In the pilot of
Community, NBC’s sitcom about an unlikely study group at a small college, several jokes were made about how the students’ situation mirrored the beloved ’80s movie
The Breakfast Club, and the episode was dedicated to
John Hughes, the film’s writer-director, who had recently passed away.
Now
TV Guide Magazine has learned exclusively that one of the movie’s stars,
Anthony Michael Hall, will be making a guest appearance in
Community's Christmas episode, airing Dec. 10. Only for Hall, the tables will be turned–he played the timid nerd in
Breakfast Club, but in
Community, he’ll play a bully who challenges Jeff (
Joel McHale) to a fight.
On Oct. 29, the cast was shooting a scene in which Mike (Hall)–who sports a cop’s mustache for the role–disrupts a Spanish test and tosses Jeff’s test to the floor. Rather than intercede, Senor Chang (
Ken Jeong), the class’s extraordinarily jaded instructor, watches the confrontation with delight. During shooting, McHale ad-libbed copiously, referring to Mike variously as “Chuck Norris,” “Shaun Cassidy” and “Tom Selleck.”
Alison Brie, who plays Annie on the series, says, “We all freaked out when Hall’s casting was announced. I blushed profusely. I couldn’t help but let him know that I’ve been a big fan. It’s funny, because Annie’s the nerdy character, and we referenced
The Breakfast Club in the pilot and in episodes. I always considered my character the Anthony Michael Hall of the group, because she’s always the one doing the studying and she would be the one who would write the essay for the group. So for me to come to face-to-face with him now—it’s a paradox that’s happening. We’re rocking the time-space continuum.”
McHale adds, tongue-in-cheek, “When I first heard about it, I said to the producers, ‘That’s great–you’ve got the
Breakfast Club homage going,’ and they said, ‘Huh? Oh, right! Of course!’ But it’s also cool because it’s the first time Anthony and
Chevy Chase have worked together since the first
Vacation movie.”
Are you excited to see Hall on
Community?