Rob Lowe is embracing the famous Brat Pack brand after previously slamming the nickname, saying “Designed to disrespect us.”
New York magazine’s David Blum first coined the term Brat Pack in 1985 when he compared a group of rising 20-year-olds, including Lowe, to the infamous Rat Pack, even though the demographic didn’t like the label. But it was popular with fans and members still know the nickname nearly four decades later.
During an interview with. Wall Street Journal Published on Tuesday, Lowe, now 60, explains that he is now more optimistic about the label.
“We should all feel fortunate to have a name for what we contributed as performers and fans still care 40 years later,” Lowe said.
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Rob Lowe (right) is wearing a “Brat Pack” sign. (Getty)
The Brat Pack rose to fame in the 1980s with films like “St. Elmo’s Fire,” “The Breakfast Club,” “About Last Night…,” “Sixteen Candles” and “Beautiful in pink” It defined the teen angst of a generation and became a pop culture touchstone.
In addition to Lowe, Brat Pack members include Emilio Estevez, Judd Nelson. Demi MooreAndrew McCarthy, Allie Sheedy, Judd Nelson, Molly Ringwald, Anthony Michael Hall, Estevez and Jon. Cryer, among many others, however, which actor fits the bill isn’t always clear.
As for Blum Article from New York Magazine Named “Hollywood’s Brat Pack,” the reporter designated Lowe, Estevez, and Nelson as members of the Brat Pack, although he also named other young stars, including Tom Cruise, Sean Penn, and Nicolas Cage, as potential members.
“This was Hollywood’s ‘Brat Pack,’” Blum writes, “in the 1980s, much like the Rat Pack had been in the 1960s: a band of famous up-and-comers on the prowl for the party, the ladies. and good times”
Stars in the ’80s who were branded as the Brat Pack often expressed their dislike of the nickname. (Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)
During an interview with People magazine in August Lowe expressed disgust at Blum and his record label’s story.
“The article was terrible,” he said. “It was a hit. There is no doubt. It is designed to insult us. Makes us look small With the undeniable tricks of a journalist.”
In a 1987 Los Angeles Times article, Blum defended himself against the backlash he received from actors he described as the Brat Pack in his story in New York Magazine.
Blum wrote that the article originated from a profile of Estevez during the filming of “St. Elmo’s Fire.” He revealed that he came up with the Brat Pack nickname after spending a night with Estevez Lowe. and nelson
“I wouldn’t call it inspiration. I thought it was pretty clever,” Blum wrote. “It seemed like a great way to describe an actor I knew little about through my reporting.”
He continued: “They acted like — I might say — an asshole, which is not to say that I certainly wouldn’t have done the same thing if I was 23 years old and famous and rich. But these guys definitely fit the bill.”
The term Brat Pack was coined by journalist David Blum. (Frank Edwards/International Pictures/Getty Images)
Lowe told People magazine that experiencing the fallout from Blum’s article “wasn’t fun.” However, he noted that the author’s portrayal of his subject in the story was not as negative as the show’s. other actors
“I actually came out OK,” he said. “It was one of those rare nights when I came home early. Someone was looking for me.”
In a New York magazine story Blum points out the darkness that surrounds it. The actor is considered part of the Brat Pack.
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“Everyone in Hollywood is different about who is in the Brat Pack,” he writes. “That’s because they base their decisions on little things like whose movies are the most popular. Stars that are rising and falling Whose face was on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine and who wasn’t? And sometimes There are some pitiful people. A lost fool will decide who is most gifted.”
“We should all feel fortunate to have a name for what we contributed as performers and that fans still care 40 years later.”
Blum went on to say that unlike the Rat Pack’s Marlon Brando, James Dean, Robert De Niro and Al Pacino, none of the Brat Pack members had accumulated years of acting education. He also noted that none of the Brat Pack actors were college graduates.
In the WSJ article, Lowe recalled that he fell in love with acting at a young age after watching the musical Oliver!
When Lowe was 12 years old, his family moved to Malibu, California, where he began filming using a Super 8 camera with Chris Penn, Sean Penn’s late brother, and other children. Some people later became stars.
Actors who were labeled as part of the Brat Pack said it negatively affected their careers. (Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty Images)
“The group that was interested in acting included Sean Penn, Chris’ brother, and Charlie Sheen and his brother Emilio Estevez, and I eventually got to know them. And I made my own movie with Charlie,” the “The Floor” host recalled.
He continued: “In class at Santa Monica High School, I always sat in the front row and raised my hand. I was that guy, but I wasn’t in the school play. By then I had an agent and I’m going to audition.”
Lowe explains that his early career success led him to postpone college and reflect on how he learned his craft.
“When I was 15, I starred in my first network TV sitcom—ABC’s ‘A New Kind of Family.’ I was cast in Francis Ford Coppola’s ‘The Outsiders.’ I had to choose between going to film school at UCLA or USC or making the movie,” Lowe remembers.
“I think film school can wait,” he added. “There were two movies a year and I never went to university. I learned to act by watching experienced actors on set and through work. Later, I started working with an acting coach.”
During an interview with People magazine, Lowe said that being known as a member of the Brat Pack “probably doesn’t help our credibility … in this industry.”
Ally Sheedy said the label “ruined” the group’s camaraderie. (Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images)
While appearing on Good Morning America in June, McCarthy, who directed the Hulu documentary Brats, said that every actor in the group “hated” the Brat Pack nickname at the time.
“Who wants to be called a brat when they are young? Especially when I was a child and thought of myself as a brat. So I don’t want to be called a brat. And I don’t want to be a brat” and be part of the pack and all that. And we feel like it affects our lives, you know,” he said.
During an interview with People magazine that same month, McCarthy said that although the nickname was popular with fans, it had a negative impact on the actor’s perception in the industry.
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“It’s expanded professionally,” the “St. Elmo’s Fire” star explains. “The public has embraced us. But businesses responded negatively.”
In his New York magazine article, Blum claimed that Brat Pack members made derogatory comments about one another.
He writes, “For all the soulful performers of the band, the Brat Pack members came out on their own. ‘Sean is crazy about preparing for all his roles. and became a character in every way,’ one person said. And for Andrew said one McCarthy. of the New York actors in ‘St. Elmo’s Fire’, co-stars said ‘He plays all his roles with too much of the same intensity.’”
“The Brat Packers keep the praise for themselves,” Blum added.
David Blum Appears in ‘Brats’ Documentary (Gary Gershoff/WireImage)
In Susannah Gora’s 2011 book “You Can’t Ignore Me If You Tried: The Brat Pack, John Hughes, and their Impact on a Generation,” Blum said Lowe, Estevez, and Nelson felt betrayed by his portrayal. About them and the article causing them to separate
Sheedy told Gora that Blum’s article “just ruined” the friendship within the group.
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“I really felt like I was part of something. And that guy shattered it,” she said.
McCarthy’s Brats documentary came out in June. A deeper dive into the impact Brat Pack’s record label has had on the lives and careers of performers.
While most of the actors appeared in the documentary, Nelson, Ringwald, and Hall decided not to participate in the film. However, Blum agreed to participate and was interviewed by McCarthy.
In a June article for Vulture titled “I Call Them Brats And I stand by it,” Blum wrote, “McCarthy’s cleverly edited film. Even while claiming to paint a picture of the Brat Pack based on that phrase, it manages to smooth it over. The fact that there is no real animosity between the Brat Pack actors and me anymore.”
He continued: At the end of the interview McCarthy and I still hug, sitcom-style, on The Brats. Premiere: Demi Moore introduces herself to me. and hold my hand with yours It was like greeting an old friend.”
The film “Brats” premiered at the 2024 Tribeca Film Festival. (Theo Wargo/Getty Images for Tribeca Festival)
In an interview with People in August Lowe points out that although the Brat Pack nickname is viewed negatively in Hollywood, fans have embraced the moniker.
“The public – after all. That’s all that mattered – never got that record, they were like, ‘That sounds cool,’” the “Austin Powers” star said.
“I think I realized this faster than other people. (The group of actors) said it was a good thing,” he said upon agreeing to the nickname.
Lowe also praised the “Brats” documentary, noting that “The Brat Pack is having a moment.”
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“Andrew’s Documentary McCarthy had a lot to do with it. And it couldn’t make me happier,” he continued.
“It was a key point for me to feel comfortable in the space I occupied as an actor. For lack of a better term. And it is really the beginning of riding a rocket ship.”
