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June 14 , 2000
by Veronica
Mixon
It is a liberating moment for the stressed out air traffic
controller but for Cusack, it's a playful moment in an average
day's work. "This is blue screen Star Wars stuff," he says
laughing. "You jump on a spring-loaded compression thing and
it tosses you 30 feet in the air. They had the stuntman do
it but I really wanted to get one for myself at home. A psychotic
toy."
Cusack, who has appeared in nearly two dozen films, started
acting as a kid and first garnered public attention in Say
Anything and Rob Reiner's A Sure Thing. As a youngster,
he experienced the hype of each new movie and everybody singing
his praises about being the next big thing. "You're the flavor
of the month until the next month and then, there is someone
else. Ultimately, it's the body of work that you do over ten
or twenty years that counts. It's like investing in stock
for the long term." He admits that being an actor is stressful
and maintains his equilibrium by following a few simple rules.
"I try to stay away from certain parties," he jokes. "That's
a good one. But, mainly, not getting involved emotionally
in the hype. I've been doing it for awhile so I'm pretty good
at seeing future cycles of all this stuff."
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In 1997, Cusack received rave reviews as a hit man in spiritual
crisis during his high school reunion in the comedy Grosse
Pointe Blank. He co-wrote and produced the project under
the aegis of his New Crime Productions. The film not only
made money but also changed his position in the industry because
it proved that he could be a responsible filmmaker. This spring
he'll star and executive produce a follow-up script written
by his father, Dick Cusack called The Jack Bull for
HBO.
The 30-year-old actor also has a quirky reputation for all
the hit movies he's turned down. "I'd probably still turn
down the same movies. I didn't like them even after they made
a lot of money," he says earnestly. "To me, if you're going
to spend 3 or 4 months working from 6 in the morning to 7
at night and suffer all the silly things that you have to
do trying to make a good movie, you better have good reason."
Recently, Cusack starred in Terry Malick's A Thin Red Line,
Clint Eastwood's Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil,
voiced the role of Dimitri in the animated feature, Anastasia
and was the best thing about the action-packed blockbuster,
Con Air. Director Mike Newell says he cast Cusack as
the macho Nick Falzone because of his little boy charm and
innocence. But in Pushing Tin, Falzone's outrageous
rivalry results in an adulterous affair with the wife of his
co-worker played by Bill Bob Thornton. "He's definitely a
character who needs to sort his life out. [What he does] happen
a lot and I think its pretty human. I like someone who is
honest and complex."
Cusack splits his time between Chicago and Los Angeles -
"That would be Idaho," - and it has been reported that he's
currently dated Scream queen, Neve Campbell. Later this year,
he can be seen in Being John Malkovich, Tim Robbins'
The Cradle Will Rock and he starts shooting High
Fidelity directed by Stephen Frears next month.
edited
by Veronica Mixon
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