John Cusack has revealed that a desire to escape corporate interference and studio committees in Hollywood is the primary reason behind his reduced presence in film in recent years.
According to ew.com, while speaking to Variety ahead of San Diego Comic-Con 2026, the 60-year-old star of High Fidelity and Say Anything explained that funding requirements for modern feature films have stifled creative freedom. Studios providing budgets between $20 million and $30 million inevitably insist on editorial control, he noted, leading to stories shaped by executive committees rather than filmmakers.
Cusack highlighted his upcoming graphic novel, Momo, created alongside illustrator Ignacio Noé, as a direct reaction to this industry shift. He emphasised that the project allowed him total artistic independence, operating completely free from studio oversight or external edits. For Cusack, the medium offers the closest artistic equivalent to cinema without the associated financial compromises.
The actor’s screen appearances have noticeably slowed in recent years. Since 2020, his output has been limited to a small number of independent and foreign projects, including the 2022 action film Pursuit, the 2024 Chinese war drama Decoded, and two 2025 releases, Fog of War and Detective Chinatown 1900.
This transition reflects a long-standing frustration with the evolution of the film industry. Cusack previously voiced concern over the decline of mid-budget, auteur-driven cinema, arguing that the traditional balance between commercial studio projects and creative passion projects has been dismantled in favour of corporate interests.
Momo is scheduled for publication on Sept. 26.
°Featured image: John Cusack/Katie Jones/Variety via Getty