Nov 9, 2007, 10:22 GMT
New York - John Cusack cemented his status as a respected character actor with his appearance in Stephen Frears' 2000 adaptation of the Nick Hornby novel High Fidelity.
John Cusack cemented his status as a respected character actor with his appearance in Stephen Frears' 2000 adaptation of the Nick Hornby novel High Fidelity. © Solarpix / PR Photos
With his youthful charm, Cusack has made a name for himself in both comedies (America's Sweethearts) and serious roles (Identity). In his latest film, Martian Child, he plays a single father who endures all kinds of difficulties to adopt a highly unusual boy.
In an interview with Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa in New York, Cusack explained what he liked about the role and what he thinks of Hollywood.
Q: As the owner of your own production company in Chicago, you know the movie business in front of and behind the camera. Does the US movie industry still have enough new ideas?
Cusack: 'The movie business is getting worse and worse and more conservative in the sense of not taking risks. It's become much less adventurous. The studios just want to take something safe that they know will be successful, like Harry Potter, and they are making less and less movies now. Disney was making 30 movies a year, and now they are making, let's say, 14, and nine are big, animated movies. And independent films are harder and harder to make, too, to get financed and distributed. It will change again, I hope. But it's kind of a low point now.'
Q: You play a father in two films, Grace Is Gone and Martian Child. Is that a conscious decision?
Cusack: 'No, it was totally random. With Martian Child I just got offered the script, and I thought it was an interesting story: a man, a writer, who is looking for more meaning and purpose. And I think that's a question we all get to think about. You can put meaning in your work, but, then, if you don't have meaningful relationships in your life, it's kind of feeling that you are not complete. So it's kind of striving for that balance. And then the question: what is right and what is wrong. The boy in the film says he's coming from Mars. And to find out how to get in contact with him and how to stay realistic - I thought that was an interesting thing to do.'
Q: Do you want to have children yourself?
Cusack: 'I don't know. I love kids. But not that I know at the moment.'
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