '80s who were branded the “Brat Pack” have often expressed their distaste for the nickname. (Michael Ochs Archive/Getty Images)
In an interview with People magazine in August, Lowe expressed disdain for Blum's story and the label.
“The article was terrible,” he said. “It was a hit, there's no question about it. It was a journalistic trick of plausible deniability designed to marginalize and diminish us.”
In a 1987 Los Angeles Times article, Blum defended himself against the backlash he received from actors he deemed Brat Pack in a New York Magazine article.
Blum wrote that the article began as a profile of Estevez during the filming of “St. Elmo's Fire.” He revealed that he came up with the Brat Pack nickname after spending the night with Estevez, Lowe, and Nelson.
“I wouldn't exactly call it an inspiration, but I thought it was pretty clever,” Blum wrote. “It also seemed like the perfect way to describe the actors I got to know gradually through interviews.”
He continued, “They were acting like brats – well, I guess you could call it that – but they wouldn't act quite the same way if I were 23 and famous and rich.'' Not that I was. I could have been worse, but they definitely fit the bill.”
The term Brat Pack was coined by journalist David Blum. (Frank Edwards/Photos International/Getty Images)
Lowe told People magazine that experiencing the fallout from Blum's article was “not fun.” However, he noted that the author's portrayal of him in the story was not as negative as that of other actors.
“Actually, it worked for me,” he said. “It was one night when I got home early. How unusual. So someone was looking out for me.”
In an article for New York Magazine, Blum pointed out the uncertainty surrounding which actors are considered part of the Brat Pack.
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“Everyone in Hollywood disagrees on who belongs in the brat crowd,” he wrote. “They're concerned about little things like whose movies are the biggest hits, whose stars are rising and whose stars are falling, whose faces are on the cover of Rolling Stone and whose faces aren't. And sometimes poor people make decisions based on who has the best talent.
“We should all feel lucky that our contributions as actors have been recognized and that, 40 years later, our fans still care about us.”
Blum went on to claim that unlike Rat Pack members Marlon Brando, James Dean, Robert De Niro and Al Pacino, none of the members of the Brat Pack spent years studying acting. did. He also noted that the Brat Pack actors were not college graduates.
In the WSJ article, Lowe recalled how he fell in love with acting after seeing the musical “Oliver!'' as a child.
When Lowe was 12 years old, his family moved to Malibu, California, where he shot movies using Super 8 cameras with Sean Penn's late brother Chris Penn and other children who would go on to stardom. I started.
Actors who were labeled as part of the Brat Pack said it hurt their careers. (Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty Images)
“The group that was into acting included Chris' brother Sean Penn, Charlie Sheen and his brother Emilio Estevez. Eventually I got to know them and worked with Charlie on my own movie. '', the host of “The Floor'' recalled.
he continued. “In class at Santa Monica High School, I would always sit in the front row and raise my hand with an answer. I was that kind of guy. But I wasn't in the school play. Back then. I have an agent and I'm auditioning.”
Lowe explained that his early career success caused him to postpone attending university and reflect on how he learned his craft.
“At the age of 15, I had already co-starred in my first network TV sitcom, ABC’s A New Kind of Family. In my senior year, I was cast in Francis Ford Coppola’s The Outsider. “I had to choose between going to film school at UCLA or USC, or making movies,” Lowe recalled.
“I thought film school would wait,” he added. “After that, I started doing two movies a year and didn't go to college. I learned acting by watching experienced actors on set and actually doing the job. Then I worked with an acting coach. We started working together.”
In an interview with People magazine, Lowe said being known as a member of the Brat Pack “probably didn't help our credibility in the industry.”
Ally Sheedy said the label “destroyed” the group's camaraderie. (Ron Galera Collection via Getty Images)
During an appearance on “Good Morning America” in June, McCarthy, who directed the Hulu documentary “Bratz,” said that all the actors in the group at the time “hated” the Brat Pack nickname.
“Who wants to be called a brat when they're a kid? Especially when they're a kid, they think they're a brat, so they don't want to be called that, and they don't want to be a brat.”Being part of a group , and all that, but they felt like it was affecting their lives, right? ” he said.
In an interview with People magazine that same month, McCarthy said that while the nickname was popular among fans, it had a negative impact on the industry's perception of the actor.
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“It had a professional impact,” the “St. Elmo's Fire” star explained. “The public welcomed us, but businesses reacted negatively to it.”
Blum claimed in a New York Magazine article that members of the Brat Pack made derogatory comments about each other.
“For actors steeped in the ensemble spirit, the members of the Brat Pack are doing it for themselves. “Sean is into every role and lives the role in every way,” said one. say. He also wrote about Andrew McCarthy: One co-star said of the New York-based actor in “St. Elmo's Fire”: “He plays every role with the same intensity, so I don't think it would work.”
“The Brat Packers keep the accolades for themselves,” Blum added.
David Blum appeared in the documentary “Bratz.” (Gary Gershoff/Wire Image)
In Susannah Gora's 2011 book, You Couldn't Ignore Me If You Tried: The Brat Gang, John Hughes, and Their Influence on a Generation, Blum writes that Lowe, Estevez, and Nelson He said he felt betrayed by their portrayal and article. separated them from each other.
Sheedy told Gora that Blum's article “just destroyed” friendships within the group.
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“I really felt like I was part of something, and he blew it to pieces,” she said.
McCarthy's documentary Bratz, released in June, explored the impact of the Brat Pack label on the actor's life and career.
Although most of the actors appeared in the documentary, Nelson, Ringwald, and Hall decided not to appear in the film. However, Blum agreed to participate and was interviewed by McCarthy.
In a June article in Vulture titled “I Called Them Brats, and I Stand By It,” Blum said, “McCarthy's deftly edited film is a brat that capitalizes on that phrase.” Even though it claims to be depicting a group of people, it somehow manages to smoothly overcome the problems.” The fact that there is no real animosity between the Brat Pack actors and me anymore. ”
He continued, “At the end of the interview, McCarthy and I even hugged, sitcom-style. On Bratz.” At the premiere, Demi Moore introduced herself to me and took my hand in hers, as if greeting an old friend. ”
The movie Bratz premiered at the 2024 Tribeca Film Festival. (Theo Wargo/Getty Images for Tribeca Festival)
In an interview with People magazine in August, Lowe noted that while the Brat Pack nickname is viewed negatively in Hollywood, fans have embraced it.
“At the end of the day, that's all that matters, but the public never got that memo. They're like, 'That's cool,'” the “Austin Powers” star said.
“I think I probably realized that earlier than the others.” [group of actors]That was a good thing,” he said of coming to terms with the nickname.
Lowe also praised the “Brats” documentary, noting that “the Brat Pack is having a good time.”
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“The Andrew McCarthy documentary has a lot to do with it. I couldn't be happier,” he continued.
“This was an important point for me in becoming comfortable with the space I occupy as an actor, and it was the beginning of a real rocket-like journey.”
