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‘Ferris Bueller’ Star Exposes Secret On-Set Feud After Dissing Iconic Film, Reveals Why She Fled Hollywood
While Ferris Bueller’s Day Off remains a beloved classic, Mia Sara recently revealed that her experience making the film was far less enjoyable than fans might expect.
In a new interview, the actress who played fan-favorite Sloane Peterson in the 1986 film detailed the behind-the-scenes friction during the production and explained how those experiences shaped her career.
Highlights
- Mia Sara says making Ferris Bueller’s Day Off was far from a positive experience.
- The actress reflected on career struggles that led to long breaks from Hollywood.
- Sara also shared a surprising personal revelation about one of her famous co-stars.
Sara also reflected on the personal and professional struggles that eventually pushed her away from Hollywood. Here’s what she revealed about working on the beloved film.
RELATED:
Mia Sara reveals why filming Ferris Bueller wasn’t a positive experience
Image credits: CBS/Getty Images
In June 2026, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off celebrated the 40th anniversary of its release. To commemorate the milestone, the film’s cast, including Mia Sara, sat down for an interview with the Sunday Times.
Despite the film’s critical acclaim, commercial success, and enduring legacy, Sara admitted she did not enjoy working on it.
“I don’t really give interviews because making Ferris Bueller was not that good an experience for me,” she said.
Image credits: Paul Natkin/Getty Images
Sara was 17 years old when she filmed the movie and played the titular character’s girlfriend. The actress attributed her on-set struggles to a difficult relationship with the director John Hughes, who passed away in 2009.
She continued, “I’m very aware of what a precious thing this movie is, and I don’t want to disappoint people. But I didn’t get along well with John.”
The now 59-year-old actress described Hughes as a “strange guy” who wanted the cast to spend time together off set. However, Sara, who described herself as a “snotty New York kid,” admitted she lacked the “emotional maturity” to handle Hughes’ ego, creating tension between them.
Mia Sara opens up about quitting Hollywood for nearly a decade
Image credits: CBS/Getty Images
Sara began acting at a young age, appearing in the soap opera All My Children before landing her breakout role in the 1986 coming-of-age classic. However, she admitted to being unhappy with her acting career, which eventually led to lengthy hiatuses from the big screen.
After the end of her series Birds of Prey in 2003, Sara quietly stepped away from the spotlight, making only a handful of TV appearances over the next decade. She returned to films in 2012 with Dorothy and the Witches of Oz, but once again stepped back from acting.
Image credits: Amy Sussman/Getty Images
“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,” she said of her decision.
Sara returned to acting in 2024, appearing as Sarah Krantz in the Mike Flanagan-directed adaptation of Stephen King’s novella The Life of Chuck.
Mia Sara admits to having a crush on her Ferris Bueller co-star
Image credits: Paramount/Getty Images
During the same interview, Sara also reflected on her off-screen dynamic with Ferris Bueller co-star Matthew Broderick, who played her boyfriend in the film.
The actress admitted she had a crush on Broderick, but the feelings were not returned, largely because he was in a relationship with actress Jennifer Grey at the time. Despite playing siblings in the movie, Broderick and Grey were secretly dating.
Image credits: CBS/Getty Images
“I had a massive crush on Matthew during the filming, but it was very much unrequited,” Sara recalled.
In 1996, Sara married Jason Connery, the son of Sean Connery, after working together on Bullet to Beijing. However, the couple divorced in 2002, and Sara eventually married puppeteer Brian Henson in 2010. They currently reside in Suffolk, England.
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off is currently streaming on Paramount+ and Pluto TV.
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What do you think ?
Blondie23 1 hour ago
I like her as an actress but it sounds like she was the problem. I have never heard another actor saying they had an issue with John Hughes.
ॐBoyGanesh 34 minutes ago
Molly has spent decades skirting around her “difficult” relationship with Hughes, why it was “problematic” to be his muse at such a “young, vulnerable” age and more than alluded to managing his ego, which is something that was easier for her than most. Candy spoke more directly about dealing with Hughes, reflecting on him being a perfectionist who was never fully prepared. Constantly rewriting or even writing script on the fly and then blowing up because it wasn’t ingrained within his cast & crew. Hughes was masterful and even genius, but with that came a very strong, stubborn personality. Rather than saying how difficult he was to work with, a polite way of putting it was as far as a director and writer/producer goes, “he wasn’t everyone’s cup of tea.”
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Blondie23 1 hour ago
I like her as an actress but it sounds like she was the problem. I have never heard another actor saying they had an issue with John Hughes.
ॐBoyGanesh 34 minutes ago
Molly has spent decades skirting around her “difficult” relationship with Hughes, why it was “problematic” to be his muse at such a “young, vulnerable” age and more than alluded to managing his ego, which is something that was easier for her than most. Candy spoke more directly about dealing with Hughes, reflecting on him being a perfectionist who was never fully prepared. Constantly rewriting or even writing script on the fly and then blowing up because it wasn’t ingrained within his cast & crew. Hughes was masterful and even genius, but with that came a very strong, stubborn personality. Rather than saying how difficult he was to work with, a polite way of putting it was as far as a director and writer/producer goes, “he wasn’t everyone’s cup of tea.”
Load More Replies... 
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