Brat Packer Demi Moore Says Stigma of '80s Label Has Shifted Thanks to Charli xcx's Viral Catchphrase

Mar. 15, 2025

Charlie xcxmay havedeclared the endofBrat Summer, butDemi Mooreisn’t quite done talking about it.

In the documentary, which premiered on Hulu in June, McCarthy explored theBrat Packphenomenon of the ’80s and how he and others in the generation of young Hollywood stars of the decade felt about being saddled with the label.

Moore, of course, was among those ’80s up-and-comers along with McCarthy,Molly Ringwald,Emilio Estevez,Ally Sheedy,Anthony Michael Hall,Rob Loweand Judd Nelson, and she participated in the documentary.

Rob Lowe, Ally Sheedy, Demi Moore, Emilio Estevez, Mare Winningham, Judd Nelson and Andrew McCarthy in 1985’s ‘St. Elmo’s Fire’.Silver Screen Collection/Getty

Silver Screen Collection/Getty

“When Andrew McCarthy came to me and he shared his experience, one, I was really taken aback, because I didn’t have the same response to this moniker of being called the Brat Pack in terms of how I moved forward,” she explained to hostsKelly RipaandMark Consuelos. “So, I was so curious to see how different our own experiences can be based on how we hold something.”

“Really in talking with him, none of us liked being called a brat,” she continued. “We wanted to be taken seriously.”

“We just felt unseen,” he said. “It felt like I lost control of the narrative of my career. Who wants to be stigmatized and branded and labeled?”

Moore, however, has indicated she didn’t take it as seriously as McCarthy. “For me, I didn’t love it, being thought of as a brat because I thought it kind of diminished us as professionals,”she said on a January episode ofGood Morning America. “But I didn’t carry it.”

Demi Moore in June 2024.Jared Siskin/Patrick McMullan via Getty

Jared Siskin/Patrick McMullan via Getty

The actress, whose buzzy new filmThe Substancehits theaters on Sept. 20, told Ripa and Consuelos on Tuesday that it was nonetheless “heartwarming” to revisit the Brat Pack era with McCarthy in the doc.

“What a quintessential moment in all of our lives,” she said. “We were 22 years old!”

Fortuitously, McCarthy’s film debuted just days before the release of British pop star Charli xcx’s sixth studio album,Brat, which went on to dominate pop culture over the past few months. Ripa noted that “brat” had now become “the greatest thing you could be called.”

“Maybe that shows the progression,” Moore said. “Maybe we’ve evolved.”

“It’s the Brat Summer,” she added.

Charli xcx in March 2024.Amy Sussman/Getty

Amy Sussman/Getty

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McCarthy’s documentary has also reportedly sparked interest in a revival of one of the quintessential Brat Pack movies,St. Elmo’s Fire. In June,Deadlinereported that Sony is exploring the possibility of a “new version” of the 1985 film with original cast members McCarthy, Estevez, Lowe, Moore, Nelson, Sheedy andMare Winningham. That same month, McCarthy suggested thathe and Lowe are up for the revival, and Moore told Ripa and Consuelos that she is, too.

“I would love it,” she said. “When I did the panel with Andrew, he had Ally Sheedy there who I realize I hadn’t seen in 30 years. And my heart just melted. It’s those moments you remember how far you’ve come, where you come from, and just how grateful and lucky I feel I am in my life.”

source: people.com