Anthony Michael Hall felt ‘rupture’ in friendship with John Hughes after rejecting “Ferris Bueller”, “Pretty in Pink”

Wesley StenzelSat, August 22, 2026 at 7:21 PM UTC

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Anthony Michael Hall; Matthew Broderick in ‘Ferris Bueller’s Day Off’Credit: Gary Gershoff/Getty; Paramount Distribution / Courtesy Everett CollectionKey points -

Anthony Michael Hall said that he turned down roles in Pretty in Pink and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.

The actor said that filmmaker John Hughes, whom he’d made four movies with before, “wanted me to do both films at the time.”

Hall said that rejecting those projects “led to, unfortunately, a rupture in our friendship.”

Anthony Michael Hall loved working with John Hughes, but he felt a shift in their relationship after turning down further collaborations.

The actor became a generation-defining teen star after appearing in four of Hughes’ movies: National Lampoon’s Vacation, which the filmmaker wrote while Harold Ramis directed, and Hughes’ first three directorial efforts, Sixteen Candles, Weird Science, and The Breakfast Club. However, Hall told Danielle Fishel that after those films, he wanted to move on to the next chapter of his career, and turned down roles in two of Hughes’ most beloved subsequent projects: Ferris Bueller’s Day Off and Pretty in Pink.

“At that age,” Hall said on Teen Beat, “you’re more self-conscious” about being typecast. “I think that certainly was on my mind.”

He also noted that Pretty in Pink seemed like familiar territory to him. “I also felt, to be very honest, that Pretty in Pink, it was very similar story-wise to Sixteen Candles,” he said. “So it kind of felt like a redo in a way.”

Judd Nelson, Anthony Michael Hall, Molly Ringwald, Emilio Estevez, John Hughes, and Ally Sheedy on the set of ‘The Breakfast Club’Credit: Universal Pictures / Courtesy Everett Collection.

Hall didn’t want to sound overly negative about the project, and noted his affection for its eventual stars. “We’ve lived long enough to know you have to wish everyone success in life, and you can’t harbor resentment. It doesn’t do anything for anyone,” he said. “So I think that those films, they were great. I think Jon Cryer is a very nice guy. I’ve met him since; I’ve met Andrew [McCarthy]. I just chose not to make that film.”

The actor also said that Hughes always envisioned him in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off‘s title role

“With Ferris Bueller, that had actually been written for me by John,” he said. “He wanted me to do both films at the time, and I just felt it was important that I move forward. I think that was heartbreaking for him in a way.”

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He added, “All credit to Matthew Broderick, [who] was a great Ferris, and obviously Jon and Andrew did a nice job in Pretty Pink. But that’s how it worked out.”

Anthony Michael Hall in ‘The Breakfast Club’Credit: Universal Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection

Hall said that passing on those two films affected his relationship with Hughes moving forward. “It led to, unfortunately, a rupture in our friendship,” he said. “For years, John, because I think like the youthful characters he wrote, he was a very sensitive guy, even though he was a so-called adult at the time.”

He continued, “I think that that hurt his feelings in a way that I didn’t anticipate. I was really just trying to move forward professionally, but at the same time with full acknowledgement of what he’d given me.”

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Elsewhere in the interview, Hall reiterated that he still feels extremely fondly toward the work that he did with Hughes, who died in 2009.

“It was just such an incredible experience,” he said. “It really was life-changing, and I credit John with giving me my career. It’s really a great opportunity to work with him.”

on Entertainment Weekly

Original Article on Source

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