Molly Ringwald Reveals Childhood Crush on Jason Bateman When They Were in School: ‘He Was Very Cute'

Mar. 15, 2025

Molly Ringwald and Jason Bateman.Photo:GettyMolly Ringwaldis reminiscing about her junior high school crushes!TheFeud: Capote vs. The Swansstar, 55, confessed that she had a crush on fellow child starJason Batemanwhen they went to a special junior high school for child actors in the ’80s.“We went to school together in eighth grade, although we never talked,” Ringwald toldSearch Enginehost PJ Vogt on Friday’s episode of the show, in which the actress was helping him answer the question, “How do you survive fame?““I kind of, would sort of sneak glances at him, he was very cute,” thePretty in Pinkstar said of Bateman, also 55.Molly Ringwald.Todd Owyoung/NBC via Getty ImagesAlthough she attained stardom in the latter half of the 1980s thanks toJohn Hughesmovies likeThe Breakfast Club, Ringwald’s career began in 1979 when she was just 11 years old.Between 1979 and 1980, she appeared on two episodes of the hit sitcomDiff’rent Strokesand 14 episodes of the hit NBC sitcomThe Facts of Life.But she told Vogt that traditional school was a bad experience for her because her peers got jealous of her acting gigs, so she lost friends. She also said that teachers weren’t very accommodating when it came to helping her fit her schoolwork around her schedule.Jason Bateman.JC Olivera/GettyHowever, Ringwald didn’t last long at the school for professional children, either.“Yeah, I went there for about a year, but you only had to go for three hours a day,” she recalled. “I mean, it was so like not going to school, I couldn’t even handle it. I just said, like, ‘I feel like I’m not learning anything,’ and then I went to a good school the next year.“Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.Ringwald admitted that her less-than-traditional experience in school negatively impacted her social life. She said she became “fearful” of girls her age.Bateman’s career started in 1981 when he was about 12 and played James Cooper IngallsonLittle House on the Prairie. Last year, theArrested Developmentalum starred in the moviesAirandFool’s Paradise.Ringwald stars as Joanne Carson inFeud: Capote vs. The Swans, which debuted on FX and Hulu on Jan. 31. New episodes air on FX on Wednesdays.

Molly Ringwald and Jason Bateman.Photo:Getty

Getty

Molly Ringwaldis reminiscing about her junior high school crushes!TheFeud: Capote vs. The Swansstar, 55, confessed that she had a crush on fellow child starJason Batemanwhen they went to a special junior high school for child actors in the ’80s.“We went to school together in eighth grade, although we never talked,” Ringwald toldSearch Enginehost PJ Vogt on Friday’s episode of the show, in which the actress was helping him answer the question, “How do you survive fame?““I kind of, would sort of sneak glances at him, he was very cute,” thePretty in Pinkstar said of Bateman, also 55.Molly Ringwald.Todd Owyoung/NBC via Getty ImagesAlthough she attained stardom in the latter half of the 1980s thanks toJohn Hughesmovies likeThe Breakfast Club, Ringwald’s career began in 1979 when she was just 11 years old.Between 1979 and 1980, she appeared on two episodes of the hit sitcomDiff’rent Strokesand 14 episodes of the hit NBC sitcomThe Facts of Life.But she told Vogt that traditional school was a bad experience for her because her peers got jealous of her acting gigs, so she lost friends. She also said that teachers weren’t very accommodating when it came to helping her fit her schoolwork around her schedule.Jason Bateman.JC Olivera/GettyHowever, Ringwald didn’t last long at the school for professional children, either.“Yeah, I went there for about a year, but you only had to go for three hours a day,” she recalled. “I mean, it was so like not going to school, I couldn’t even handle it. I just said, like, ‘I feel like I’m not learning anything,’ and then I went to a good school the next year.“Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.Ringwald admitted that her less-than-traditional experience in school negatively impacted her social life. She said she became “fearful” of girls her age.Bateman’s career started in 1981 when he was about 12 and played James Cooper IngallsonLittle House on the Prairie. Last year, theArrested Developmentalum starred in the moviesAirandFool’s Paradise.Ringwald stars as Joanne Carson inFeud: Capote vs. The Swans, which debuted on FX and Hulu on Jan. 31. New episodes air on FX on Wednesdays.

Molly Ringwaldis reminiscing about her junior high school crushes!

TheFeud: Capote vs. The Swansstar, 55, confessed that she had a crush on fellow child starJason Batemanwhen they went to a special junior high school for child actors in the ’80s.

“We went to school together in eighth grade, although we never talked,” Ringwald toldSearch Enginehost PJ Vogt on Friday’s episode of the show, in which the actress was helping him answer the question, “How do you survive fame?”

“I kind of, would sort of sneak glances at him, he was very cute,” thePretty in Pinkstar said of Bateman, also 55.

Molly Ringwald.Todd Owyoung/NBC via Getty Images

Todd Owyoung/NBC via Getty Images

Although she attained stardom in the latter half of the 1980s thanks toJohn Hughesmovies likeThe Breakfast Club, Ringwald’s career began in 1979 when she was just 11 years old.

Between 1979 and 1980, she appeared on two episodes of the hit sitcomDiff’rent Strokesand 14 episodes of the hit NBC sitcomThe Facts of Life.

But she told Vogt that traditional school was a bad experience for her because her peers got jealous of her acting gigs, so she lost friends. She also said that teachers weren’t very accommodating when it came to helping her fit her schoolwork around her schedule.

Jason Bateman.JC Olivera/Getty

However, Ringwald didn’t last long at the school for professional children, either.

“Yeah, I went there for about a year, but you only had to go for three hours a day,” she recalled. “I mean, it was so like not going to school, I couldn’t even handle it. I just said, like, ‘I feel like I’m not learning anything,’ and then I went to a good school the next year.”

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Ringwald admitted that her less-than-traditional experience in school negatively impacted her social life. She said she became “fearful” of girls her age.

Bateman’s career started in 1981 when he was about 12 and played James Cooper IngallsonLittle House on the Prairie. Last year, theArrested Developmentalum starred in the moviesAirandFool’s Paradise.

Ringwald stars as Joanne Carson inFeud: Capote vs. The Swans, which debuted on FX and Hulu on Jan. 31. New episodes air on FX on Wednesdays.

source: people.com