He notoriously cut off contact with his favorite young performers -
Molly Ringwald and
Anthony Michael Hall - after they rejected some of his scripts in the mid-1980s. When he died in 2009, Hughes hadn't spoken to either of them in over 20 years. In a NY Times editorial about his death, Ringwald wrote: "Most people who knew John knew that he was able to hold a grudge longer than anyone -- his grudges were almost supernatural things, enduring for years, even decades. [Hall] suspects that he was never forgiven for turning down parts in
Bella in rosa (1986) and
Una pazza giornata di vacanza (1986). I turned down later films as well [
Un meraviglioso batticuore (1987)]. Not because I didn't want to work with John anymore -- I loved working with him, more than anyone before or since.".
