"She was a little mortified, but she is 81 years old," the actress said, noting that it was "the first time she's ever forgotten" her birthday in over five decades.
Molly Ringwald says her mother, Adele, forgot her own daughter's birthday earlier this year, leaving her "mortified" after realizing her mistake.
In an exclusive interview with PEOPLE at the 2022 Hollywood Beauty Awards in Los Angeles on Saturday, the 54-year-old actress revealed that her mother was embarrassed when she realized she had forgotten about her daughter's birthday that fell on February 18.
But Ringwald, being a nice daughter, forgave her mom for her innocent mistake.
"She was a little mortified, but she is 81 years old," the actress said, noting that it was "the first time she's ever forgotten" her birthday in over five decades. "So, she gets a pass."
Last month, Ringwald shared text messages exchanged between herself and her mother on her birthday in a post on her Instagram page captioned, "Actual conversation with my mom today."
In the thread, Ringwald asked her mom, "That's it? You don't have anything else to say to me today?" to which her mom replied, "I didn't realize it was the 18th today. Happy birthday! I haven't got your present in the mail. Will do very soon."
The irony is that the birthday blunder is very similar to the one experienced by Ringwald's character, Samantha Baker, in the classic 1984 movie Sixteen Candles. Referring to her role in the movie, Ringwald wrote in response, "Life imitates art."
"How true," Ringwald's mother wrote. She then quipped, "It took me a few more years to forget."
However, Ringwald is yet to watch any of her movies, including Sixteen Candles, with her twins Roman and Adele, 12, she revealed on SiriusXM's Radio Andy. "It definitely is a different time," she explained. "People ask me if I've watched them with my kids, and I did watch the first one—which was the impetus to write that article—with Mathilda. And it was such an emotional experience that I haven't found that strength to watch it with my two other kids."
Ringwald continued, "My 12-year-old daughter Adele is the most woke individual that you've ever met, and I just don't know how I'm gonna go through that, you know, watching it with her and [her] saying, 'How could you do that? How could you be part of something that?'"
Regarding the "complicated" nature of the films, she elaborated, "On the other hand, they're also about people that felt like outsiders. They speak to a lot of people … I feel like that's what makes the movies really wonderful."
While she wants to "change" the questionable elements for the future, Ringwald added, "That doesn't mean at all that I want them to be erased. I'm proud of those movies, and I have a lot of affection for them. They are so much a part of me."
References:
https://people.com/movies/molly-ringwald-mother-mortified-forgot-her-daughter-birthday/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s84tpyIjNf8
Cover Image Source: Getty Images | Photo by Dia Dipasupil
