Anthony Michael Hall and Gedde Watanabe Talk 'Sixteen Candles' Anniversary

The Insider sat down with the co-stars to chat about their favorite memories from filming the 1984 classic.

[@Coolkingman]

The 80's were the best times to be a teenager.

[@ColKorn1965]

Not for me.

[@easyriderrider4580]

Best time hands down!! :) 😊😊😊😉😎😎😎👍👍👍👍👍🍺🍺🍺🍺🍺🍺🍺🍺🍻🍻🍻🍻🍻🍻🍻🍻🍻🍻🍻🍷🍷🍷🍷

[@marley2464]

ColKorn1965 why not ?

[@onlysoraya]

maybe for white people.....

[@34thstreetman]

@@onlysoraya Aren't you generalizing a bit?

[@StarfieldRailway]

Sixteen Candles is on Netflix now, and I just watched it. I laughed at it harder tonight than I did when I was a teenager in the 80s. It is a hysterical movie.

[@LancelotLink1]

Me too....Hall trying to hit on Molly the entire move is cinema GOLD.

[@eddyspagetti9899]

... the music back then.. it was SOOOOOOO GOOD.. and UPLIFTING.

[@LancelotLink1]

Agreed. Dont You - Simple Minds was written and composed by the producer Keith Forsey and the guitarist Steve Schiff for the film The Breakfast Club and I still like hearing in on the radio in 2024.

[@johnunderwood3132]

I’m so glad I was a teenager when these movies were made. Breakfast Club, Weird Science, Sixteen Candles. Thanks to John Hughes. You made high school fun.

[@Strange_Brew]

Anthony Halls acting talent as a kid was out of this world! That scene with Jake Ryan after the party where Farmer Ted mimicked Frank Sinatra was classic. He even had the way Frank crosses his legs down pat. And a 15 year old kid making a perfect martini was right out of the 1980’s!

[@putinscat1208]

I just remember cheering when Edward Scissorhands killed him.

[@wahoonate]

He hands Jake a bev-nap 😂

[@carlasmith4769]

One of my favorite scenes!! 😂

[@carlasmith4769]

@@wahoonateSo darn funny!! 😂

[@lancelotlink3907]

Gedde Watanabe was the best. I love the way he can still laugh at himself and isnt to serious. Sounds like a fun guy to be around.

[@HarveyBacktheBeatles]

Yeah, people like to rip and roar about it. Well he isn't doing the "I was a broke actor who needed a job" bit. He's had enough of a career where he can choose to join in and piss on the role or laugh at it. Same thing with the late great Pat Morita. He was never ashamed of Arnold and certainly not ashamed of Myagi.

[@CrazyCanadian-t4l]

I loved his character in Volunteers with Tom Hanks and John Candy

[@trent617tw]

Loved Watanabe in Gung Ho with Keaton.

[@joemasters2270]

You know you're old when Anthony Michael Hall starts looking like Dolph Lundgren XD

[@WolverinePete]

Joe Masters or Boris Becker.

[@thespaceram2879]

And Whitey Ford and Bill Gates.

[@rocknroller77]

How true this is

[@calisongbird]

Joe Masters 😂😂😂

[@calisongbird]

thespaceram2 I’m sure that’s why he was cast as Bill Gates in Pirates of Silicon Valley.

[@rhymeandreasoning]

I want a SIXTEEN CANDLES reunion so bad. WITH MICHAEL SCHOEFFLING. I just watched the movie AGAIN, on tv.

[@blackbird5634]

John Hughes hit so many out of the park!!

[@happynow01]

Even the actors from the 80’s are better people than the slop we have today?! Wow, love the 80’s... love seeing all these people doing good, great that one went back to live a normal life, great video! I wish I could give my young daughter a life I had growing up back then!! World today is messed up!

[@martinacarter3050]

Slop🤣🤣🤣🤣, u are certainly correct!!

[@derp8575]

Screw time. I'll take a one-way ticket back to '85. No return.

[@rocknroller77]

Well it was '84 herpes

[@ubiquitousdiabolus]

Filmed in 1983

[@waterislife5109]

Herpeslip Herpeslip who cares if it was 83 or 84. The 80’s was the best ever. So much fun.

[@rebeldetail6134]

Yep 80s was magical

[@JavaScriptJolt]

Me too!!!

[@MusicRainfield]

It will be 40 years on May 4, 2024

[@hotatp]

I could listen to Anthony talk about the 80s all day long and he always has nice things to say about his co stars

[@kimporter1744]

Living life as a teen in the 80s was great!! I have so many wonderful memories!! It was a great time!!💘

[@roamlikekane]

Salute to John Hughes, the voice of a generation.

[@jessem7556]

Anthony Michael Hall was outstanding!!!

[@ScarletKnightAGK]

The greatest comedic child actor of that generation bar absolutely none.

[@LancelotLink1]

Hall put more smiles on my face than any other 80s actor. The geek who didnt have a shy bone in his body was PERFECT to make me laugh out loud. Hall made geeks cool LOL

[@dtroia62]

I don't think Jake Ryan will ever be forgotten 😘Please find Michael Schoeffling ☺

[@ceeIoc]

stop lying you had a crush on Long Duck

[@Thelaceless]

You can have his homemade furniture i bought.

[@ME-wy3xm]

He’s in Pennsylvania

[@rbeck3200tb40]

@@ME-wy3xm Thats correct. Anthony Micheal Hall was correct He is a carpenter and lives in Pennsylvannia

[@MegaSammy70]

Only other movie i remember him being in was Vision Quest.

[@june2420111]

Jake Ryan is still my biggest crush out of all romcoms 🥰 Beautiful man! And I admire him even more for choosing to step away from Hollywood.

[@dannyyang1202]

I LOVE THE 80'S!!!!

[@paige4665]

I’d love to meet Anthony Michael!!

[@chiefgoose8682]

Boy do I feel old......how time flies by

[@prettyyoungthingpyt5015]

Love this movie so much. Reminds me of my teenage years!!😃 oh yes. Jake Ryan!💚💚

[@ukmedicfrcs]

Omg Jake Michael Shoeffling sooooooooo beautiful. I used to write I love Michael Shoeffling all over my books at school lol.

[@karaa7595]

Anthony grew taller and filled out more than any male he worked with. Good for him. He's also a total sweetheart.

[@kawythowy867]

One of the ‘classic’ movies of that time. Awesome movie. Loved it. Music. Characters. Storyline. Simple....yet effective.

[@josephkelley8641]

The good news being that we didn't forget about them. (Don't You Forget About Me, Simple Minds)

[@tubeyou60601]

One of my most favorite movies. Ever.

[@jonmcclane7433]

I love The Thompson Twins song at the end of the movie.

[@sbc8861]

Gedde Watanabe played perhaps the most unforgettable comedic character in film history.

[@chasesahc]

Here's the thing: "What's happenin' hot stuff", and "the Donger need food" are part of who I am.

[@ukmedicfrcs]

I wish I could go back to the 80s. I was so in love with Michael Shoeffling. I would doodle his name on all of my school books.

[@sarcasticallyrearranged]

It’s “Schoeffling.” You’ve been misspelling your boyfriends name for a very long time!

[@ukmedicfrcs]

@@sarcasticallyrearranged Boyfriend's.

[@ukmedicfrcs]

@@sarcasticallyrearranged Boyfriend's.

[@melaniegrant855]

My childhood. Ahhh Nostalgia. 💗

[@TheRealDrJoey]

Gette Watanabe has been great in everything I've seen him in. He was really great in "Volunteers" and "Gung Ho."

[@lagaman11]

Anthony Michael Hall is the greatest male actor OF ALL TIME!!!

[@standinsilence]

LOL!!! Why?

[@lagaman11]

@@standinsilence "Why", you ask... Have you seen Weird Science, 16 candles, the Breakfast Club? The greatest actor of his generation, by far.

[@standinsilence]

I have seen Weird Science and Im just about to pick up Sixteen Candles on Blu-Ray too.

[@lagaman11]

@@standinsilence In Weird Science, he out witts Robert Downy Junior, and nobody has ever been able to do that on screen. I think he would be an amazing character in the Marvel Universe.

[@desireejimenez3208]

Their experience will always be in my memories 🧠❣

[@EdsterIII]

The 80s were awesome but they had a memory for me that hurts even now. I wish to God I could go back even to 82. November 12th to be exact. I know they say we cant "change" time BUT my Grandfather had a massive MI. A deadly heart attack and in my Grandma's fear and terror we were locked out. I so wanted to smash the windows, but I had just hit 15. He died alone on the floor holding our family picture. This RIPS me apart every time I think of time and changing things. Even if he still dies, I WANT to be there. I DON'T WANT HIM TO DIE ALONE.

[@JavaScriptJolt]

I’m sure he knows how much his family loved him, and that you tried to get to him. 🙏

[@sarcasticallyrearranged]

In a situation like that, he went quickly and wouldn’t have known he was alone. Don’t keep torturing yourself with something you can’t ever change. Think of the great memories that you had with him.

[@sha11235]

That was my birthday!

[@Gods2ndFavoriteBassPlyr]

What an era for film making, and certainly one of the best directors of all time. Fantastic Entertainers, every one of them. (And they didn't feel the need to Lecture me non-stop.)

[@gardenlover9663]

I still day, "The Donger needs food" when I'm hungry. He was the funniest character in the movie.

[@MMAfighter38113]

Never In a million years would I have though ‘the geek’ from ‘Sixteen Candles’ would resemble Dolph Lundgren 37 years later. Michael will be a guest at Pensacon, a science fiction convention that comes to Pensacola, Florida every year, this coming May. I hope to meet him.

[@MMAfighter38113]

@@JK-pj2nw no. Didn’t have the money.

[@hextoken]

Hall was one of the great teen sensations!

[@EdsterIII]

I didn't mean to be a downer the 80s also had so many great times. The music, the cars, the growing up in a actual fun time. I had a 1969 Hurst Olds 442. It was a BEAST. I remember drag races, sitting at Root River Parkway, Whitnall Park and just jamming tunes with friends. Frisbee, fun, and NO CARES. Then the 90's hit FAST. Still good music but it was grow up time....lol.

[@shesgotacause]

Molly never ages, Anthony M Hall turned into a babe, and besides 16 Candles Michael Schoeffling had another big part in the 1983 movie Vision Quest

[@pantera89]

Vision Quest was summer of 85

[@easyriderrider4580]

And "Weird Science" too. :)

[@Sunmoonstars976]

@@easyriderrider4580 he was also in "Mermaids" with Winona Ryder and Cher.

[@wonderglory]

He was also in, "Sylvester," with Melissa Gilbert.

[@easyriderrider4580]

I remember him in a little known movie called, "The Grave". Which was actually a very smart, scary story to watch on TV. Gabrielle Anwar is in it and it's a very good movie. I remember thinking that, that was the first time I had seen him in year's. 😊😊😉😎👍🍷🍷🍷

[@bdsjr32]

This movie had a little bit for everyone: female fantasy, male fantasy, off the charts funny comedy, cool 80’s music. Happy ending. A classic that captures a time and place so many of us lived through.

[@edreid7872]

Watched it the other night.. Still holds up..

[@opa-age]

My all time favorite movie!

[@tommyt1971]

Christ, Ringwald still looks incredible...

[@pilotpete405]

Long duk dong was the best part of this classic movie! His lines are legendary! RIP fellow chi north sider John Hughes........you made some of the best movies ever!

[@susanfit47]

Gedde Watanabe was the voice of reason.

[@michaelclyburn5858]

Anthony Michael Hall is awesome.

[@donallarkin2671]

One thing you always take away from an Anthony Michael Hall interview is he's a class act and very self depreciating...

[@cypresswalnuts7644]

I think Michael and other actors of that era made the right choice to leave Hollywood, today's movies don't even compare to the movies from the 80's

[@chadtellevik5479]

What a excellent share 😊

[@jtconner7599]

This is the first time I've seen a name credit for Long Duc Dong. I had this on VHS and he was no where to be found in the credits.

[@sha11235]

His name is in the credits.

[@jmua8450]

My favorite part is when the Donger was explaining what happened to Grandpas car. Lol

[@waitindelaney]

Seeing Gedde respond to his former performance is really funny. You can't help but laugh.

[@boythee4193]

Anthony Michael Hall is awesome

[@standarddef8769]

Jake Ryan, the long lost cousin of Matt Dillon and Luke Perry

[@RustySpoons6490]

Adam Lenhardt yeah, definitely. That young dude from the Riverdale show (Archie?) looks like a young Jake Ryan too

[@CodeBleu724]

Jack Perry is alive and well...Luke's son. Jungle Boy on AEW. The kid is good!

[@bryonnajones]

I think AMH is aging Quite Well actually...

[@mdjcam9032]

I agree!

[@natureking7122]

Are u blind?

[@bryonnajones]

@@natureking7122 No (thankfully) I just look passed skin and since aging is a blessing and hes still alive Id say he looks good

[@ryandeffley7652]

Jake Ryan is almost 61 now. Makes me feel old. 🤣

[@Canada_Dominium]

Now this film comes with a host of warnings and disclaimers about 'obsolete culture'

[@mdjcam9032]

I love Gedde Watanbe in movie very few have seen...Vamp. He was hilarious as a "spoiled-mega-rich-but-desperate-to-be-anyone's-friend" guy. Steals every scene he's in.

[@kylefidure7504]

I also love him. I think he's one of the most underrated actors in history. He stole the show in Sixteen candles Vamp and also Gung Ho. Even though that movie had the great Michael Keaton and George Wendt. It's his lines we remember the most. The original Ken Jeong.

[@richrich4367]

time hits so fast

[@vassa1972]

Loved the movie

[@kingsman8475]

Anthony Michael Hall could be the new Gary 7 from Star Trek. I have been saying this for years!! I 🖖 LLAP Much respect to late actor, Robert Lansing, the original Gary 7. 👏

[@TrayDyer38]

Love that movie

[@sheridynb]

love sixteen candles

[@SARISS80]

They all look good.

[@aldofhister6859]

She always was the prettiest girl on the Block

[@Hugginsince79]

Wild Hearts Can’t Be Broken ❤️

[@Spider_7_7]

Watanabe’s mother was Japanese-American and spent time in an internment camp in the USA. Sad but true.

[@paulbaransky4086]

You see, people touched people and no sexual harrassment. Same, back then, in real life. Easier times.

[@rebekahbarry3013]

So you're cool with being grabbed? By anybody? Male...female....young...old....ugly?

[@RavenlucJanie]

The all time greatest teen flick! I still have a crush on Jake Ryan, lol.

[@Coasterdude02149]

It was great, but I think The Breakfast Club wins that title hands down.

[@Farooq1977]

Where is Michael Shoeffling ❤?

[@JohnnyCatFitz]

Wantanabe 29?! 😯👏👏 Totally bought it.

[@joem5332]

Loved the donger

[@valeriematthews1999]

Hunky Jake was one of the finest on the big screen back then!

[@brendaamata9233]

I remember the underware scene amazing and real

[@jtmoore662]

To this day, Gedde still goes by the nickname screen name "The Donger".

[@DialingForDollarhyde]

"That's it. No more yanky-my-wanky! The Donger need food!"

[@cranberriesgirlhype8292]

Let's face it. Sixteen candles was/is the best 80's teen comedy film.

[@puffeiffer]

I had such a crush on Anthony. I thought he was hotter than his hunky co-stars.

[@newera5238]

This is one of my favorite movies and 🔥soundtracks. I'm a BIG rap head, but this is my S##t!😁💥.

[@rollotomassi4768]

He was also Kooch in Vision Quest

[@volvo1354]

AMH looks like Johnny from Cobra Kai

[@TL....]

has anyone figured out the name of schoefflings furniture company name ?

[@sharonkutz8272]

I am a 70s girl and do agree the 80s were good. But I would return to the 70s

[@prettyyoungthingpyt5015]

Anthony Michael Hall looks like Jay in Eastenders. Everyone has a doppelganger somewhere!!

[@SwapnilChatterjee92]

"Automobiiileee ?"

[@ovh992]

Anthony Michael Hall is a total stud now! 🤤

[@surfviewgardens2396]

AMH looks a lot like actor Patrick Fabian who plays Howard Hamiln (who owns the law firm Hamlin, Hamlin & McGill) in BETTER CALL SAUL. It's too bad we may be in the final season of BCS, because the writers could write in a part for AMH to come in as the rich maverick brother of Howard Hamlin who helps save the day for the troubled law firm. The two actors look a lot alike and could easily pass as brothers, with AMH being the older one.

[@Sam-lm8gi]

Long Duk Dong is the coolest character in the whole movie, and yet the PC police wouldn't allow it today. We may never again get teen comedies as good as Sixteen Candles.

[@JoannHines-g6f]

Jake was a young Richard Gere!!❤

[@ElmoUnk1953]

“Lumberjack” aka Debbie Pollack, aka The Dongster’s tall girlfriend, so hot. Then and now. 🥰

[@MadameiMercyJeanX__]

+ « Molly , Michael & Gedde Still Looking Good !! » 100% X3

[@godsivu]

of for fucks sake where did the time go? how is he that old and Molly still looks great for her age?

[@laflaquitadetexas]

Whatever happened to Darren Harris?

[@vancebiondo5930]

Lol my idol.

[@johnmiller5679]

Yes hunky Jake was like 27 years old and a grown ass man so a little creepy thinking about it now. I love John Hughes but the guy had a knack of great casting in the parts of a Molly and Hall but horrible in the part of Jake and others who were pushing 30. I always thought the worst part of the Breakfast Club for me was I could not believe they Anthony Michael Hall and Ally Sheedy were in school together.

[@dominicandrew4863]

Molly Ringwald still looks the same as she did 30 years ago. Anthony Michael Hall looks like he's been on drugs for the last 30

[@shitfoo]

He has a weird tan. How does that look like he's on drugs? In other recent videos, he looks fine..

[@BloodofPatriots]

@@shitfoo It's not a tan. His skin is flushed and the light they're using is increasing the "pink" effect.

[@Mtbker456]

I think AMH looks good for a 49 year old.

[@natureking7122]

@@Mtbker456 for a 69 year old maybe

[@allergyahead8128]

The actor who played duc dong is more American then most Americans. He had a blast and quite honestly he was the funniest character . Because he was off the chain .It would have been a strait laced exchange student that the movie might not have made it.He gave the guys an excuse to see a chick flick. His parts were the ones that kept teen males cracking up and that's huge. Where's my car ? haha ha ha ha HA HA the big lake. CLASSIC!