By early February 1983, Alex Hayes was settling into the familiar rhythm of a film set, this time on the suburban Chicago locations for John Hughes's new project, 'Sixteen Candles'. Having successfully navigated the complexities of 'Risky Business' and seen '10 Things I Hate About You' cross the $100 million milestone, Alex was ready for this decidedly different role – the seemingly perfect high school senior, Jake Ryan.
Production was already underway, with Hughes assembling a talented, primarily young cast around Alex:
Molly Ringwald, playing the central character Samantha Baker whose sixteenth birthday is forgotten, was a recognizable face from TV's 'The Facts of Life' and had earned acclaim and a Golden Globe nomination for the film 'Tempest' (1982). This, however, felt like her true star-making vehicle.
Anthony Michael Hall, cast as the endearing Farmer Ted "The Geek," had appeared in the Kenny Rogers film 'Six Pack' (1982) and various TV movies; his role in the soon-to-be-released 'National Lampoon's Vacation' is written by this film director John Hughes.
Paul Dooley, playing Samantha's well-meaning father Jim Baker, was a seasoned and respected character actor with decades of stage and screen experience, including films like 'Breaking Away' and 'Popeye'.
Justin Henry, Samantha's younger brother Mike, was already an Oscar nominee for his unforgettable debut in 'Kramer vs. Kramer' (1979) a few years prior.
Gedde Watanabe, taking on the memorable role of exchange student Long Duk Dong, was primarily known for his work in the original Broadway cast of 'Pacific Overtures'.
Haviland Morris, cast as Jake's popular girlfriend Caroline Mulford, was a fresh face, having recently graduated from SUNY Purchase's acting program in 1982.
Today marked Alex's first day of filming his scenes as Jake Ryan. The scene involved Jake talking to his friend, Rock Howard, after discovering Samantha Baker's inadvertently revealed "sex quiz," which confessed her massive crush on Jake.
In John Hughes's original script, the two friends were meant to have this conversation while working out, doing pull-ups in the gym – a standard depiction of jock bonding. However, once Alex, with his well-publicized martial arts background, was cast, Hughes saw an opportunity. Wanting Jake Ryan to possess an effortless physical cool, Hughes revised the scene. Now, Jake and Rock would talk while lightly sparring in Judo. The scene would with Jake smoothly using a wrestling-style shoulder throw to effortlessly toss Rock to the mat, punctuating the conversation with casual dominance.
On set, Alex and the actor playing Rock rehearsed the movements with the stunt coordinator. Dressed in athletic gear, they began the take. As they circled each other, exchanging light grips and feints characteristic of Judo practice, they delivered the dialogue – Jake expressing curiosity about the quiet sophomore girl, Rock offering typical teenage advice. The camera moved with them, capturing the interplay. Then, at the designated moment, Alex shifted his weight, secured a grip, and executed a clean, fluid shoulder throw, sending Rock onto the crash mat exactly as planned. Alex looked down, delivered his final line for the scene, looking thoughtful rather than aggressive.
"Cut!" called Hughes from behind the monitor. "Perfect! One take, gentlemen, beautiful!" He was clearly pleased. The revised scene worked exactly as he'd hoped, establishing Jake Ryan not just as popular, but as possessing capability – adding another intriguing layer to the character right from the start, perfectly leveraging his star's unique skills.
On the sidelines,stood three of Alex's young co-stars: Molly Ringwald, Anthony Michael Hall, and Haviland Morris. They saw Alex smoothly execute the throw, deliver his line, and earn the director's praise for nailing it in one take.
"Wow," Anthony murmured, impressed despite himself. "He makes that look easy."
"He's very professional," Haviland commented quietly, a flicker of undeniable attraction in her eyes as she watched Alex listen to Hughes's direction.
Molly, perhaps catching Haviland's admiring glance, added matter-of-factly, "Well, he has a girlfriend," referring to the well-known relationship with Phoebe Cates.
Haviland turned slightly towards Molly, lowering her voice. "Actually... Phoebe broke up with him. Happened sometime last month, in January, I think."
This got both Molly's and Anthony's immediate attention.
"Is it real?" Anthony asked, his interest piqued.
Molly's eyes widened in disbelief. "Wait, am I hearing this right? His girlfriend broke up with him? Not the other way around?" The idea seemed almost ludicrous given Alex Hayes's status.
"Yeah, that's what I heard," Haviland confirmed with a small nod.
"Why?" Molly pressed, immediately jumping to conclusions. "Did he cheat on her?"
"No, I don't think so," Haviland replied thoughtfully. "From what I gather, Alex is actually very monogamous when he's in a relationship. And pretty honest."
Anthony interjected skeptically, "How would you know that?"
Haviland gave a slight shrug. "Phoebe Cates's friend's friend is my friend from Purchase. She said Phoebe told her friend that Alex never lies, he's almost painfully honest sometimes."
Molly looked even more confused. "Then why break up? He's incredibly good-looking, obviously successful, seems soft-spoken off-camera, clearly strong..." she gestured towards where Alex had just performed the throw, "...and you're saying he's honest and sincere in a relationship?"
"And he just ranked number four in the Quigley Poll for Top Ten Money Making Stars of 1982!" Anthony added, unable to resist throwing in the statistic, clearly impressed by the company Alex kept. "Number four! Right behind Burt Reynolds, Clint Eastwood, and Stallone! Ahead of Dudley Moore, Richard Pryor... even Harrison Ford! Man, the guy really is the whole package."
Molly and Haviland shared a look, acknowledging the impressive ranking. "Then why ?" Molly repeated the question, still perplexed.
Haviland shrugged again. "Who knows? Maybe they just weren't on the same page about the relationship. It happens sometimes. People want different things, or they're at different stages."
She paused, watching Alex laugh at something John Hughes said, seemingly unaffected by any personal turmoil as he prepared for the next setup. Haviland, already in her early twenties, perhaps had a bit more experience regarding the complexities of relationships than her younger co-stars. Molly, just turning fifteen, and Anthony, still fourteen, absorbed Haviland's words, their earlier surprise giving way to a thoughtful silence, contemplating the idea that even for someone like Alex Hayes, relationships could be complicated.