John Cusack Shares What He Needed Before Taking on His Role in Say Anything

John Cusack; him in ‘Say Anything’ (1989).
Credit :

Stephane Cardinale/Corbis via Getty; Gracie/Kobal/Shutterstock

Key Insights

• John Cusack agreed to portray Lloyd Dobler in Say Anything only after securing a few script changes from director Cameron Crowe.
• He indicated that the protagonist was initially “more optimistic, but didn’t have any darker sides to it.”
• The actor discussed his immediate rapport with Crowe while working on the film.

John Cusack hesitated before accepting the lead role in the 1989 film Say Anything.

During a Nov. 30 screening at New York City’s Kings Theatre, the 59-year-old actor explained that he was willing to take on the role of Lloyd Dobler only if Crowe allowed him to make script modifications.

After reviewing the script, Cusack recognized that many films at the time depicted young individuals through the perspectives of “45 to 50-year-old professional writers.”

Believing that “people don’t talk like that,” Cusack approached Crowe, stating, “I can only take on this role if I can rewrite the part with you.” To his surprise, Crowe accepted without hesitation.

John Cusack in ‘Say Anything’ (1989).

Gracie/Kobal/Shutterstock

Cusack sought to alter Lloyd’s character by emphasizing that he was “choosing to be optimistic,” which gave him a “sort of heroic” quality.

He illustrated this with a cultural comparison: “It’s like a [John] Lennon and [Paul] McCartney song. Paul McCartney writes, ‘You gotta admit it’s getting better. It’s getting better all the time.’ And then John Lennon says, ‘It can’t get no worse.’”

Cusack noted the significant role music played in the film’s narrative, which included Ione Skye. The soundtrack was a key point of connection between him and Crowe.

He elaborated: “Cameron’s language and my language would bond over different music and songs. I would always pick out music for a scene to maintain its vibe within the film.”

Despite his continued reliance on music to embody various characters, Cusack expressed no desire to revisit roles he has previously played.

With a hint of humor, he stated, “I was lucky that I never had the desire, or no one asked me to do any sequels. There’s one I think would be interesting to revisit, which is 1408… just because… I think today, you know, most movies suck.”