Why Hollywood Won’t Cast John Cusack Anymore
Once upon a time, John Cusack dominated the Hollywood film industry. In the 1980s, Cusack starred in several back-to-back coming-of-age movies that quickly solidified him as a teen icon: “Sixteen Candles” (1984), “The Sure Thing” (1985), “Better Off Dead” (1985), “Stand by Me” (1986), and “Say Anything…” (1989). By the end of the decade, Cusack had won a promising actor award and a then-potential lifetime of exposure with unlimited possibilities.
In a rather unexpected turn of events, however, Cusack evolved into an ’80s heartthrob many probably don’t recognize today. And for those who do recognize Cusack, especially from his old resume, most ask the same question: What the heck happened to him? Back in the day, people couldn’t go anywhere without Cusack being the talk of the town or pictured in a magazine. Today, there’s a good chance that Cusack could walk down the street in Los Angeles without being recognized, let alone hired.
John Cusack doesn’t fit in with the youngins anymore
Born in 1966, John Cusack secured his first acting roles in the early 1980s. He made his film debut in 1980, at age 14, in a short educational program called “Why Is It Always Me?” Three years later, Cusack portrayed a prep school student in John Hughes’ “Class,” a movie that also featured his sister Joan Cusack, Virginia Madsen, and Brat Pack member Andrew McCarthy.
Cusack wasn’t an official member of the Brat Pack, but he possessed several similar qualities that propelled him to stardom: a degree of natural charm, an interesting boy-next-door look, and the ability to play an underdog worth rooting for. As Cusack aged, he naturally moved away from the coming-of-age genre that made him famous to star in thrillers like “The Grifters” (1990), “City Hall” (1996), and “Runaway Jury” (2003). Cusack also starred in a number of more lighthearted rom-coms, but by the time the 2000s rolled around, he simply didn’t fit into the typical teenage demographic anymore.
To Cusack’s credit, he’s readily acknowledged that his glory days ended a while ago. “I haven’t really been hot for a long time,” Cusack told The Guardian in 2020. “In the last few years, I haven’t been able to get projects financed. That could be a function of getting older. Or it could be a function of being cold.”
He’s allegedly pretty hard to work with
Hollywood tolerates unseemly behavior only to a certain extent. For some celebrities, it doesn’t matter how famous they become or what their contributions to society entail — if people decide to turn against them, they’re done for. Ellen DeGeneres’ massive downfall from fame is a hallmark of this; actors Jonathan Majors and Gina Carano are two more cases in a sea of further examples
When it comes to John Cusack, one of the biggest reasons he’s fallen out of Hollywood’s good graces is an alleged one: the talk of the internet is that he’s extremely hard to work with. This Reddit thread, for instance, is chock-full of supposed stories of Cusack’s less-than-impressive personality. One user described him as “kind of a d***” and said, “He cares more about himself and his projects than his audience.” Another Redditor wrote, “I don’t think he’s a very good person. I live in a city that sees quite a few movies being made. Every person I’ve spoken to that’s worked with/waited on/partied with him hasn’t had many good things to say.”
Speaking of Reddit, Cusack has hosted three Ask Me Anythings (AMAs) to date. During the Q&As, Cusack briefly touched on his response to fame and supposed persona. “I can’t say I enjoy [fame] because it’s hard to be in public sometimes and be accommodating to people,” Cusack wrote in 2016. Earlier, in 2013, he said, “[P]erception is not always reality when talking about serious things. I may have a serious tone, but I’m pretty silly with my friends.”
He’s pivoted from successful theatrical releases to panned direct-to-videos
Back in the day, John Cusack’s starring roles helped bring in some serious money. “Sixteen Candles” raked in approximately $24 million at the box office, for instance; “Stand by Me” roughly $54 million; “Grosse Point Blank” (1997) roughly $28 million; and “High Fidelity” (2000) approximately $47 million. Several of these films also starred Joan Cusack (it’s safe to say that John and Joan get along, unlike other iconic celebrity siblings who can’t stand each other).
Cusack’s presence used to grace every theater in America. Today, however, his work can usually be found in one of three places: on a classic rerun, within a hidden title on a streaming service, or in a DVD tucked in the back of the closet. Cusack has all but completely transitioned to direct-to-video releases that get the job done, albeit on a smaller scale. Some titles include “The Bag Man” (2014), “Blood Money” (2017), and “River Runs Red” (2018)
While some of these VODs, like “Blood Money,” received some praise — particularly for Cusack’s performances — most got negative reviews and low aggregate scores upon release. “The Contract” (2006), “Reclaim” (2014), and “The Prince” (2014) all hold 0% ratings on Rotten Tomatoes. “Arsenal” (2017) fared slightly better with a 3% rating, while “Pursuit” (2022) currently boasts an 8% rating.
Nowadays, John Cusack works independently and internationally
Hollywood is so saturated with projects that global reception, when applicable, is rarely easy to predict. There are plenty of American movies that other countries liked more than Americans, and vice versa (Bong Joon Ho’s Oscar-winning South Korean thriller comedy “Parasite,” for example). Today, John Cusack still acts — just hardly ever in the United States.
Cusack has shifted toward working almost exclusively on independent, non-American projects, a stark 180 from his breakthrough days. These movies have given Cusack an income stream, but not any additional exposure or critical acclaim. Cusack’s IMDb spells it out: In the past several years, he has appeared in one Canadian film (“Distorted”), one Irish-Luxembourgish film (“Never Grow Old”), and two Chinese films (“Decoded,” “Detective Chinatown 1900”)
Cusack’s shift from mainstream American to smaller international markets generally stems from a decline in popularity, but other reasons are more nuanced. In 2009, Cusack told Elle, “Movie stars are usually treated like surreal royalty in this country, so I’ve developed a pretty good bulls*** detector.”
On top of the industry itself, Cusack has become extremely vocal about his distaste for another major department: American politics. Cusack, who is famously anti-war, began to help finance his own projects in the 2000s as an artistic response; “War, Inc.” (2008) is perhaps the most recognized of these. In summary, Cusack’s bluntness has caused him — perhaps forced him, to some degree — to seek out other foreign opportunities. “Maybe being outspoken hurts your career … I’m just aware it helps me sleep better at night,” he mentioned to The Guardian.
He’s never starred in any big movie franchises or sequels
In today’s Hollywood, there are a few different ways for actors to solidify themselves as undisputed top dogs. Those recognizable enough with a certain degree of talent can easily find themselves with a role in major franchises like the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Star Wars. This concept extends to TV too, of course: “Law & Order” has evolved tremendously over the past 30-something years; even plenty of reality dating franchises can be ranked from worst to first
Anyway, for all the fame and accolades John Cusack has acquired over the years, it may be a surprise to learn that he’s never starred in any big-name franchises. Cusack has never even appeared in a movie sequel. Cusack co-produced and starred in the 2010 hit “Hot Tub Time Machine,” for example, but did not star in its sequel, “Hot Tub Time Machine 2” (to be specific, Cusack filmed an uncredited cameo, but it wasn’t included).
The limited opportunities may sound like a slight, but they’re actually deliberate on Cusack’s part. In 2025, Cusack was asked at a screening of “Say Anything…” if he would be interested in a sequel to it. He responded, “I was lucky that I never had the desire, or no one asked me to do any sequels” . He followed this up with, “There’s one that I think would be interesting to do, which would be ‘1408’ … I think today, you know, most movies suck.”
He refuses to discuss anything about his personal life
Do you have to spill your entire life story in order to make it in Hollywood? No, but depending on the context and time of day, it can help. Celebs who grace headlines and update social media with their inner thoughts and events can gain monetary compensation and build connections with fans. This, in turn, actually leaves them open to potential opportunities.
That said, John Cusack’s personal life may as well be one big question mark. Cusack has always been intentionally coy about anything that doesn’t have to do with the entertainment industry or politics. In 1990, for instance, Interview Magazine asked Cusack to simply describe his relationship with his family. He responded, “Three sisters, a brother, a mother, and a father.”
Here’s an interesting fact about Cusack, though: He holds a six-degree black belt in Ukidokan kickboxing. Cusack learned to kickbox for “Say Anything…” and has kept up with it since. Cusack confirmed this in a 2012 interview with ESPN, although he was quick to change the subject. “The sport of kickboxing gave me something and I still stay in pretty good shape because of it. Can we now talk about [James McTeigue’s thriller] ‘The Raven’?”
The only other information out there about Cusack revolves around his past relationships. Cusack once revealed that he never got married or had children because of societal expectations, but besides that, what we know has come from former partners and associates. In 2025, for instance, Cusack’s “Say Anything…” co-star, Ione Skye, revealed they had an affair. Cusack’s other flings over the years reportedly include Minnie Driver, Neve Campbell, Jennifer Love Hewitt, and Uma Thurman.
John Cusack has mentally outgrown the Hollywood industry
John Cusack was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in April 2012, an honor he took seriously — for the most part. While Joan Cusack delivered a rather touching speech about her brother’s achievements, Cusack himself took a more self-deprecating approach. “To the best of my knowledge, I’ve tried to screw my career up as much as I possibly could,” he told the attendees . “It’s pretty wild to be out here.”
It turns out that Cusack’s Walk of Fame ceremony was one of the last times he had something nice to publicly say about the Hollywood industry. For more than a decade now, Cusack has made one thing abundantly clear: he and Hollywood do not go together like peanut butter and jelly, and that’s something he’s perfectly content with. “[Los Angeles] seems to be ripe with all these frontier crazies,” Cusack told The Guardian in 2014. “[Hollywood] is a w****house and people go mad.”
Cusack moved back to Chicago — he was raised in the suburb of Evanston, Illinois, a roughly 30-minute drive away — in 2016. Whether he’s home or somewhere abroad, netizens should always expect Cusack to find time to criticize the mainstream film industry. “The greed is almost a legendary comic trope,” Cusack wrote on X in 2023. “[‘Say Anything…’] cost about 13 million to make — and money spent to release was minimal at the time — 30 years in — that film lost millions every year! A neat accounting trick don’t ya think?”
