Mark Caro first interviewed John Cusack a decade ago, when the actor was starring in “Grosse Pointe Blank,” a film he co-wrote and produced with his Evanston friends. Reporter and subject went to a Blackhawks game, caught “Monty Python and the Holy Grail” and have seen each other occasionally since then.
In some ways, Mark and Cusack have grown up together. Both were raised in Evanston, where everyone seemed to know the Cusack family and take pride in their accomplishments. In the last few years, John Cusack has become a part of the Hollywood landscape, and locating him in that world is at the heart of this week’s cover story, “The Reluctant Celebrity.”
Mark followed Cusack at the Sundance Film Festival last January for the premiere of “Grace is Gone.” “This seemed like the right time to look at John because he seemed at a transition point,” observed Mark, an entertainment reporter for the Tribune. “When you’re in your 40s, you find yourself relying less on boyish charm, and he made a movie that, if all pans out, might deliver him a level of recognition that has eluded him so far.”
Mark put the finishing touches on this story while taking a seven-month leave from the Tribune to work on a book titled “The Foie Gras Wars,” about the banned-in-Chicago delicacy. “Working on the book has one great advantage over my entertainment reporting for the Tribune,” Mark says. “The ducks don’t have publicists.”
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etaylor@tribune.com
Home on the Range will be back on the range soon.
For 50 days, the Chicago Tribune is offering tips and ideas to make the season bright. For the Magazine’s great gift suggestions, see pages 21 and 24 For even more, go to chicagotribune.com/holidaily.
