Cindy Pickett Reveals Famous Last Line in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off Wasn’t in the Original Script — and Who Came Up With It 

The last line of Ferris Bueller’s Day Off almost didn’t happen. 

Several of the former castmates — including Cindy Pickett, Jonathan Schmock, and Jeffrey Jones — participated in a panel about the 1986 smash hit at The Hollywood Show on Friday, June 6.

During the event, the actors discussed the impact of Ferris Bueller and opened up about what it was like working with the late director, producer, and writer John Hughes. 

The film famously ends with the titular character lying in bed, looking directly at the camera, stating, “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”

Pickett, who played mom Katie Bueller, revealed that Hughes added the line in at the last minute.

“The last line of the movie, ‘Life moves pretty fast,’ he just threw that in,” she said. “It’s not in the original script. He just threw that in. So yeah, he had the best time.”

Pickett, 78, also noted that the closing line is her favorite part of the movie, saying, “That’s what it’s all about. That’s something I remind myself.” 

The cult classic follows Ferris, played by Matthew Broderick, as he and his perpetually pessimistic friend Cameron Frye, played by Alan Ruck, embark on the most epic high school skip day ever, ditching class to spend time in downtown Chicago.

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Broderick, 63, previously recalled feeling some tension with Hughes, who the actor said felt “nervous” that the beloved teen comedy “wouldn’t come out right.”

During a 2023 appearance on the It Happened In Hollywood podcast, Broderick discussed what it was like making the comedy, recalling that Hughes “was not easygoing in some ways.”

Despite noting temporary on-set disagreements, Broderick emphasized that Hughes simply “took the work very seriously” and cared deeply about Ferris Bueller’s success.

“[John] wasn’t a loosey-goosey person,” Broderick told The Hollywood Reporter. “But he also didn’t hold a grudge and knew how to get himself out of it.”

The actor also noted that Hughes, who died in 2009 at age 59 from a heart attack, was not the only director who had ever criticized his acting style on set.

“I do drive people crazy sometimes because I don’t appear to be doing anything sometimes, it seems,” he admitted. “But, hopefully, eventually, I do. [Hughes] was not the first director to grab me at some point and say, ‘What is wrong with you?’ ”

Despite their slight disagreements, the movie is known as one of Hughes’ best works, scoring a major blockbuster win and becoming a pop-culture phenomenon.