Andrew McCarthy’s ‘Brats’ on Hulu – a ‘Brat Pack’ revival

A New York magazine article, referring to them as the “Brat Pack,” came out on a Tuesday and, by Friday, Andrew McCarthy says, “our lives were different.”

The term not only attached itself to the stars of “St. Elmo’s Fire,” but also those in a host of John Hughes movies.

“Certain core members were undeniable,” McCarthy says. Among them: Emilio Estevez, Judd Nelson, Rob Lowe, Demi Moore, Ally Sheedy, Molly Ringwald and McCarthy. Later, Anthony Michael Hall, Jon Cryer and others were considered part of the elite.

In a new docu-series, “BRATS,” McCarthy revisits the actors and discovers how they felt about the term and its impact. He talks to the article’s author, too, and discovers he never met the actors who were referenced. “I had a warmth for him that I did not anticipate,” McCarthy says.

As derogative as the term may have seemed, it actually noted a shift in films. In the mid-‘80s, McCarthy says, producers started targeting teens. “Grownups see movies once. Kids go to see movies five, six, seven times. Suddenly, Hollywood discovered the power of the youth market and we were there at that moment in time.”

For some, it was a real burden, particularly when auditioning for other parts. Ally Sheedy remembers going into audition rooms and being treated like “partying, fame-seeking young punks.”

“That’s how we perceived it,” McCarthy says. “Was there as much as we perceived? Probably not.”