became symbols of a particular generation, but the label itself helped create the impression of a unified group after the fact. Some actors reportedly began avoiding one another professionally because they feared reinforcing the stereotype. Ironically, a term that suggested constant companionship may have contributed to greater distance between them.
McCarthy has also become increasingly interested in how audiences remember those movies compared with how he remembers making them. For viewers, a film such as Pretty in Pink may be connected with a first date, a high-school friendship, a difficult
