Okay, so when I wrote the adult romantic comedy Freudian Slip, it had the requisite bad boy in Jules/Julian Shaw. Except he really WAS a bad boy, complete with drug and sex addiction, and a mean streak. The novel is as much about redemption as it is about heaven and hell. I didn't set out to make Jules a nice guy hidden underneath a bad guy. I set out to write a very bad boy who had to fundamentally change.But in most of our romantic comedies and TV shows, our bad boys aren't really all that BAD, are they? I'm MAJORLY dating myself, but who remembers the guy here, Mallory's boyfriend on Family Ties?
Nick, play by Scott Valentine, wore an earring (OOOOH, so bad, right?). He wore a leather jacket. He may even have had a motorcycle. Well, heck, add a switchblade and replace with actor Andy Garcia, and he's a dead ringer for my ex-husband (I kid you not!). But really? Nick wasn't bad. He was MISUNDERSTOOD.
All he needed was the love of a good woman to bring out that heart of gold, right?
Somehow, that's the romantic comedy model, the YA model, it's the stuff of our romantic fantasies. Bad, but not TOO bad, right?
So tell me, who is your favorite pop culture "misunderstood" bad boy? Favorite book bad boy?
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20 comments:
Gosh, so many come and go...I love them, but in real life - I stick with ones that don't end up in jail, don't treat me like meat and that yep... look hot (can't give up on the looks) All bad boys that are worth keeping around look hot.
LOL! Yes . . . that seems to be a requirement. :-)
Oh, where to begin? Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights, and Eric on True Blood make for a good start!! Oh, and I recently sat near Andy Garcia on a flight--be still my heart! :)
I'm waiting for the trend of women who love Fat Boys. Then I'll be in like Flynn.
Just chiming in to say that Nick from Family Ties was kinda my hero for a while back then. I was a weird kid.
I, too, remember Nick. The bad boy I'm currently loving is Luther from the British TV show of the same name.
In junior high I was madly in love with Dallas in the book The Outsiders :)There's your misunderstood bad boy with a heart of gold *sigh* :)
Alyson:
If it wouldn't invade his privacy, I'd show you my ex-husband's picture. TWIN.
Travis:
LOL! Aww, but I think you're adorable!
Josh:
LOL! I liked him too. :-) Of course, now I realize how DUMB his character was.
Another good one was Becky's boyfriend on Roseanne. He actually WAS more bad than misunderstood--and really? I applauded the show for having a character like that. Sadly, the real-life actor died of a heroin overdose.
Lauren:
Don't know him. I'm currently into the Sherlock Holmes reinvention. WEIRD! Leave it to the Brits!
Gingersnap:
Good one!
I've always fallen for the lovable goofball, but I will admit to having a thing for Damon in the Vampire Diaries (books and series) he gets the best lines!
Hay:
There's always Spike in Buffy, too.
Spike, Spike.... sigh....
=)
Will from Good Will Hunting... yummy... and not just because of Matt Damon, but that didn't hurt either...
And whoever said, Dally from Outsiders, yeah, totally...
But Andy Garcia? Really? Well, alright, E!!!
Oh Eric on True Blood is my current favorite bad boy for sure. But yeah, I dated a lot of bad boys as a teen and in my early twenties. Some were just plain old evil and some may have truly been misunderstood, but they were all bad for me and the one I married has plenty of tattoos and looks like trouble, but is the sweetest guy on earth. That is the way to go!
Oh and I totally remember Becky's boyfriend on Roseanne. That show did push boundaries. It was good.
Merry:
Will is a good one!!!! A definitely different bad boy.
Stephanie:
To me, it's refreshing when shows push a boundary like that.
Eek, I liked Steph from Pretty in Pink. He may have been less "bad" and more "a-hole" though!
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