Anthony Michael Hall on Weird Science

The Breakfast Club and Sixteen Candles actor discusses the wacked-out sci-fi comedy directed by John Hughes and co-starring Ilan Mitchell-Smith and Kelly LeBrock. From 2008.

[@lowellmayfield5736]

I'm 49 years old, and I feel blessed to have been a little kid when Star Wars and Indiana Jones came out, I was "Elliot's" age when E.T. came out, I was a goofy teen when all these John Hughes movies came out, and the Goonies... I was just beginning to appreciate music in 1983/4 when Michael Jackson, Prince, Van Halen, Sammy Hagar, The Pointer Sisters, Cyndi Lauper, Madonna, etc were at their prime... Atari, MTV, Friday Night Videos... I can't imagine a more perfect time to be a bratty spoiled kid!

[@miamijim5964]

52 man... But I was right there with you... the 80s.. such a cool time to be a teen.

[@SyzygyNoon]

Liquid Television?

[@sharps6]

Ditto!

[@freakyflow]

Don't make be break out my BMX with my mesh Sonny Crocket slippers Wearing my pastel blue Polo shirt (Cost me a fortune)

[@lowellmayfield5736]

@@freakyflow LOL! I had a Mongoose "Californian" freestyle BMX, it cost $250 which would be more like $750 today. I loved that bike... And I never missed a single episode of Miami Vice, I'd record it on my VHS and watch it over and over... I had a white suit like Crockett wore, and blue or coral (pink) pastel shirts, I'd wear it to school dances... And let's not forget parachute pants, break dancing, and karate movies!

[@dxk2007]

Literally one of the best movies of my childhood. Who didn't have a crush on Kelly LeBrock?

[@thephiman1]

Steven segal😂

[@orlandogonzalez9360]

the shower scene ..... .ugh ...... lol

[@beaustange]

I LOVED that movie! I bet I saw that 40-50 times as a kid.

[@gl3nnium]

I was just a child but I remember seeing Kelly LeBrock in that trailer for 'The Woman In Red' and thinking "I want one of those".

[@TG-fe7si]

Ya it was back in them days.

[@SnowyNightFlyer]

Anthony Michael Hall really showed his comedic chops in Weird Science. His timing, reactions, facial expressions…pure brilliance.

[@kylegood4207]

I have a friend that has been saying for years. “Give me tha Keys, give me the keys!!! He dont even have his license Lisa.”

[@MrChupacabra555]

People don't think about it, but he has a wide range. What I want to know is: Well he ever give us true final season of "Dead Zone'? Considering the events of the Previous President, seems like more people could relate now than ever ^_^

[@2ximpeachmentchampion70]

What events are those

[@Americafirst1984]

100%

[@ChadKenova]

How she fell for Stephen Segal i’ll never know

[@ftswarbill]

The 80's to me was the greatest. Much better than today.

[@MarvelousLXVII]

Back then they made movies to have fun stories and be funny. Today, they make movies to appease stock holders and/or have social agendas.

[@HorrorFan76]

It makes me sad to look back at all the great movies that came out of the 80’s and face the reality that these movies can and will never be replicated. There is a certain vibe between the actors that pulls you into these movies and you want to be the characters; you image yourself in the situation that these characters are presented with.

[@raulduke6105]

Yes the inflation and multiple recessions were a blast

[@ftswarbill]

@@raulduke6105 You should try reading the news sometime.

[@nedstudios6490]

Those were my Teenage days and I too absolutely loved it. Good times, totally Radical.

[@flickmeetwood]

Chet was a such great character!! Paxson was such a great cast....

[@matthewmoneypit1558]

Absolutely!

[@calisongbird]

*Paxton

[@chadjones8499]

Damn right

[@tsan3796]

Paxton Stole the show his character is legend as one most memorable assh@les in cinema period

[@crossefire01]

@@tsan3796 "How about a nice greasy pork sandwich served in a dirty ashtray?" Chet was everyone's douchey big brother.

[@steveconn]

Anthony tied it all together. That Chicago blues bar scene was classic!

[@candjim]

I really miss the 1980's.. It's was about the music, the movies and hanging out with my friends.

[@AaronOlsen3]

Me too.

[@CallousCoder]

I hear you! At least we got to live the 80s, imagine you were born in 2000 and only lived through these shitty decades! Poor kids!

[@rogerangel5732]

That was such a simple statement. But you absolutely nailed it.

[@briangoodie3420]

And video games.

[@randybugger3006]

And computers were just a tiny little part of our lives. We were the last analog generation. BMX, cassette tapes, shoulder pads in our jackets, big hair on the girl's, neon and gasoline, punk rock and the cold war. Damn fine times.

[@AmpAHolic-wn6mr]

Anthony was in so many great 80’s movies. Breakfast club, weird science, 16 candles, vacation. Even Scissor hands. He was a staple of our generation. Wouldn’t be the same without him.

[@albertsebastian4489]

Out of Bounds...

[@brewer9565]

Anthony Michael Hall owned it in the John Hughes movies. Incredibly fun to watch on screen and a consummate scene stealer without even trying. Very gracious in these interview clips.

[@Tom_H327]

This brings back some teenaged memories. Im over 50, and to this day I still use the "How about a nice greasy pork sandwich served in a dirty ashtray?" I do it in restaurants when we all have trouble deciding what we want. 😂

[@grrayfox2300]

Kelly Lebrock's comedic timing in this movie was highly underrated in this movie

[@chiefscheider]

Especially in this movie

[@Billkwando]

@@chiefscheider In this movie, in particular.

[@Emapten]

It's purely sexual

[@ericjohn8466]

How she held herself from laughing when she met Gary's parents and outs Gary's "combing his hair" and his Dad (Britt Leach) was screaming shut up, had to be hard to do.

[@randykent9594]

I turn 50 this month and this film still feels new, I watched it at least 50 times or so during the summer months of my youth.

[@chiefscheider]

I was 20 when this first hit theaters so we're not far off in age, you and I. My first reaction to WS was disappointment bc it wasn't as good as TBC, but now I love it just as much 👍

[@AZDC99]

I'm literally your age at 49-and-a-half almost, but cable was new to the neighborhood and I just kept watching the movie over and over and over again whenever it showed up on the television too!

[@hazor777]

It was a GREAT TIME TO BE ALIVE!!!!!!!!! I wouldn't change a thing : born in 1971, coming of age around 1983 ...all these great 80's movies, the times, the culture etc.. - I really feel for kids growing up in the world now. They have no idea how amazing the 1980's were.

[@steffenbendel6031]

yeah, that was a great time to be alive. Now these days, I feel like in the sixth sense - I also see what I want to see, maybe I am dead.

[@trapezoidspangle934]

I was born in 1969. Grew up in Melbourne Australia. The 80’s were great. I’d hate to be a kid now.

[@dskywalker3397]

Born in 67, class of 85: it was like we all knew what an amazing time it was.

[@thefunnyvideos9090]

Same here, the 80's movies were the best

[@NickMeisher]

Kids today are too busy trying to figure out what is a boy and a girl.

[@GK1976A]

Brilliant film. Perfectly sums up the 80's in 94 minutes.

[@kurtfroberg3608]

That blues bar scene kills me every single time! Not just AMH’s performance, but the supporting actors’ investment in his story is just so ridiculously funny. Great improv all the way around.

[@juddgoswick2024]

"Broke more than your heart!"

[@nickhill8612]

​@@juddgoswick2024 Ain't that the truth

[@1986SSMONTECARLO]

One of the BEST scenes in Cinematic HISTORY!!!

[@StoffelDilligas]

"Hi Dudes........ Well.... GOD DAMN"

[@nickhill8612]

@@StoffelDilligas Haha

[@mechahalcon]

The best movie of my childhood. Still an absolute gem. I miss John Hughes, there will never be another like him.

[@LIBREPUB]

I am a year younger than AMH and John Hughes movies defined the 80s. Weird science is in my pantheon of favorite movies. Everyone killed it in that flick.

[@lw5489]

Easily one of my top 80's movies! Couldn't ask for more, humor, hot girls, high school, and of course Hughes!

[@mullen25]

i loved this movie back then..john hughes was a genius. he created a genre, what a legacy of work. anthony michael hall killed it in all of these films.

[@ryanyoung1328]

Weird Science meant so much to me as a teen. I was that same awkward age when I saw it. I could relate so hard with Gary and Wyatt. I was still being picked on by the cool guys at school, and girls were just this unobtainable dream. They were my heroes!!! It was complete hilarious fantasy, but it inspired me.

[@Statsy10]

Same.

[@LuisHernandez-hw7dj]

This film, along with Sixteen Candles & Just One of the Guys, were the movies I watched numerous times on HBO back in the 80s as a kid. Damn I was lucky to live in that decade of MTV, Nickelodeon & John Hughes.

[@SuperlativeCG]

Kelly LeBrock was the standard for hotness in 1985's "Weird Science." If that movie had been made now, I wonder who would've been played the creation of the nerdy teens.

[@VesaJay]

I loved loved loved this movie I watched so many times!! Go to see him talk about this so many years later.

[@metricdeep8856]

My favorite movie. RIP Bill Paxton. Real Genius with Val Kilmer is another triumph. Great memories.

[@rjc7289]

I just stumbled across this video, and within the last couple of weeks, the AMC network showed Sixteen Candles and National Lampoon's Vacation! What are the odds? Anthony Michael Hall was pivotal in helping to define the 80's! His geeky but loveable demeanor made him very relatable to us 80's teenage boys. We had a hard enough time trying to navigate those awkward years with the raging hormones, pressure to keep our grades up and the constant rejection by girls, but through the roles he played, we realized we were not alone. It made those years easier to bear and put smiles on our faces, and for that, we can't thank him enough!

[@nickhill8612]

Facts 💯💯

[@halstonmann8676]

Outstanding analysis!! I think that covers it. And wasn’t Kelly Lebrock the gold standard by which all of us hoped for.

[@nickhill8612]

​@@halstonmann8676 Yes

[@svyatozar]

One of my favorite movies of all time!

[@ryangallmeier6647]

Crazy?...Insane?...Insane?...Crazy? Eminem lifted this line and put it in a lyric on "Square Dance". Even he liked Weird Science! Drunk Anthony Michael Hall is HILARIOUS!

[@ryangallmeier6647]

@@sctrevor "party's over said the girl!"

[@maddymud]

GIMME DA KEYS

[@bryanhallman8183]

Still one of my all-time favorites.

[@Yourmomgoestocolledge]

His hair was f'n epic in that movie. I'd wear my shit like that now if I had that much left.

[@jasonelizondo8879]

80s and 90s.. best decades ever!

[@frankpaws]

One of the best movies in the 80s.

[@kentkatchem]

Still one of my favorite movies of all time... :D I can remember wearing out the VHS tape back in 85... lol..

[@joshuapeterson6072]

"Let me know if you're going to float an air biscuit" a line that typifies the silliness of Weird Science.

[@rulinghabs]

How about a nice greasy pork belly sandwich served in a dirty ashtray?!

[@bigd3087]

I always demonstrate to others fantastic editing during the scene when Deb and Hilly get to the bathroom door, and Wyatt announces that "Gary was just taking a shit!" The next two seconds? Pure editing brilliance...still breaks me up 37 years later! 🤣👍🏻

[@texanperry]

This movie was pure entertainment and like Anthony Michael Hall said, a cartoon. I first watched Weird Science when I was 23. I'm 60 years old now and I still love it and watch it from time to time. Kelly LeBrock was pure gold and perfection playing Lisa. I don't know if there has ever been a more gorgeous woman in a movie. Let's not forget about the late Bill Paxton playing Wyatt's older brother Chet. This was the first time I watched Bill in a movie. He was literally a piece of shit, but was totally in character and did a great job.

[@botz77]

Weird Science doesn't get enough love. Especially since it has aged surprisingly well compared to some of Hughes other films.

[@arrowheadtelecom6561]

Uncle Buck, Planes Trains, Breakfast Club...broski his movies have all aged really well

[@toucansam3]

Which Hughes film has not aged well?

[@misscleo378]

Baby’s Day Out was terrible, but he gave us so many great movies, that one can be overlooked. National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, is perfect in every way.

[@daveristic7895]

@@misscleo378 LOL Christmas Vacation is the greatest film ever made

[@Statsy10]

@@toucansam3When they say "haven't aged well" they don't mean that they aren't still entertaining, they mean some of the actions by the characters can now be viewed as morally questionable. I know many people say that about Breakfast Club, but I would push back on that claim. Sure John Bender was an asshole and did some questionable things, but the very point of the movie is how that day made him a changed man.

[@RemoteCamper]

My childhood. Took all my life (I'm 52) to finally find all these behind the scenes shots, and awesome interviews.

[@Lue_Jonin]

My brother and I used to quote lines from this comedy .... Never got old 😆 LOL

[@samiam7342]

the greatest John Hughs film in my opinion........its one of those movies that is impossible to not like...................Malaka!!!!

[@samiam7342]

@@sctrevor Yo fats, let me tell you my story man........

[@beingsshepherd]

No tossing off!

[@miamijim5964]

I'm still a huge fan of Some Kind of Wonderful... might be Lea Thompson though that does it.

[@jeremywest7910]

I’m 50 and I felt like I was 13 again watching that !!!! 👏

[@raygamino6687]

When Chet got turned into a pile of crap I love that they kept his haircut. 😂😂 awesome movie!! 80’s teenager here.

[@rowdyyates4766]

“You know...chains whips dips chips”

[@denniscase5341]

One of my favorite movies growing up.

[@jamesingram3752]

Required viewing for all my kids at age 12….and Breakfast club. Two all-time greats!

[@baloo_2228]

Literally my favorite movie of all time! I remember watching this on HBO on a Saturday night when it first premiered on extended cable a year after its initial release. I was probably 4 years old, and I remember asking my mom why there was flying furniture! She reassured me that “Lisa will put it all back to normal.” And to this day, my mom still adores Kelly LeBrock for being such a positive influence for Gary and Wyatt in this classic film.

[@bySterling]

Luvvvv this flick!! I actually met Kelly at our Safe Passage non profits red carpet event in Bev Hills that she gave a speech at. Super nice lady and was but of a surreal moment indeed.

[@johnnyhotrod]

Classic times,awesome movie Great actors

[@angrydrunkengerman2819]

I have no idea how many hundreds of times I watched this flick. Loved it. What a great time.

[@TheInfo45]

I will always find this movie hilarious. I've shown so many of these films to my kids as they were growing up. My youngest son does a dead-on accurate Anthony Michael Hall from weird science when he's drunk. He's 22 and will quote weird science which most have his friends are not familiar with but it cracks me up every time he does it

[@Ogrematic]

Quintessential '80s. Loved it. These movies helped to define what teen comedies were.

[@DXT61]

Some folks didn't realize John Kapelos, the funny laugh guy in the bar is also the janitor in the Breakfast Club.

[@chiefscheider]

And also the groom in Sixteen Candles.

[@DXT61]

That’s right… heck I forgot about that one.

[@chiefscheider]

Sam's family referred to him as the "oily bohunk", which was even funnier when LDD said it 😄

[@rebekahbarry3013]

He was brilliant in Justified....

[@magicisreal111]

This is why Anthony Michael Hall was my first crush. The confidence and swagger and effortless natural acting ability at such a young age … swoon-o-rama. I wrote his initials all over my school binder with silver paint pen. I watched this movie on VHS about a hundred times like a creep. I’ll never get over it. EVER.

[@keving9502]

Watched Weird Science again, 2 weeks ago, and now I see this clip. Love all of John Hughes movies. That was my late teen era and he captured it all.

[@charlieakin8074]

I am now 66, this was a favorite movie of mine, thanks for the chat about the movie. You and your fellow actors all are on my fav list of actors in movies I love.

[@A-small-amount-of-peas]

For some reason my funniest moment was when Wyatt flew backwards on his chair after pressing enter. I remember we got a VHS with slo mo in the 90's and Ilan's face before he got launched backwards on that chair was hilarious

[@delplaya5]

The grandparents frozen smiles were hysterical. i still mimic that today from time to time.

[@niradnagrom2356]

*STILL LOVE THIS MOVIE!* And I was a kid when it came out!

[@76_SPZL]

That bar scene still kills me every time. The dialog, the delivery, it's perfect lol

[@scooterskin75]

One of the best movies ever. We were probably the last family on the block to get a VCR, and this was the very first video we rented from the mom and pop video store. I still watch it every time I come across it on TV.

[@bvg83]

the fact he got blushed when he remembers kelly lol

[@timpower4922]

Me and my brother watched that movie on a loop when we were kids. Still quote it to this day.

[@32446]

Same with me and my brother. We still use quotes from the film today!!

[@TMoody]

Don't forget Oingo Boingo.... such a fun movie. Every single time I watch this movie is takes me right back to that feeling of a 15 year old boy. SO glad I grew up in the 80's.

[@Bullrun_Rich]

I freakin loved Weird Science. I watch this movie everyday on Showtime when it was released to cable. We didn’t even have Showtime, so I was watching it with a scrambled picture. Till this day I could watch this movie anytime.

[@blackhawk6615]

Its ▶️ playing on roku channel..

[@DonRamiro1]

Weird Science, The Breakfast Club, Ferris Bueller's Day Off were absolute classics from that era. I was about 15 or so when these films were released and I remember that time fondly, as rough as it was growing up on the southwest side of Detroit, stuff like this was a respite from the streets.

[@vectorhold6489]

After seeing this movie I had my hair done just like him in this movie. I wish I had a photo to share with everyone here on KZbin. It's hilarious.

[@joewatts2940]

Absolutely loved this movie. One of the classics from my childhood. The 80's really were a special time.

[@slshusker]

Anthony nailed his part on the epic TV series Psych!

[@thehourglassfan3515]

Such an awesome actor! My favorite actor from The Dead Zone.

[@xtraspecialmango]

His drunk acting was kinda awesome 😎 Speaking with that big cigar in his mouth 😂

[@crossefire01]

Same persona he used in The Breakfast Club when he got high. "Chicks cannot hold de smoke. Dat's whut it is." Drunk/high AMH was and is fantastically funny!

[@LADETROIT]

I'm laughing in tears from the memories. Ilan is a PhD professor at Long Beach State. Left acting 30 years ago, but did a guest role on the Goldbergs. Surprised Michael didn't keep up with his accomplishments

[@tonymontana4284]

John Hughes made the most rewatchable movies ever.

[@CRAZYHORSE19682003]

That scene where Chet was bonking them on the head with the shotgun had me laughing so hard I was crying the first time I saw it.

[@chrisstephens3196]

Ilan Mitchell-Smith was my college professor years ago here in west Texas at Angelo State. I think he’s since moved back to CA and teach back there. He was really nice, no one even knew who he was. I of course was geeking out. He wouldn’t sign any autographs until the end of the semester.

[@thegiftedone]

Weird Science is the greates film EVER! I know it word for word!

[@troyott2334]

LOVE THE 80'S!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@night_speed]

Ilan Mitchell Smith had a definite Jerry Lewis 'hello lady' type of vocal delivery. In fact they almost had a Martin and Lewis kind of chemistry. Hall was more laid back and go with the flow while Smith's Wyatt was more neurotic and self conscious. Such a great film. Even to this day sometimes my mother and I will say to eachother,"Gary? Who the hell's Gary?".

[@sonics25]

Oh the memories...They just don't make teen movies like this anymore. I just had my kid watch Weird Science for the first time. Love sharing the memories with him. Next stop is Breakfast Club.

[@chiefscheider]

And then of course Bueller, and hopefully you started w Sixteen Candles ... 😎

[@sonics25]

@Chief Scheider He's seen Ferris Bueller..You're right, Sixteen Candles first. I remember walking to the movie theatre and watching it when it came out. Another not as well known 80s comedy classic is 3 O'Clock High.

[@chiefscheider]

I saw SC at the cinema too, opening weekend. My friend wanted to see The Bounty but because I drove I got final say lol 3 O'Clock High is really good too, I rented that bc it didn't open where I lived

[@timmayer7248]

Damn this was my childhood, these movies. My wife still rolls her eyes when I put this on.

[@LaminarSound]

Greatest fucking movie of all time. I cant help but get excited and feel utter joy just hearing the theme song.

[@chiefscheider]

Hey let's watch the mouth, huh -- Andrew Clarke

[@revwillyg6450]

I never saw Bill Paxton in anything else the rest of his career without calling him Chet. It left an impression on me 😂

[@OnlyThe1Son]

great movie... loved it as a kid in the 80s

[@adamyagerman8769]

I'll drive give me the keys! He don't even have his license lisa lmao classic 🤣

[@rosebuddesign635]

Such an amazing movie to see as a teenager... Still actually love it now. I mean Kelly LeBrock! 😍😍😍

[@justtellusthetruth3672]

Great movie

[@Sandhill1988]

That was one of the greats of the 80's 😎👍.

[@slawdawg23]

One of my favorite movies of all time. Great actors and Hughes is a Legend. Thank you for this video.

[@davidcromer2675]

I probably watched this movie at least 50 times. At one point I could recite the entire script along with the film as I watched it.😂

[@noitallmanaz]

One of the greatest movies. Why can't they make movies like this now???

[@billriddle9215]

WOKE

[@Lengsel7]

Way too much fun, not nearly woke propaganda enough.

[@alibettenson8419]

The eternally offended & woke lot would never have it...

[@noitallmanaz]

@@alibettenson8419 people bloating on about wokeness is the most overdone and misplaced of things.

[@canam2436]

@@noitallmanazyou are wrong.. movies like this don’t pass the sniff test. It’s against everything that we are suppose to believe is right. People get all bent out of shape for nothing

[@matthewirwin6134]

Gotta love when Bill Paxton chucks the egg against the ceiling.

[@maddymud]

The haircut is called Saturday-Night-Live-Guitarist

[@brents.8972]

I'm 51 and I was right there with all.of you lol I was 13 when Karate Kid came out a year before in 1984. And Elisabeth Shue was MY heartthrob from KK, to Adventures in Babysitting, to Cocktail!!! OMG I had such a thing for her, he'll who didn't lol Especially thr opening scene in Adv. in Babysitting when she's doing the Tom Cruise-esque Risky Business dance in her bed clothes lol But yeah man, the 80s kick ass and a decade I sorely miss big time. Much simpler time back then and a time where with movies, music, and trends regardless of what you liked or were into, EVERYBODY GOT ALONG!!!! I mean even if you were into hair bands and heavy metal like me, you also hung out with the Michael Jackson and Prince crowd too and nobody thought twice about it! The 80s will live forever!!

[@andrew9145]

I honestly hope that Anthony Michael Hall is living the best life possible.. he has brought so many smiles to people's faces... he is unbelievable! The absolute best movies

[@GeoHvl]

I do miss the 1980's. I turned 30 in 84. It was a great time.

[@chiefscheider]

I turned 19. It was an even better time for me 😎

[@vassa1972]

Weird science was one of my favorites great movie

[@ashkrikorian5753]

One of the best movies from my childhood. Please don’t ruin it with a remake

[@dee7353]

One of my favorite movies. I love Anthony Michael Hall. I still can quite so many of his movies.

[@Boxingbear]

This was a fun movie

[@peterussell673]

I hope AMH knows how much we loved his movie performances. Some actors whine about their early work; being typecast, not taken as a serious artist, etc. I hope he doesn't regret anything.....they were great. Your movies are some of the most re-watchable movies out there. I've turned my kids into 80's movie fans!!

[@jodidetuncq9060]

I'm 56 and it's one of my favs!!

[@pennydavis2637]

John Hugh’s DEARLY missed, a true movie creator…He was on the pulse of Gen X!❤

[@room156dronevids3]

Love Weird Science! Bill Paxton was such a badass. Rip Chet💩