Usually art imitates life, but for actress Molly Ringwald, this time it’s the other way around.
After turning 54 on Feb. 18, Ringwald shared a text exchange with her mother, who had forgotten to wish her a happy birthday. The situation mirrors Ringwald’s classic 1984 film, Sixteen Candles, in which she portrayed a lovelorn high student student who realizes her family has forgotten her 16th birthday.
“Actual conversation with my mom today,” Ringwald captioned her Instagram post, which was a screenshot of the conversation with her mother.
“That’s it? You don’t have anything else to say to me today?” the star asked her mom.
Realizing her mistake, her mother replied, “I didn’t realize it was the 18th today. Happy birthday! I haven’t got your present in the mail. Will do very soon.”
Noting the similarity to the experience of Ringwald’s on-screen character Sam Baker, the actress replied, “Life imitates art.”
“How true,” her mom answered. “It took me a few more years to forget.” Taking the situation in stride, Ringwald replied with a laughing emoji.
It’s equally as fitting that Ringwald shares her birthday with that of John Hughes, the late film director who catapulted her to stardom in Sixteen Candles, followed by The Breakfast Club and Pretty in Pink. Ringwald honored the director, who died in 2009 at age 59, with a sweet Instagram post.
“Thinking about John Hughes and this birthday we share. I like to imagine him somewhere making the best mixed tapes,” she captioned the throwback black-and-white photo of the duo.
It’s been a challenging year for the Ringwald family. Back in August of 2021, Ringwald lost her father, jazz musician Robert Scott Ringwald, who died at age 80.
Ringwald penned her father’s obituary, which was published in the The Sacramento Bee.
“Anyone who knew Bob also knew his mischievous streak, and his ever-present, slightly ribald sense of humor. If you didn’t sufficiently beg to get off of his email joke list, you would have received one just a couple of days before he died,” wrote Ringwald, explaining how her dad was declared legally blind as an infant and became totally blind as an adolescent. Still, that disability never held him back in his career.
“His dignity, humor, strength of character and courage will always be remembered and cherished by everyone whose lives were touched by his,” she wrote.
