‘Ferris Bueller’s Day Off’: Surprising Sitcom Star Almost Played the Lead

Ferris Bueller’s Day Off is a classic teen comedy starring Matthew Broderick in the lead role — but a surprising sitcom star almost played Bueller instead.

In his upcoming book, Ferris Bueller…You’re My Hero: The Story of the World’s Most Famous Day Off, author Jason Klamm made an unexpected revelation about the 1986 film. An excerpt from the book (which will be released in June) detailed that Ferris Bueller writer and director John Hughes initially pitched Two and a Half Men star Jon Cryer as Bueller when speaking with Paramount executives.