Why Emilio Estevez Avoided the Brat Pack
Let me tell you a story about Emilio Estevez. Back in the '80s, when the Brat Pack was all the rage, Emilio was often considered the unofficial leader of the group. But here's the thing—he didn’t want anything to do with that label. He tried his best to steer clear, even turning down big movie roles that could have made him a ton of money. In the new documentary BRATS, Emilio opens up about how being part of the Brat Pack felt like kryptonite to his career. It was like this group of young actors was holding each other back, and Emilio didn’t want any part of it.
Now, Emilio, who's 62 years old, spoke with Andrew McCarthy in the documentary, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival on June 7 and will start streaming on Hulu on June 13. He was pretty candid about how the Brat Pack name impacted his career. "I get the most upset about it because I had already seen a different path for myself, and I felt derailed," Emilio explained. There was this movie called Young Men With Unlimited Capital, and it was one of the best scripts he'd read in a long time. But he passed on it because of the Brat Pack stigma. Can you imagine turning down a role like that? It’s a tough call, but Emilio felt it was the right choice for him.
Andrew McCarthy's Perspective
Andrew McCarthy, who’s 61, also shared his thoughts in the documentary. He admitted that he was asked to join the cast of Young Men With Unlimited Capital, but he learned that Emilio didn’t want him to be a part of it. This hurt Andrew’s feelings, but Emilio clarified that it wasn’t about Andrew personally—it was about the Brat Pack as a whole. "I didn’t want to have anything to do with any of us," Emilio explained. "If it were Judd, I would have said the same thing. To be seen in another film together could have had a negative impact. It was like we were kryptonite to each other."
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The Fallout of the Brat Pack
Let’s go back to 1985 when David Blum’s New York Magazine cover story first coined the term "Brat Pack." That article changed everything for Emilio, Andrew, and the rest of the group, which included Anthony Michael Hall, Rob Lowe, Demi Moore, Judd Nelson, Molly Ringwald, and Ally Sheedy. After the article came out, these actors were often seen as party animals and weren’t taken seriously in the film industry. Many of them struggled with drug and alcohol addiction in the late '80s because of the pressure and the stigma attached to the Brat Pack name.
Even though Emilio agreed to talk about the Brat Pack with Andrew after years of avoiding the subject, he’s not interested in diving too deep into the past. "If you’re too busy looking in your rear-view mirror, looking at what’s behind you, you’re going to stumble trying to move forward," Emilio said. It’s like he’s trying to move on and focus on what’s ahead rather than dwelling on what happened back then.
Would Emilio Change History?
When Andrew asked if Emilio wished the Brat Pack name never existed, Emilio had a thoughtful response. "That’s a difficult question to answer because you can only know the known. Did we benefit from it? Maybe. But in the long run, I think we did not. I think there was more damage done by it than good," Emilio shared. It’s like he’s acknowledging that while the Brat Pack brought them fame, it also had a lasting negative impact on their careers and lives.
