Ferris Bueller’s Day Off was a fun romp that elevated everyone involved. And at the top of that list was Ferris Bueller’s Day Off‘s leading man, Matthew Broderick.
But starring in one of the best ’80s movies doesn’t ensure everything in tinsel town will be sparkly and sunny forever, as many actors who struggle to find new movies after big successes can tell you.
Broderick faced similar woes, proving that even a performer’s best movies sometimes aren’t enough to solve the difficulties of maintaining a steady flow of fulfilling work in the entertainment industry.
He told The Guardian, “I did have nice early success. But it’s not easy to maintain that first flush. It’s always a hard adjustment for child actors, young actors. People see the kid out of Leave It to Beaver grown up and they don’t buy it – they want to see little Beaver.”
It was a problem for him, even after he skipped school. “People associated me with younger roles, but I wanted them to come with me and get used to the fact that I’m wrinkly,” he states. “And it was hard. The 90s were hard. Lots of ups and downs. But I always tried to keep at it, keep my heart in it. Hopefully, that keeps you in the game.”
Broderick’s 90s films following Ferris Bueller’s Day Off included Godzilla, Inspector Gadget, and The Cable Guy – a mixed bag you might say, and none were quite as successful as Ferris. Most recently, he was in the sex comedy No Hard Feelings.
For more on his career, we’ve got a No Hard Feelings review, lists of the best comedy movies of all time and best teen movies, and stories about how the director of his best movie called him boring and Cobra Kai’s creators teased a Ferris Bueller spin-off movie.