Alan Ruck: Titan of television
Carter Salley sits down with actor Alan Ruck
This year at Motor City Comic Con, I had the pleasure of getting to interview Alan Ruck.
He was born on July 1, 1956, in Cleveland, Ohio and attended Parma Senior High School and graduated from the University of Illinois with a B.F.A in drama in 1979.
Ruck is best known for roles in "Ferris Bueller's Day Off," (Cameron Frye) "Succession" (Connor Roy) and "Twister" (Robert "Rabbit" Nurick).
We sat down to talk about working with some of the '80s biggest film stars and the performance that he feels defined his career.
His answers have been edited for clarity and length.
Q: How was it to work with John Hughes, this legendary director that's inspired so many childhoods, including mine?
A: John has a particular genius.
He was a really gifted guy and, he loved kids, he loved teenagers, and he didn't write down to them or he didn't, you know, hold them up to ridicule. He didn't mock them. He treated them like, you know, they were not fully formed human beings, but he treated them just like an equal and the way he wrote about them.
He was an inspiring guy because he was so fast he could write, you know, he wrote scripts, sometimes whole movies over a weekend, or, you know, in five or six days.
So I'm, I'm really pleased to have met him and worked with him and been a part of that whole thing.
How was it working with Matthew Broderick on "Ferris Bueller"?
Well, we were already friends.
I had started out acting in Chicago, and then I got a Broadway show. I moved to New York, and Matthew was the star of that show -- it was called "Biloxi Blues."
So we were on the road with that. And then we opened in New York, and it was a big hit.
And then Matthew got offered Ferris Bueller and, um, I auditioned for it. I had already met John (Hughes) in Chicago some years before, and Matthew and I were already friends, so it was just like it fell into my lap. It was just, everything lined up. It's so great.
What is the best performance you think you've given in all your career?
Oh, I don't know. I think I'm proud of “Succession”. I loved doing “Succession;" I mean, the role was captivating and a fun character to play and I'm glad I got to play him. Thank you.
