The most memorable line from Eighties classicPretty in Pinkwas almost cut from the film, director Howard Deutch has revealed.
In an interview for The Hollywood Reporter, Deutch explained that the movie’s first cut was “a little bit long”, so he removed the scene just before Andie (Molly Ringwald) goes to the prom.
This meant Andie’s enduring words – “I just wanna let them know that they didn’t break me” – wouldn’t have made it into the film.
“We showed it to Ned Tanen, the head of Paramount, and he said, ‘Where’s the scene where she says she’s not going to let them break her?’ So, I immediately put it back, and I’m embarrassed to admit it,” Deutch said.
The director explained that it was “hard to see the forest through the trees” when among the small bubble of people involved in the making of a film.
“Sometimes, I think we don’t trust the audience enough,” he said. “We’re concerned about all these things. Is it too long? Is it boring? Is it working? Is it cooking? [That] was a pivotal moment where Andie transitions and says, ‘I’m gonna stand on my own.’ So, it was a big lesson for me.”
Released in 1986, Pretty in Pink was written by John Hughes and follows unpopular high school girl Andie, who lives on “the wrong side of the tracks” with her unemployed father.
It is regarded as one of the definitive “Brat Pack” films that starred the same group of young actors, including Ringwald, Rob Lowe and Ally Sheedy.
