Demi Moore was one of the actresses who broke into the industry in the 80s with films like Blame It on Rio, St. Elmo’s Fire, and About Last Night. She slowly fell on the radar of filmmakers in the industry and became one of the most sought-after actresses in the 90s.
Moore is part of a group known as the Brat Pack, a group of actors who started out together, starring in movies that defined the teen-coming-of-age films of the 80s mainly The Breakfast Club and St. Elmo’s Fire. This group has an interesting history and their legacy has not been forgotten till today.
What Is The Brat Pack and Who Are Its Members?
The term Brat Pack was coined in the 80s by David Blum on the cover of New York Magazine in 1985. Blum gave the term to a bunch of young Hollywood stars in their early twenties who starred in many movies together at the time that defined the teen-coming-age films of the decade. Blum considered Tom Cruise’s Taps as the first Brat Pack film and other films such as The Outsiders, Rumble Fish, The Breakfast Club, and St. Elmo’s Fire.
The group is also noted for frequently hanging out at Los Angeles’ Hard Rock Cafe. There is no official list of the members of the Brat Pack as there have been constant debates regarding who truly belongs to the group. When Blum coined the term, his list of the Brat Pack included actors like Rob Lowe, Judd Nelson, Emilio Estevez, Tom Cruise, Sean Penn and Nicolas Cage
The list has changed with time and in recent times, the primary Brat Pack films are The Breakfast Club and St. Elmo’s Fire. Other films like The Outsiders, Sixteen Candles, Pretty in Pink, About Last Night, and Wisdom are considered unofficial films of the group where two or more members starred in the films. Now, the universally accepted members of the Brat Pack include,(via Deseret News)
1. Emilio Estevez
Emilio Estevez is considered the unofficial president of the Brat Pack by David Blum. He starred in the two primary Brat Pack films The Breakfast Club and St. Elmo’s Fire and other notable films like The Outsiders, Wisdom, and Mission Impossible.
Estevez expressed his frustration with his association with the moniker as he told The Guardian in 2020, “That [term] will be on my tombstone … It’s annoying…We just made two movies and somehow it morphed into something else.”
2. Anthony Michael Hall
Anthony Michael Hall starred in two Brat Pack films Sixteen Candles and The Breakfast Club alongside Emilio Estevez, Judd Nelson, Molly Ringwald, and Ally Sheedy. He is also known for starring in big films like The Dark Knight, Foxcatcher, and Halloween Kills.
Similar to Estevez, Michael Hall is also dismissive of the label The Brat Pack and told Insider “It didn’t exist.” The infamous nature of the group is solidified by Michael Hall and Estevez’s statements.
3. Rob Lowe
Robe Lowe starred in one of the primary Brat Pack films St Elmo’s Fire alongside Emilio Estevez, Judd Nelson, Molly Ringwald Demi Moore, Andrew McCarthy, and Ally Sheedy. He has also starred in other successful films like Oxford Blues, About Last Night…, and Square Dance before he transitioned to a great TV career with The West Wing and Parks and Recreations.
4. Andrew McCarthy
Andrew McCarthy starred in Brat Pack films St Elmo’s Fire and Pretty in Pink. He is also known for his hit films Less Than Zero and Weekend at Bernie’s He wrote about his association with the moniker in his memoir Brat: An ’80s Story.
McCarthy is set to release a documentary about the group called Brats on Hulu which will feature other members such as Rob Lowe, Demi Moore, Ally Sheedy, Emilio Estevez, and more (via Deadline). The documentary will premiere on Hulu sometime this year.
5. Demi Moore
Demi Moore starred in three Brat Pack films including St Elmo’s Fire, About Last Night…, and Wisdom. She gained more prominence in the 90s with films like A Few Good Men, Indecent Proposal, and Disclosure.
Moore has voiced her displeasure about the moniker as she thought it “kind of diminished us as professionals” (via People). She is set to feature in the upcoming documentary about the group called Brats directed by Andrew McCarthy.
6. Judd Nelson
Judd Nelson starred in two of the primary Brat Pack films The Breakfast Club and St. Elmo’s Fire. He is also known for other hit projects such as Cybermutt, New Jack City, Billionaire Boys Club, and Suddenly Susan.
He has been critical of David Blum for giving them the infamous moniker, saying “This guy [David Blum], just something about him, he had a stink to him” (via Gwynnew.tumblr.com). He claimed that he should have “knocked him unconscious” for the baggage that he carried with the moniker throughout his career.
7. Molly Ringwald
Molly Ringwald starred in the Brat Pack films The Breakfast Club and Pretty in Pink. In recent years, she appeared in hit shows such as The Secret Life of the American Teenager, Riverdale, Creepshow, and Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story.
Ringwald told Extra about how she lost a lot of roles to Moore during the 80s and 90s. She and Demi Moore are now collaborating on Ryan Murphy’s Feud: Capote vs. The Swans. The show started streaming is now streaming on Hulu.
8. Ally Sheedy
Ally Sheedy starred in the two primary Brat Pack films The Breakfast Club and St. Elmo’s Fire. She is also known for her incredible performances in films like WarGames, Fear, and Man’s Best Friend. Sheedy is also among the members of the group that will appear in Andrew McCarthy’s documentary Brats, chronicling their history with the moniker bestowed upon them.
