Molly Ringwald opened up in an interview about her motherhood journey, revealing that she believes her daughter Mathilda was conceived in the dressing room at Studio 54 after her run playing Sally Bowles in Cabaret in 2003. Despite always knowing she wanted children, she struggled with conceiving and Mathilda was born when Ringwald was 36. She shares Mathilda with her husband Panio Gianopoulos and they are also parents to fraternal twins Adele and Roman. Becoming a mom was the right choice for Ringwald, but she found that it came with challenges, including realizing that her time was no longer her own.
The actress explained that as someone who was used to traveling and living with instability as part of her career, adjusting to motherhood was difficult. Ringwald credited her husband Gianopoulos with being a planner and stable presence in their family. The couple got married in 2007, after Ringwald’s split from her ex-husband Valery Lameignère in 2002. Ringwald revealed that Gianopoulos agreed to have kids sooner than planned due to her desire to expand their family, despite the seven-year age gap between them. She praised her husband for being the more natural parent in their relationship.
As a popular actress in the ‘80s, Ringwald made a name for herself with iconic roles in teen classics like Pretty in Pink, The Breakfast Club, and Sixteen Candles. As her kids grew older, Ringwald grappled with the decision of whether or not to show them her earlier films, as some contain controversial material. She mentioned that her daughter Adele is very socially conscious and woke, and she hasn’t found the strength to share her famous roles with her younger children yet. Ringwald expressed her concerns about watching the movies with her daughter and potentially facing difficult questions about her past roles.
Despite her fame as a teen queen in the ‘80s, Ringwald shared that her children still find her embarrassing. During a talk for the Center for Parent and Teen Communications, Ringwald admitted that her status as a former teen idol didn’t make her any cooler in the eyes of her children. They see her as just their mom, who is dorky and out of touch like every other parent. Ringwald’s struggle with balancing her past as a beloved actress with the challenges of motherhood highlights the complexities that come with navigating both roles in her life. Despite her iconic career, Ringwald’s children see her as just a regular mom, which is a reminder of the everyday challenges of parenthood that she faces.
