This Actor Played The Geek In The Breakfast Club, But Off Screen He Wasn’t So Innocent
Anthony Michael Hall was the brain who joined a bunch of misfits for Saturday detention in 1985’s The Breakfast Club. But behind his naïve on-screen persona, the star led a very different life in reality. And more than 30 years on from his career-defining performance as geeky Brian Johnson, the actor is a shadow of the shy nerd he became synonymous with.
Five Misfits
One Saturday morning in Shermer, Illinois, five students reported for detention in the library of their high school. Seemingly, none of them had anything in common. Indeed, the group consisted of, by their own descriptions, a brain, a criminal, a basket case, an athlete and a princess. But by the end of the day, these diverse characters had let their guards down and forged unlikely bonds through their shared experiences.
Teenage Angst
Of course, those who grew up with 1980’s cinema would have instantly recognized that plot. Released in 1985, John Hughes’ The Breakfast Club would become one of the defining movies of its generation. And 35 years on, the film’s themes of teenage angst and alienation still resonate with high school students to this day.
Amazing Chemistry
But Hughes’ film wouldn’t have earned that reputation had it not been for the chemistry of its young actors. Part of what would be called the Brat Pack, The Breakfast Club’s five stars each played a different aspect of youth. On display was Molly Ringwald’s rich girl Claire, Emilio Estevez’s jock Andrew, Ally Sheedy’s weirdo Allison and Judd Nelson’s rebel John.
The Typical Nerd
Rounding out the film’s cast was the then-17-year-old Anthony Michael Hall as nerd Brian Johnson. Hall, like his co-stars, pushed past his character’s stereotype to find an underlying truth universal to any adolescent. In this case, his sensitive creation was struggling with suicidal thoughts brought on by the pressures of academic success.
