John Cusack is nevermore happy than when in Chicago
By Bill Zwecker Columnist/bzwecker@suntimes.com April 24, 2012 12:26PM
John Cusack, who travels the globe making movies, admits he is away from his hometown more than he’s here, but “I have always kept a place in Chicago. And I am always so happy to get back here when I’m not working.”
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Updated: April 25, 2012 8:21AM
When told “welcome home” recently, Chicago native John Cusack grinned and said, “Well, that’s funny, because I really never have left Chicago.” The actor, who travels the globe making movies — as he did shooting his latest, “The Raven,” in Belgrade and Budapest — admits he is away from his hometown more than he’s here, but “I have always kept a place in Chicago. And I am always so happy to get back here when I’m not working.” In “The Raven,” opening Friday, Cusack plays the great Edgar Allan Poe, who helps a detective who’s looking for a serial killer who uses Poe’s stories as inspiration for his murders.
A. I’m not unaware that there have been lots of blogs and tweets criticizing the film, but I think when people actually see it, they will like it. We did not make a biopic. I wouldn’t have been interested in doing that. This is much more interesting.
A. I read everything I could lay my hands on. I read virtually everything he wrote, including his criticism, not just his poetry and stories. He was so complex. On the one hand, a brilliant, literary genius who spoke beautifully. On the other hand, he was an alcoholic, often deeply depressed — a man who basically lost every woman he loved, and someone who held so many of his contemporary writers in such deep disdain.
A. I wouldn’t say that. This was very grueling. I had to really get into that characterization, and it made for a very long, difficult shoot, but in the end, was completely worth it. I’m very happy with the film, and I think we created a believable thriller.
