The man who played the sardonic economics teacher in 1986’s teen comedy ‘Ferris Bueller’s Day Off‘ has disclosed some intriguing behind-the-scenes information about the iconic flick.
Ben Stein, 80, who gave his most memorable big screen performance in the movie, is also known for hosting the game show ‘Win Ben Stein’s Money’ and for playing Dr. Arthur Neuman in 1994’s ‘The Mask’ and 2005’s ‘Son of the Mask.’
He spoke to ‘Entertainment Tonight’ host Nischelle Turner on her ‘ET Then & Now’ show about his time making ‘Ferris Bueller’s Day Off’ â and the interview revealed some really cool details about the movie’s production.
Stein Would Have Paid John Hughes to Be In the Movie
Stein, who was once a real-life professor, said he landed the role somewhat fortuitously.
A friend of his, who was a producer on the movie, invited him to his trailer on the set. Director John Hughes thought Stein had a funny voice and asked him to do an off-camera test for the role of Ferris Bueller’s economics professor, which he did. The test was successful and Hughes offered Stein $360, which he accepted (humorously suggesting he’d pay Hughes to be in the movie), and the rest is history.
Hughes told Stein he wasn’t going to write his lines and that he’d have to improvise his performance entirely, so he made up a lecture about tariffs. Stein said his performance made the main cast, the extras, and all the production crew laugh heartily.
That prompted Hughes to ask Stein to do it again, but longer, which he did. The result was the version of his dialogue that ended up in the final movie, and it earned him a round of applause from everyone on set. Nobody could believe he’d never acted before.
“Anyone? Anyone? Bueller? Bueller?” is now a line that’s cemented in the zeitgeist of popular culture, so it’s interesting to know that it was entirely ad-libbed.
When Stein left the set of ‘Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,’ he called his wife and said, “I just had the best day of my life,” to which she replied, “Not the day we were married?” He replied, “Better than that.”
After that, Stein worked consistently on screen for a very long time, proving it’s possible to make it in Hollywood via the most peculiar of routes.
Stein Used His Voice a Lot Before Becoming an Actor
Turner then touched upon Stein’s career before his time as an actor, referencing that he used his voice in very different ways. Stein was an economist, a trial lawyer, speech writer for Nixon and Ford, a teacher and a writer â all very different to performing on screen.
She also took Stein back to a 1991 interview he gave to ‘Entertainment Tonight,’ in which he said young people often shout his ‘Ferris Bueller’s Day Off’ lines at him, but he didn’t understand why they love them so much. Stein said, “I still don’t get why it’s so funny, because that is the way I talk all the time.”
The interview also mentioned some of Stein’s other movies, such as 1989’s ‘Ghostbusters II,’ but it’s ‘The Mask’ he believes is the funniest.
Stein said, “‘The Mask’ was incredibly good. I don’t think there’s ever⦠I don’t think there’s gonna be an American movie in my lifetime â I’m quite old already â that’s gonna be up to the level of ‘The Mask’ or ‘Planes, Trains and Automobiles.’”
Further discussion mentioned Stein’s appearances in commercials, his political leanings, his podcast ‘The World According to Ben Stein,’ his wife of 55 years Alexandra Denman, and Matthew Broderick reuniting with his ‘Ferris Bueller’s Day Off’ co-star Alan Ruck for a new movie called ‘The Best Is Yet to Come.’
Stein gave his thoughts on that reunion and discussed the relationship between Broderick and Ruck as he remembers it. He said, “It was a very strong bond. And I don’t really know Alan Ruck very well, but I do know Matthew, and he’s a very wonderful guy. An incredible, incredible actor.”
If you’d like to hear more from Ben Stein, his podcast is available on Spotify, where new episodes are released regularly.
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