Cusack’s Act
November 9, 2001 | 12:00am
John Cusack is no sell out. Known for his roles as likeable, offbeat, eternally adolescent males in such films as Say Anything, Grosse Point Blank and High Fidelity, John Cusack has successfully mastered the art of juggling a taste for non-blockbusting films with the maintenance of his leading man status. He is a rarity in having managed to join the "A list" without visibly having tried to do so, choosing his roles solely on one criterion…whether he enjoys the script (in fact, he has co-written many of his films).
John Cusack’s disinterest in box-office ticketry and Tom Cruise-style fame is evident in his choice of "loser" roles and quirky storylines…but wait! Have we not just seen him starring opposite Top Box Office Queen (a) Julia Roberts and Top Box Office Queen (b) Catherine Zeta Jones in America’s Sweethearts? Rubbing elbows (and more) on screen with Julia and Catherine is hardly "quirky" and certainly not "loser"!
What has happened to the John Cusack we know? Alas, it seems that Cusack’s preference for art above fame has catapulted him, slowly, into the position of Official Alternative Heartthrob. There are scores of quirky, good actors out there who do not reach to play with Julia however talented or funny they are. The thing about John Cusack is that he has always been a leading man. It is his films, not him, who were small compared to mainstream Hollywood.
Starring opposite Julia, Catherine and next, Kate Beckinsale (of Pearl Harbor fame) in Serendipity, Cusack demonstrates that not only does he get to do art, but he gets to do dame, too. He has also done qar, in the Thin Red Line. So perhaps Cusack is not selling out, as countless fans possibly fear, but is enjoying the flexibility his talent affords him.
His sister Joan, however, is an entirely different matter. She has been acting for more than 20 years (she is 38, John is 34) but has been cast consistently as the best friend to the more glamorous leading lady, or as the secretary, or the sister.
Probably most enchanting about the whole offbeat John/Joan Cusack thing is that the two have starred in no less than eight films together. There’s John, we say, oh, there’s Joan, too! In fact, John’s first film was with Joan (Class in 1983). They have also shared screen space in Say Anything, Grosse Point Blank, Cradle Will Rock and High Fidelity, among others.
The fact that the Cusack siblings get along so well, the fact that they choose small, interesting films, makes them so un-Hollywood and so, well, nice. The fact that, on top of this, John can pick and choose roles as he likes and Joan steals the show in every film she’s in makes "Cusack" a brand name, synonymous with quality.
John Cusack’s disinterest in box-office ticketry and Tom Cruise-style fame is evident in his choice of "loser" roles and quirky storylines…but wait! Have we not just seen him starring opposite Top Box Office Queen (a) Julia Roberts and Top Box Office Queen (b) Catherine Zeta Jones in America’s Sweethearts? Rubbing elbows (and more) on screen with Julia and Catherine is hardly "quirky" and certainly not "loser"!
What has happened to the John Cusack we know? Alas, it seems that Cusack’s preference for art above fame has catapulted him, slowly, into the position of Official Alternative Heartthrob. There are scores of quirky, good actors out there who do not reach to play with Julia however talented or funny they are. The thing about John Cusack is that he has always been a leading man. It is his films, not him, who were small compared to mainstream Hollywood.
Starring opposite Julia, Catherine and next, Kate Beckinsale (of Pearl Harbor fame) in Serendipity, Cusack demonstrates that not only does he get to do art, but he gets to do dame, too. He has also done qar, in the Thin Red Line. So perhaps Cusack is not selling out, as countless fans possibly fear, but is enjoying the flexibility his talent affords him.
His sister Joan, however, is an entirely different matter. She has been acting for more than 20 years (she is 38, John is 34) but has been cast consistently as the best friend to the more glamorous leading lady, or as the secretary, or the sister.
Probably most enchanting about the whole offbeat John/Joan Cusack thing is that the two have starred in no less than eight films together. There’s John, we say, oh, there’s Joan, too! In fact, John’s first film was with Joan (Class in 1983). They have also shared screen space in Say Anything, Grosse Point Blank, Cradle Will Rock and High Fidelity, among others.
The fact that the Cusack siblings get along so well, the fact that they choose small, interesting films, makes them so un-Hollywood and so, well, nice. The fact that, on top of this, John can pick and choose roles as he likes and Joan steals the show in every film she’s in makes "Cusack" a brand name, synonymous with quality.
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