It was a meeting I never, ever thought would actually happen. And through some moments of discouragement, it almost didn't. But, it did and it was even more than what I hoped it could have been. Dear readers, I am so excited to announce to you that on Sunday, November 21st of this year, I officially had the unprecedented pleasure of meeting Molly Ringwald!!!
Molly Ringwald, the actress who starred in three of Writer/Producer/Director John Hughes' most iconic films (1984's "Sixteen Candles," 1985's "The Breakfast Club" and 1986's "Pretty In Pink"), not only continues to act on screen and stage. The 42 year old is currently a wife, mother of three and now an author. Written during her pregnancy with twins, her debut release, Getting The Pretty Back, is a hybrid of a memoir and self-help book, designed for women to understand that "prettiness" is not entirely based in one's appearance. It is ultimately a state of mind and being, providing the confidence to realize one's dreams and live their lives to their fullest potential.
What brought Molly Ringwald to Madison, WI was the annual Women's Expo, held at the Exhibition Center of the Alliant Energy Center (formerly the Dane County Coliseum--where I saw Sting in concert back in 1987). She was scheduled to be a Guest Speaker and would also sign autographs of her book as well as copies of her photo adorned cover of Brava magazine, a local publication and sponsor of the Expo. I was informed of her participation in this event by the Director of my preschool nearly two months ago and once I had heard this news, I knew that I had to attend and see her live and in person!
I have spilled many, many words on Savage Cinema extolling my love for the films and career of John Hughes and in so many ways, Molly Ringwald is synonymous with that career. Yes, out of Hughes' massive output, she only starred in three of his films yet, she was as representative of that time of my life as much as Hughes was. While I never had a crush on her as a teenager, I adored Molly Ringwald. She represented a certain sense of strength, integrity, class, intelligence and style that I admired and responded to so tremendously. No one else looked like her or sounded like her. There was, and remains, absolutely no one else like her and her uniqueness appealed to me. Since I had never met John Hughes, and especially after his death last year, it was imperative for me to try and see her. If I had the opportunity to meet her, I wanted to just tell her how much she meant to me when I was growing up. Considering that she and I are nearly the same age, I would hope that my words, if I were able to speak them, would carry a certain and additional significance.
DAY ONE-NOVEMBER 20, 2010
I arrived at the Women's Expo more than a little excited and definitely curious as to what I would see at such an event. Attending the Women's Expo had never previously existed in my radar of events to frequent and upon first gaze, it looked like any sort of an Expo that I or you may have attended in the past. A variety of organizations all had their individual booths set up and ready for visitors and patrons. There were several locations for food and beverages. Shockingly and hilariously to me, I also witnessed a troop of Chippendale dancers (oil not included but readily available from a booth I'm certain)!
I arrived at the lengthy celebrity stage, which was adorned with an orange chair, a table, lamp and a couch. I immediately found seats in the front row and just as immediately decided against sitting there--thinking that I shouldn't get too close to an idol. So, I poked around for a few moments and came to my senses. I came to see her, so get in that front row and SEE her!! I found my seat on the left side of the stage and settled myself and began to wait.
Around 1:15 p.m., after nearly all of the seats had been filled with fans, statuesque local news anchor Diana Henry strode onto the stage to make some announcements and eventually introduce the person everyone was there to see. Within a few more moments, the time had arrived...
To the strains of a cover version of the classic "Don't You Forget About Me" by Simple Minds, out walked Molly Ringwald and she literally took my breath away. It was as if she walked straight out of the movie screen and onto the stage. Her face exploded into a wide smile as she looked out into the audience. "WOW!! I can't believe that there's SO MANY PEOPLE!! THANK YOU!!" she said in that voice, a voice I could not believe that I was hearing in the real world.
After informing everyone that the following was to be her very first speech, as she finds much comfort in having a prepared script to work from, Molly Ringwald launched into a 60 minute travelogue through her book, aspects of her history and current family life, and life lessons she has obtained over the years. All the while, she presented herself as a down-to-Earth human being who just happened to be famous. She was lovely, funny, articulate, charming and even inspiring. Inspiring us to hold onto those people who matter most no matter how much life gets in our respective ways. To own all of our shortcomings and make then work for us. To just keep ourselves open to new ideas and possibilities. As a parting note, she gave us a preview of...her debut album of recorded material (something she may self-release). Everyone was treated to the recorded singing voice of Ms. Ringwald backed by a small jazz combo and what I heard was striking. This did not sound like some talentless movie star vanity project. The maturity and almost sensual richness I heard was unexpected and made me curious to hear more.
A brief Q & A session followed and then, it was time to gather in line for the autograph signing session. During the speech, the line had already began to form and by the time I found my place, I was near the opposite end of the Exhibition Hall. While waiting in line for about an hour, I spoke with others who were as anxious as I to meet Molly and I also endured the excruciating musical stylings of Piano Fondue, a duo piano act (and "Saturday Night Live" skit waiting to happen) who callously murdered songs by Neil Diamond and The Monkees. Throughout the wait, all patrons were informed that she would be signing copies of her book, and the issue of Brava magazine. No memorabilia would be signed and no posed photographs could be taken (although photos beside the signing area were acceptable). But then, there was the news that caused everyone minor panic and an accompanying sense of urgency: Molly would be signing for about an hour as she has another commitment. She would return for a second signing the following day at 11:00 a.m. As I crept closer, I hoped that I would not miss my opportunity but with the length of the line, I wasn't feeling that positive.
After a time, I found myself inside of something I would like to call the "inner sanctum," the area closest to Molly Ringwald's signing area. I inched closer and closer, ever so slowly and soon, I was paces away from the entrance with only a collective of three women ahead of me. And then, it happened...
"I'm sorry everybody," began a woman supervising the event. "Molly has to leave."
The woman again announced that Molly would return the following day but it didn't matter at that moment. She was just...so close! So near and yet so far. She was a stone's throw away from me and yet, an ocean between us remained.
I felt like Charlie Brown.
I felt dejected, disappointed, disillusioned and every other downer word that began with the letter "D." Of course, it would not have been out of the question to return the following day and try again as the Exhibition Hall is not terribly far from my home and the parking and admission fees were small. But, I do have this way of convincing myself of the worst. Maybe it just wasn't meant to happen. Maybe the universe doesn't want this for me. I saw her, straight from the front row, she was wonderful and perhaps, that just had to be enough.
Later that evening, I firmly decided that against my most negative impulses, I should try again. Just get there when they open, secure my place in line and all should be well.
Shouldn't it?
DAY TWO-NOVEMBER 21, 2010
I was determined.
I arrived at the Expo shortly after they opened at 10:00 a.m. and immediately ventured over to the exact area I stood the day before. I was not about to let my level of disappointment bog me down. After speaking with one of the gentlemen supervising the event, he directed me to the waiting area, deep within the "inner sanctum" and I found myself second in line, directly behind a Mother and daughter.
The girl's name was Maggie, and she hailed from Waunakee. Her sweet, bespectacled face could barely contain her own nervousness and excitement, which was also visibly by the bounciness of the wavy ringlets of her hair. She informed me that she was 16 years old and that she had seen and loved all three of the Ringwald/Hughes collaborations and that she had no idea of what to say to Molly. Maggie was truly a charming girl as I recognized the exact same emotions within myself. So I shared them with her and told her the story of how I had first seen "Pretty In Pink" at an advance screening when I was 17. I spoke of how that night was a wave of emotion inside of that Chicago movie theater. how dialogue could barely be heard due to the laughing at Duckie's antics and swooning at every sight of Blaine. How sobbing was heard during the more aching sections and the eruption of joy during the final moments at the prom. Maggie's Mother echoed my sentiments as she had seen the film during her own teen years.
We were soon joined by another visibly excited fan who had missed out on his chance from the day before. Also bespectacled, with closely cropped hair and clutching a copy of Ringwald's book was Tom, another film enthusiast and John Hughes fan who was able to ask Molly Ringwald a question during the Q & A section of her speech from the day before. We all shared conversations about movies, Maggie enthusiastically shared her feelings about her Sophomore year of high school and finally, the time had arrived once again.
Surrounded by a tiny entourage, which included her husband, Molly Ringwald appeared again and took her place at the signing table from the day before. Just before Maggie from Waunakee entered the signing area, I told her to have fun and she generously offered to take a picture of me as I was getting my magazine signed. Before I knew it, Maggie from Waunakee and her Mother had met Molly Ringwald and had exited the area.
Oh God! It was my turn! I took a tentative step and entered the area, approached the table and met her expectant gaze. "HI!!!! WOW!!" I exclaimed once I arrived at the table. "I've got 25 years worth of things to say and I'm still trying to figure out how to start," I said, while waving my hands a little. Molly Ringwald looked at me expectantly, yet said nothing. Her eyes possessed an expression so familiar to me through her movies yet I was unable to truly define their meaning. Perhaps she was just waiting for me to begin. But, of course, I feared that perhaps she was about to call for Security. I had to rebound quickly.
I clumsily handed her the Brava magazine. Maybe even rudely, although inadvertently, as I never even officially asked her to sign it. After such an understandably awkward exchange, I met her gaze again and started to speak. "I just want to give you a big THANK YOU!!!"
Molly's face softened and she smiled graciously. "What's your name?" she asked with Sharpie in hand.
"Scott," I responded and then, somehow, I found the words. "Thank you for coming here! Thank you so, so much for those wonderful movies," I began as I felt the words continuing to form and beginning to flow. "I was 15 when 'Sixteen Candles' was released and I could not have asked for anything better than that movie."
"Oh, thank you!" she said.
"I still think that 'Sixteen Candles" is one of the most romantic movies that I have ever seen...and I see a lot of movies. I admired you so very much. I looked up to you. John Hughes was my hero. And I drove my parents crazy."
"That's so sweet of you to say," she said smiling. As she finished signing my magazine and began to hand it back to me, Molly did the unexpected when she looked at me and said, "May I ask you a question?"
WHAT?! Did I hear that correctly?
"You want to ask me a question??" I asked out loud. "Uh... y-y-yeah! Of-of course!" I stammered.
"I was wondering if it bothered you that African-Americans weren't more represented in the movies?"
Talk about unexpected. If she were to ask me anything, I would have imagined it to be something a tad more innocuous. I certainly wasn't expecting a question so thoughtful, so serious and something that was representative of my identity. I didn't want to disappoint and I found myself with a strengthened composure...even as I was starstruck.
"Do you just mean Hughes' movies or do you mean all of the movies in the teen genre?" I asked in return.
"Well, it's a problem in all movies but I really meant just John's because actually, I always had a problem with that," she said.
What a moment. It felt as if we were having a regular conversation. It didn't seem like the starlet was coming down from on high to converse with her adoring fans down below. It almost felt as if she let some of the air out of the balloon and asked an honest question for no other reason than to address her own curiosity and to just as honestly listen to whatever I had to answer.
Before I could begin, I felt a soft tap on my shoulder. I looked and saw that the owner of the tap was one of the gentlemen supervising the autograph session and trying to keep the line moving as quickly as possible. "Remember, it's a long line," he said to me with finality but without forcefulness or urgency.
And then, Molly Ringwald did something else unexpected and as I think about this one moment, it was an act that was indeed a very kind one. "Oh, it's my fault," she explained. "I asked him a question."
The gentleman nodded affirmatively and walked away as if to say, "Carry on." And carry on I did as I launched into an answer that I hoped would satisfy her inquiry.
"Well...it didn't bother me," I began. "It really didn't. I felt that Hughes was representing a certain sector of society. Being from Chicago and knowing what the Northern suburbs are like, I felt that his representation was accurate. What spoke to me were his characters. They were so universal and that's what made them so relatable to me. I was Samantha Baker. I was Eric Stoltz' character from 'Some Kind Of Wonderful.' I did have a few friends back then who told me that I reminded them of Ferris but I was really Cameron Frye through and through. Those characters made those movies for me. That's what made them so special and that's why I was never offended."
Seeming satisfied by my answer, she smiled again and nodded. It was time for me to move on and allow the next person to have their moment with Molly Ringwald.
"It was so nice to meet you!!" she said, offering me another one of her instantly recognizable smiles that are cemented in film history. I reciprocated the gesture, told her again how amazing it was to finally meet her and I walked away.
I retrieved my camera from Maggie of Waunakee, thanked her and she grabbed her Mother's camera to re-approach the area to snap some more shots. I looked at the photos Maggie took and was very pleased with the results. No badly framed photos depicting nothing a la "Sixteen Candles." There I was, there was Molly Ringwald, I really met her, those moments really happened...and I had visual proof!!
Mere words cannot express how I feel as she has been a part of my life for so much of my life and I still cannot believe that I actually had the chance to tell her exactly what an impact she had upon me. I realize that these are words that she has undoubtedly heard more times than I can possibly imagine. I realize that I was just one face out of a sea of faces she saw over the last two days and moreso, over the last 25 years of her life. But, I sincerely hope that the familiarity of those words has not dulled their impact and weight. They were as heartfelt as I could say them, especially during a moment as surreal as that one. I greatly doubt that she will even remember me even though I will never forget this moment for the remainder of my life.
But that's OK because within those moments, she treated me with respect, as kindly as she was able and even gave me more than I could have ever expected or hoped for.
What else could I ask for?
I met MOLLY RINGWALD!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment