25 favorite ’80s and ’90s teenage heartthrobs and what they’re doing now
By Sundi Rose
Andrew McCarthy
What made him a heartthrob: Andrew McCarthy cemented his place in the collectively cool and good looking gang known as the “brat pack” in the mid-’80s for lots of good reasons. However, he didn’t really become the stuff of teenage fantasies until his appearance as Blane in the iconic John Hughes’ classic, Pretty in Pink.
Starring alongside Molly Ringwald as Andie and Jon Cryer as Duckie, McCarthy played a rich jerk who thought he might like to date from the wrong side of the tracks but wound up destroying the heart of his naive and wide-eyed crush, played by Ringwald. With his pastel suits, feathered hair, and loafers with no-socks, he became the symbol of every girl’s misspent heart-eyes. That didn’t mean we didn’t love him, and secretly root for him not to be such a bad guy.
As it turns out, Blane wasn’t like his gross friend Stef (played perfectly by James Spader), and they wound up overcoming their star-crossed differences in the end. Andie and Blane are the best possible example of how things never work out in real life like they do in the movies.
What he’s doing now: McCarthy has been working consistently since his major breakout roles in the 1980s. He’s appeared as a guest star in several of the Law and Order franchises, Royal Pains, Gossip Girl, and starred as a recurring character in the short-lived, but cute, Lipstick Jungle.
Even though he’s continued working in front of the camera, he’s been most busy behind the scenes. He’s directed a lot of stuff you probably watch right now, including The Blacklist (which he also appeared in a couple of episodes) Orange is the New Black, Grace and Frankie and Gossip Girl — among tons and tons of others.
Andrew at his best: Although he’ll go down in popular history as the sensitive rich guy with a heart of gold in Pink, he does his very best work in St. Elmo’s Fire. If you haven’t seen it, do it now. Recently, he starred in a short-lived ABC drama called The Family in which he played a child molester recently released from prison. You can watch it on ABC.com.