Jon Cryer was considered to play Ferris Bueller in Ferris Bueller's Day Off, according to a new book about the 1986 teen comedy
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Director John Hughes and studio execs thought of casting Cryer in the role, per Jason Klamm's upcoming book Ferris Bueller…You're My Hero: The Story of the World's Most Famous Day Off
Cryer admits in the book to being "a little jealous" of Matthew Broderick, who got the role, and says he only ever knew he was up for Alan Ruck's character
Matthew Broderick's career-defining role as Ferris Bueller almost went to a fellow '80s heartthrob.
John Hughes, who wrote and directed the beloved 1986 teen comedyFerris Bueller's Day Off, originally pitched a different actor to play the titular role before Broderick got the iconic part, according to the upcoming bookFerris Bueller…You're My Hero: The Story of the World's Most Famous Day Off.
In an excerpt of the book shared byEntertainment Weekly, author Jason Klamm explains that while Hughes was pitching the film, he and Paramount executives considered someone else to play the high schooler who fakes sick to skip school in the Chicago-set flick:Jon Cryer, a.k.a. Duckie fromPretty in Pink, another beloved classic from the Hughes catalog.
But Cryer, 60, told Klamm that he was never aware that he was considered for the titular role — only Cameron Frye, Bueller's friend, who was ultimately played byAlan Ruck. On the filmmaker and execs' consideration for the iconic lead role, he said it was "news to me."
Asked if his team ever informed him of the consideration forFerris Bueller, theTwo and a Half Menstar told the author, "Yes, for the Alan Ruck character."
"I mean, I'm just too similar to Matthew," he said of why he likely wasn't cast as Cameron — a sentiment he has stated before, reflecting on how he and Broderick, 64,were often compared to each other at the height of their Brat Pack days.
Klamm also writes in the book, which hits shelves June 16, that Cryer "did feel like he was missing out," since Hughes often came to set onPretty in PinkwhileFerris Buellerwas also in production.
"Ferris Buellersounded a little more antically comedic thanPretty in Pinkwas," Cryer said, per the excerpt shared byEW. "It sounded like he was going to have a great time, and I was like, 'Oh, that would have been a fun project to do with him.' "
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"I recall being a little jealous at the time," Cryer added.
Hughes museAnthony Michael Hallis also long-rumored to have been considered for the lead role inFerris Bueller, which also starredMia Sara,Jennifer GreyandCharlie Sheen.
Hall, 57, later wrote that the filmmaker "actually had written Ferris Bueller for me," but they "both determined that I should move on to other things," perEW. (Hughes never publicly confirmed Hall's claim.)
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Speaking with PEOPLE at the premiere ofAndrew McCarthy's documentaryBRATSin 2024, Cryer said that he and Broderick are no longer mistaken for each other — a frequent occurrence in the '80s.
"No, Matthew and I have since parted ways," he said at the time, joking that theGloryactor "still has hair," unlike him.
"He still has a magnificent head of hair, God bless him," Cryer continued. "He should have it. He should work it as much as possible. You should enjoy it. But I have gone the other direction."
Read the original article onPeople