‘Ferris Bueller’ Actress Reveals Why She Quit Hollywood After Iconic Film
The classic 1986 feature was not as fun behind the scenes for its leading lady.
Paramount Archive Photos/Getty Images
Ferris Bueller star Mia Sara, 59, did not enjoy her time on the set of the iconic movie, revealing the behind-the-scenes drama that contributed to her decision to leave acting altogether.
Sara, who played Bueller’s girlfriend Sloane Peterson, divulged the turmoil that occurred among the cast and director of the now 40-year-old film during a rare interview with The Sunday Times.
Sara, now 59, quit Hollywood soon after filming the 1986 classic.
CBS Photo Archive/CBS via Getty Images
“I don’t really give interviews because making Ferris Bueller was not that good an experience for me,” she said candidly. “I’m very aware of what a precious thing this movie is, and I don’t want to disappoint people.”
The actress-turned-poet said she did not get along with the late, iconic director of many ’80s classics, John Hughes, whom she described as a “strange guy.”
The director, who died in 2009, was behind classics such as 'The Breakfast Club' and 'Sixteen Candles.'
Paul Natkin/Getty Images
“He wanted us all to hang out together and to introduce us to the French New Wave films,” the now 59-year-old said. “But the others were seasoned actors, and I was a snotty New York kid and had seen all those movies, so he was frustrated in that desire.”
But it wasn’t all his fault, according to Sara, who admitted that, at 17, she didn’t yet “have the emotional maturity to deal with other people’s egos, or my own.”
Sara also revealed she had a “massive crush” on co-star Matthew Broderick, who, it turns out, was too busy with his secret affair with actress Jennifer Grey, who played his sister in the 1986 classic.
Matthew Broderick has been married to 'Sex and the City' star Sarah Jessica Parker since 1997.
Kristina Bumphrey/Variety via Getty Images
“Yeah, I had no chance!” the star disclosed. “It was very much unrequited.”
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The general distress that came with keeping up a career in Hollywood led her to leave the industry for other creative pursuits.
“I never really had the resilience to deal with the audition process. There are some things in my career that I’m really proud of, but overall it was not a happy career for me,” Sara said.
Sara made a comeback in the 2025 film 'The Life of Chuck.'
Eric Charbonneau/Neon via Getty Images
Since then, the ’80s actress has stepped in and out of the entertainment industry, taking occasional roles in films like 2013’s Pretty Pretty and 2025’s The Life of Chuck.
Sara also appeared in the 1988 film Apprentice to Murder, the 1990 movie Daughter of Darkness, and the 2002 TV movie Lost in Oz.
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