Jon Cryer Tells ‘The View’ Why He And Andrew McCarthy “Did Not Get Along” While Working On ‘Pretty In Pink’: “He Was Already Struggling With Alcoholism”

Jon Cryer is opening up about his turbulent past with his Pretty in Pink co-star Andrew McCarthy. On this morning’s episode of The View, the actor revealed why he “did not get along” with the iconic member of the Brat Pack while they were filming the 1986 rom-com.

Cryer had his breakout role in Pretty in Pink, where he appeared as star Molly Ringwald‘s quirky best friend Duckie, who competes for her heart with the handsome popular kid named Blane, who was played by McCarthy.

“He and I famously did not get along while we were shooting Pretty in Pink,” Cryer told the Hot Topics panel during this morning’s broadcast of The View.

According to the actor, there was “tension” between he and McCarthy — which he later learned was due to McCarthy’s struggles with alcoholism.

“What I realize now — and he actually wrote a terrific memoir called Brat — he was already struggling with alcoholism back when we were shooting that movie,” Cryer said. “And I had projected all this stuff on him at the time.”

He continued, “I thought, ‘He’s this sullen guy who doesn’t want to talk to me. Yeah, we’re sort of enemies in the movie, but that doesn’t mean we can’t be friends.’ But we just had no rapport whatsoever at the time.”

It wasn’t until much later that Cryer found out McCarthy “was going through some tough stuff” when they filmed Pretty in Pink, which taught him that “you never know” what’s going on with someone behind closed doors.

Despite their rocky past, Cryer said they were able to mend their friendship when they ran into one another during a previous appearance on The View.

“Interestingly, I saw him backstage and we had a lovely time — we had a great talk,” he recalled.

The Two and a Half Men star isn’t the only cast member to have sour memories from his time on set. Earlier this week, Ringwald revealed on The Drew Barrymore Show what she “hated the most” about Pretty in Pink: her character’s iconic gown.

“I burst into tears when they showed me the prom dress because it was nothing like what I had imagined,” she said.

The View airs on weekdays at 11/10c on ABC.

If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, call the SAMHSA National Helpline at 1-800-662-4357.