Anthony Michael Hall is reflecting on his relationship with the late film director who made him a household name.
The former teen star skyrocketed to fame in the Eighties after starring in breakout roles in four movies he made with legendary filmmaker John Hughes — National Lampoon’s Vacation, which Hughes wrote, and his first three films as a director: Sixteen Candles, Weird Science and The Breakfast Club.
However, the actor and director went their separate ways after Hall turned down Hughes’s two 1986 movies Ferris Bueller’s Day Off and Pretty in Pink, both of which went on to become beloved classics.
Hall said in a recent appearance on Danielle Fishel’s podcast Teen Beat that he had been “self-conscious” about being typecast in geeky teenage roles, which is why he rejected the two films — but it had an adverse effect on his relationship with Hughes, who died at age 59 in 2009.
“With Ferris Bueller, that had actually been written for me by John,” the actor, now 58, said on the podcast episode released Wednesday. “He wanted me to do both films at the time, and I just felt it was important that I move forward. I think that was heartbreaking for him in a way.”
Hall continued: “It led to, unfortunately, a rupture in our friendship. For years, John, because I think like the youthful characters he wrote, he was a very sensitive guy, even though he was a so-called adult at the time.”
He added, “I think that, that hurt his feelings in a way that I didn’t anticipate. I was really just trying to move forward professionally, but at the same time with full acknowledgement of what he’d given me.”
Although he felt that Pretty in Pink’s story was too close to Sixteen Candles, Hall said he felt no hard feelings toward actors Jon Cryer and Andrew McCarthy, who went on to star in the film.
“We’ve lived long enough to know you have to wish everyone success in life, and you can’t harbor resentment,” he said. “It doesn’t do anything for anyone. So I think that those films, they were great. I think Jon Cryer is a very nice guy. I’ve met him since; I’ve met Andrew [McCarthy]. I just chose not to make that film.”
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After moving away from Hughes’s romantic comedies, Hall made good on his plan to diversify his acting roles. He briefly joined the cast of Saturday Night Live and went on to star in movies like the action thriller Out of Bounds in 1986, the gothic romance Edward Scissorhands in 1990 and Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight in 2008.
However, Hall said that he still feels grateful for the four films he made with Hughes.
“It was just such an incredible experience,” he said. “It really was life-changing, and I credit John with giving me my career. It’s really a great opportunity to work with him.”