Brat-tea.
Emilio Estevez has opened up about the “nightmare” experience he had working with director Joel Schumacher on the beloved 1980s movie “St. Elmo’s Fire.”
The “Mighty Ducks” star, 62, discussed the making of the Brat Pack classic during his appearance on Thursday’s episode of the “Happy Sad Confused” podcast when host Josh Horowitz asked him to name “the worst note a director has ever given” him. Estevez didn’t hold back.
“Have a good f–king time,’” the actor replied, recalling what the “St. Elmo’s Fire” director told him while “screaming at the top of his lungs.” Estevez wryly added, “Here’s looking at you, Joel Schumacher.”
Released in 1985, “St. Elmo’s Fire” premiered shortly after Estevez’s breakout performance in John Hughes’ iconic teen movie “The Breakfast Club.” Working with Hughes could not have been more different than working with Schumacher, Estevez said.
The “Bobby” director described Hughes as “collaborative” and someone “who was a mentor in many ways, who was calm [and] listened,” while Schumacher was, in his eyes, “wildly insecure and was a nightmare on set and was a bully.”
The experience left a lasting impression on Estevez, shaping the way he would later approach directing. “I vowed never to speak to my actors that way, if I ever got a chance to direct,” he said. “In 1984, I thought, ‘This is the best lesson a young actor who wants to direct could ever get.’ Thank you, Joel.”
“St. Elmo’s Fire” centers on a close-knit group of recent college graduates facing the ups and downs of adult life and relationships. The cast featured several prominent members of the so-called Brat Pack, including Rob Lowe, Judd Nelson, Ally Sheedy, Demi Moore and Andrew McCarthy.
Schumacher, who would go on to helm a diverse range of films including “The Lost Boys,” “Flatliners,” “Batman Forever” and “The Phantom of the Opera” passed away in June 2020 at the age of 80.
Elsewhere in the podcast, Estevez offered an update on a sequel to “St. Elmo’s Fire,” sharing that Sony Pictures is “fast-tracking” the film. The project is being written by Stuart Blumberg (“The Kids Are All Right”) and produced by Will Gluck (“Anyone But You”), though a director has yet to be chosen.
As for bringing back the original cast, Estevez said, “I know Rob [Lowe] is keen on it.” The star added, “It will really depend on the script. But I know the studio’s keen on it.”
Lowe, 61, previously confirmed that “St. Elmo’s Fire” sequel talks have been ongoing. “We’ve met with the studio and I have been talking about doing it for about four months,” he revealed in a July 2024 interview with Entertainment Tonight.
The “West Wing” actor also spoke about the project in a recent episode of his “Literally! with Rob Lowe” podcast, saying, “The script has to come in and we all have to like it but everybody wants to do it. Everybody’s on board.”
Lowe explained that interest in the sequel has been fueled by the recent Brat Pack documentary, “Brats.”
“‘Brats’ helped it and it was just, like, ‘Yes we are doing it,’” he said. “The script is being written.”
