Ferris Bueller's Day Off

Trivia

• At the time of filming, Matthew Broderick was 23, Jennifer Grey was 25, Alan Ruck was 30 and Mia Sara was only 17.
• In an early draft of the script Ferris had two additional younger siblings.
• Charlie Sheen, who played the drug addict at the police station to which Jeannie is taken, stayed awake for more than 48 hours before the scene was shot to produce the desired drugged-out effect.
• Cindy Pickett and Lyman Ward, who played Ferris' parents, married in real life after filming this movie (although they subsequently divorced).
• Sloane is based on a high school version of Nancy Hughes, John's wife. Cameron and Garth Volbeck (Charlie Sheen's druggie character) are based on acquaintances of Hughes from high school.
• Cameron's fake "Mr. Peterson" voice was based on an old drama coach Ruck and Broderick used to study under. Hughes never met the man and didn't understand the little in-joke at all, but it cracked up the two actors so much they used it for the voice.
• An entire subplot involving a Ferris prank on a Chicago radio station regarding NASA was cut from the film and the trailers (which had to be retrieved from the theaters they were already sent to) due to the Challenger explosion in January of 1986. (This entire subplot is explained on the FBDO DVD commentary.)
• The Synthesizer/sampler used to create Ferris's cough and vomit sounds was an E-mu Emulator II made in the early 1980s by E-mu.
• Ferris wears a different outfit in each scene before he and Cameron go to pick up Sloane.
• Ben Stein, who plays the economics teacher, holds a degree in economics. When he is giving his lecture in class, it wasn't scripted; Stein is giving a real lecture. The only part of his scenes that was scripted was when he calls attendance.
• The detective at the police station is named Steven Lim, the same name as the First Assistant Director.
• In the film, Ferris frequently "breaks the fourth wall" -- i.e., addresses the audience directly.