Molly Lambert

MOLLY RINGWALD: Growing up, were you obsessed with girls, as so many of your male characters are?

JOHN HUGHES: No. I was obsessed with romance. When I was in high school, I saw Doctor Zhivago every day from the day it opened until the day it left the theater. The usher would say, “Hiya, your seat’s ready.” And I just sat there, glued to the screen. Most of my characters are romantic rather than sexual. I think that’s an essential difference in my pictures. I think they are more accurate in portraying young people as romantic, as wanting a relationship, an understanding with a member of the opposite sex more than just physical sex.