Why Judd Nelson ‘Rejected’ Andrew McCarthy’s Brat Pack Documentary

Judd Nelson had no interest in revisiting his Brat Pack days Andrew McCarthy’s upcoming documentary, Brats.

“It seems strange that this topic is something for edited entertainment,” Nelson, 64, said exclusively We weekly while attending Children Uniting Nations’ 24th Annual Academy Awards Celebration & Viewing Dinner on Sunday, March 10. ‘He’s a nice guy too, but I hadn’t seen him in 35 years. And it’s like, I’m not going to do that [be] like, “Hey!” No man.”

McCarthy’s ABC News documentary, airing on Hulu later this year, examines the zeitgeist that changed the careers of Hollywood’s biggest young stars of the 1980s. Although Nelson confirmed that there was a “request” for him to participate in the project, he ultimately “politely declined” the offer.

“I don’t even know who’s in the Brat Pack,” Nelson said Us, noting that being part of the cultural phenomenon wasn’t exactly a bright spot in his career. “It’s like, why a rebirth of something that wasn’t necessarily fun? … How can we be experts on something that never really existed?”

Related: The Brat Pack: A Complete Guide to the Actors Who Ruled the ’80s

The Brat Pack will reunite on screens for the first time since the height of their Hollywood reign. Andrew McCarthy, best known for his leading roles in Pretty in Pink and St. Elmo’s Fire, reunites the famous group of actors for a Hulu documentary – aptly titled Brats – which […]

A play on the nickname The Rat Pack, consisting of actors from the 1960s, including Dan Martin And Frank Sinatrathe Brat Pack was first conceived in 1985 New York magazine article, which largely described cast members of two major films released that year: The breakfast club And St. Elmus Fire. Nelson, McCarthy, Rob Lowe, Demi Moore, Emilio Estevez, Mare Winningham And Molly Ringwald were all part of the gang, but certain other A-listers were also grouped together, such as Timothy Hutton, Tom Cruise, Nicholas Cage And Sean Penn.

Although Nelson admitted that those labeled as Brat Pack members were “friends” at the time, their ties were often exaggerated. “What was so strange is that I was living in New York and then I made a film with people here [in L.A.],” he explained. “So it’s like this, then I hang out with them… and then when the movie’s over, I go back to New York. I’m not going to hang out [and be like], ‘Hey, let’s go to the Hard Rock Café.’ It’s weird.”

Nelson added that although the so-called Brat Pack all “got along great” and had “a great time together” on set – the actor still has a close bond with his Breakfast club costars, he said Us – they would go their separate ways once the project was over.

And because the name received so much publicity at the time, Nelson said Us that the young stars were encouraged to “stay away” from each other due to the negative connotation.

“They’ve kind of painted my generation of actors as entitled, irresponsible and unprofessional,” he explained, claiming there was little truth in the rumors of bad behavior. “While my experience was that everyone was on time. Everyone knows their lines. It’s so weird.”

McCarthy’s documentary will feature not only the Brat Pack itself, but also journalists David Blumwho coined the term New York cover story that was initially intended as a profile on Estevez. In the piece, he described the group as undeserving, uneducated young actors who party together and appear in films. (Blum shared his regrets about writing the article two years after it was published.)

Over the years, Nelson has been clear in his feelings for Blum. During a 2015 episode of author Bret Easton Ellis’ podcast, he shared that his “gut feeling” was to knock Blum “out” when he met him.

“I knew right away there was a problem,” Nelson said when Blum joined him and his friends on a night out. “When this man is eating, I say to Emilio, ‘Who is this man?’ [He said,] “Well, he’s a reporter, he’s writing an article about me,” [I said,] “I don’t think he should be here, I don’t like him.” He’s sitting at the table when I say this.

He continued, “This guy, just something about him, he stinks of him, and I think in hindsight I would have been better served if I had followed my gut feeling and knocked him out.” At least I would have felt better about it.”

Related: Cast of ‘The Breakfast Club’: Where Are They Now?

It all started with a brain, an athlete, a basket case, a princess and a criminal. In 1985, the world was introduced to five teenagers from very different backgrounds who spent nine hours in detention on a Saturday. The success of The Breakfast Club helped make stars out of the so-called Brat Pack […]

It was Nelson’s standout performance as ‘criminal’ John Bender The breakfast club and his role in it St. Elmus Fire which made him famous in the 1980s. After the New York magazine article made headlines, most of the Brat Pack were not seen on screen together again for decades. In the 2000s, Nelson shifted his focus to TV with programs such as Ssuddenly Susan, CSI, Two and a half Men, Nikita, rich And Law and order: SVUbut none of those appearances featured other former Brat Packers.

“After that article, not only were we strongly encouraged to stop working with each other – and for the most part we didn’t – but it was also insinuated that we might not want to deal with these people anymore,” claimed Nelson during his speech. Easton Ellis podcast interview. “And it was like I didn’t know that good friends are so easy to find in this world that they have to be thrown apart.”

With reporting by Andrea Simpson