The Breakfast Club is one of the quintessential movies of the 1980s, with its maverick cast hitting on all of the high school stereotypes, from the jock, to the nerd and even the bad boy.
Playing the role of bad boy John Bender was Judd Nelson, but despite the movie proving to be a major career highlight for the actor, Judd has chosen to live his life away from Hollywood.
The star, now 66, has also missed cast reunions, including when the group were awarded the Silver Bucket of Excellence Award at the MTV Movie Awards. However, last year, he did join his castmates for their first full reunion in 40 years.
Reflecting on the film with the Wilmington Star News, he commented: “I think it’s really a product of its time. When we were making it, we were aware that [director John] Hughes was a talent. To this day, in his shadow we all remain. I’m sorry for his passing because I’d always hoped we’d get to work together again sometime.”
The star also spoke about finding fame early in his 20s, sharing: “In the family I was from, you learn how to deal with adversity more than you learn to deal with success. ‘Things are going to be tough, so if you get knocked down, get up’.
“So, when you have success, it’s kind of disorienting. ‘Wait a minute, things are OK? I don’t know what I’m supposed to do here’. You just try to keep yourself out of trouble. It’s hard, but you try your best.”
But why did Judd disappear from Hollywood, and what has he been up to since? Find out below…
Judd’s career after The Breakfast Club
The Breakfast Club wasn’t Judd’s only smash hit of the 1980s, and in the same year, he also starred in St Elmo’s Fire, a coming-of-age drama that saw him reunite with his Breakfast Club co-stars, Emilio Estevez and Ally Sheedy.
More major roles during the decade followed, with Judd starring in the likes of The Transformers: The Movie, Blue City, From the Hip and Relentless. However, at the turn of the decade, Judd’s acting career became sparser, with the actor only taking on a select few projects.
© Getty ImagesDuring the 1990s, he appeared in New Jack City, Conflict of Interest, Blackwater Trial and Steel, the latter of which starred Shaquille O’Neal and was a major box office bomb. In the new century, Judd continued appearing in fewer films, with several being of the horror and slasher genres.
However, he has acted in several major movies from the past few years, including Billionaire Boys Club and The Most Dangerous Game. The star’s most recent project was the TV film The Engagement Plan, which was released in 2024.
© Getty ImagesDespite leaving the Hollywood films behind, Judd has had a glittering television career, including major credits in Suddenly Susan, Two and a Half Men, Nikita and Empire.
Judd Nelson’s views on the ‘Brat Pack’
Despite being a major star at the time, and part of the famed ‘Brat Pack’, Judd never gelled with the associations. When asked to be part of a documentary looking back on the Brat Pack, he turned down the opportunity.
© Getty ImagesSpeaking to Us Weekly, he explained: “It seems strange to have that subject matter be something for edited entertainment. Also, like, he’s [Andrew McCarthy] a nice guy, but I hadn’t seen him in 35 years. And it’s like, I’m not going to [be] like, ‘Hey!’ No, dude.”
He added: “I don’t even know who’s in the Brat Pack. Why rebirth something that wasn’t necessarily fun? How can we be experts on something that didn’t ever really exist?”
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