<p>Rob Lowe had plenty of competition for blockbuster roles in the 1980s and ’90s – and one Hollywood heavyweight repeatedly stood in his way.</p><p>"That dastardly Tom Cruise was always a nemesis," Lowe told the <a href="https://nypost.com/2026/09/05/entertainment/rob-lowe-reveals-tom-cruise-got-movie-roles-he-auditioned-for/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">New York Post</a>.</p><p>"I remember reading ‘Jerry Maguire’ ... and they were like, <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/category/person/tom-cruise" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">‘Tom Cruise.’</a> I also remember reading ‘Top Gun’ and going, ‘Oh, this movie is going to be f---ing massive,'" he recalled. "They were like, ‘Tom Cruise.'"</p><p><a href="https://foxnews.com/entertainment/blue-lagoon-star-christopher-atkins-alcohol-cost-iconic-footloose-role-getting-sober" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><strong>'BLUE LAGOON' STAR CHRISTOPHER ATKINS SAYS ALCOHOL COST HIM ICONIC 'FOOTLOOSE' ROLE BEFORE GETTING SOBER</strong></a></p><p>Despite losing out on what he considered to be big roles, Lowe found his stride as a core member of the <a href="https://foxnews.com/entertainment/brat-pack-icon-andrew-mccarthy-says-drinking-derailed-career-entirely" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Brat Pack</a>. He starred in several career-defining films of the Brat Pack-era, including "St. Elmo's Fire," "The Outsiders," "Class" and "Oxford Blues."</p><p>Yet one major piece was missing from Lowe’s ’80s résumé – a coveted role in a John Hughes movie.</p><p>Lowe admitted he was never in the running for the coming-of-age hit "<a href="https://foxnews.com/entertainment/ferris-buellers-day-star-mia-sara-says-filming-iconic-80s-hit-good-experience" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Ferris Bueller’s Day Off</a>."</p><p><a href="https://www.foxnews.com/newsletters?cmpid=fnfirstnl" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><strong>GET ENTERTAINMENT SCOOP DELIVERED RIGHT TO YOUR EMAIL BY CLICKING HERE</strong></a></p><p>"No, that’s a big regret," he said, noting Hughes was not interested in casting Lowe for the role that went to Matthew Broderick.</p><p>"John Hughes never got what I was selling," Lowe explained.</p><p>"I met with John once, and it’s not like he didn’t have a lot of parts I could have done," he added. "When you really look at it, there were more than a few parts, multiple parts in some movies. Never, phone never rang."</p><p><a href="https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><strong>LIKE WHAT YOU'RE READING? CLICK HERE FOR MORE ENTERTAINMENT NEWS</strong></a></p><p>Decades later, Lowe has come up with his own explanation for why Hughes never came calling.</p><p>"I have a theory about it; I think I was actually already too well known," Lowe said.</p><p>"John put in people who [weren’t] already well known," he explained. "He made people well known. At least that’s what I tell myself to make myself feel better for not getting a role in ‘The Breakfast Club.'"</p><p><a href="https://www.foxnews.com/category/entertainment/entertainment-quizzes" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><strong>PUT YOUR ENTERTAINMENT KNOWLEDGE TO THE TEST AND SEE HOW YOU SCORE</strong></a></p><p>Lowe's early movie roles established him as a teen heartthrob, but he later built a remarkably durable career spanning film, network television and streaming projects.</p><p>A major second act came with his role as Sam Seaborn on "The West Wing," which earned him Emmy and <a href="https://foxnews.com/category/entertainment/events/golden-globes" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Golden Globe</a> nominations. He later showed off his comedic side as the relentlessly upbeat Chris Traeger on "Parks and Recreation."</p>
