Here’s why Jennifer Aniston thought her Ferris Bueller role was hard to play
Many high school students would do just about anything to be liked and accepted by their peers. But Jennifer Aniston’s character in the short-lived NBC sitcom Ferris Bueller was the opposite.
While most teens longed to be admired, Jeannie didn’t care. She was sarcastic, resentful, and one of the sassiest characters on TV at the time which, ironically, is exactly why audiences liked her.
In a 1990 interview with The Tennessean, Aniston admitted that stepping into Jeannie’s shoes was a challenge.
"Playing Jeannie is an extremely difficult role for me because she is nothing like me," Aniston said. "Playing Jeannie allows me to expose the evil, vicious side that exists in all of us that we normally don’t have the opportunity to display."
"There are really no similarities between my character in the show and myself," Aniston added. "I have a real-life brother and we have a wonderful relationship. When you see the nice sides of Jeannie on the show, that is my own personality coming through."
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At the time, Aniston was just 21 years old. Though her family was already involved in the entertainment business — her father, John Aniston, was a longtime actor on the soap Days of Our Lives — she said it still took countless auditions before she landed the part.
She acknowledged that Ferris Bueller never caught on the way producers had hoped, running for only 13 episodes before being canceled. Still, she believed the series had been misunderstood.
"I don’t think of the show as being realistic. It’s not supposed to be," Aniston said. "This is a fantasy, since most things Ferris Bueller does are not really possible. If you’re looking for a role model, watch Sesame Street or something. If you want entertainment, watch Ferris Bueller.”
Ferris Bueller wasone of Aniston’s first breaks in Hollywood. Today, she’s regarded as one of the most successful actresses in both television and film — but it all started with roles like Jeannie Bueller.
"I am extremely critical of myself and my work, so watching episodes of Ferris Bueller is difficult," Aniston said. "Since starting work on the series, my life has been turned upside down. One year ago, I was living at home with my mother, working as a waitress."
Although the series ended quickly, Ferris Bueller gave Aniston early exposure acting, setting the stage for her breakout just a few years later in Friends (1994).