Not everything you see on the screen was written into the script. Sometimes, movie magic just happens. That was certainly the case during the filming of Duckie’s dance sequence in Pretty in Pink .
But it turns out, not everyone was won over by Cryer’s dance moves – especially the director. In a recent interview, Jon Cryer reveals why Pretty in Pink director Howard Deutch was less than thrilled.
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*Pretty In Pink* is regarded as one of the most quintessential films of the 1980s.
The film was released in 1986 and is one of the most defining films of the Brat Pack era.
It was a modern spin on a familiar *Cinderella* story.
Most notably, the film starred Molly Ringwald as well as a young Jon Cryer.
And a true showcasing of eighties ‘fashion’.
Wow. I don’t even know where to begin? That hat isn’t doing anyone any favors.
But recently, it was revealed that one of the most iconic scenes almost didn’t happen.
Actor Jon Cryer revealed in an interview that Duckie’s famous dance sequence was never written in the script.
According to Jon, the original scene had only a few minor character directions.
“Duckie comes in. He’s singing a song. And he really puts his all into it.”
Jon knew he wanted to put on a show, but he needed a little help.
“I’m not a dancer, obviously,” Jon joked during the interview.
So they called in Kenny Ortega, the choreographer who worked on *Dirty Dancing*.
“We just put some moves together…It was funny because when I showed the director what I wanted to do in the scene, they cleared the shop and we performed it full out.”
But Jon didn’t get the response from the crew that he was expecting.
“He didn’t say anything afterward. He just started talking with one of the other producers. I was kind of like ‘Are we not going to do this? Did you not like it?'”
It’s not that they didn’t like it, but that they didn’t have the time to film it.
According to Jon, while the crew loved the dance sequence, there wasn’t time built into the schedule.
Jon even goes so far as to say that the director was annoyed with him.
“He was actually kind of irritated because he really liked it and he knew we’d have to shoot it, and he knew it was going to take a long time. “
Because of Jon’s new dance sequence, the whole production fell behind schedule.
“They hadn’t put in the schedule nearly enough time for me to shoot it.
Which put a lot of added pressure on the director and crew.
“We lost a whole day in the schedule in the very first week,” Jon recalls during the interview.
Yet somehow, in spite of the odds, they managed to make it all fit.
Jon was incredibly thankful and gracious toward director Howard Deutch.
“He came through!” Jon exclaimed happily.
We should all be incredibly thankful, otherwise we would have never seen this…
If you haven’t seen James Corden and Jon Cryer’s rendition of Duckie’s dance, you have to check it out!
Which would mean we’d be without not just one, but TWO iconic Jon Cryer dance sequences.
Have you seen Pretty in Pink ? Do you have moves like Duckie? Leave a comment below and let us know!
