John Cusack's rare appearance has sparked a fan frenzy online, with the star looking virtually unrecognizable after stepping back from the spotlight.
The actor, who dominated the screens in the '80s and '90s with projects like Say Anything, High Fidelity and Con Air, looked so different during an appearance on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, with his dyed reddish-brown hair.
Fans of the iconic star took to the comment section on social media to question his changing look, with one writing: "Oh John [what] have you done to your face," while another added: "Just age gracefully," and a third chimed in: "What happened to his face?"
Another contingent of fans came to John's defence, with one writing: "Can't believe so many people are focusing on his looks? Strange society we've become," while a second said: "I don't see anything wrong with him," and another declared: "He looks good, y'all are just miserable AS USUAL. Cheer up!"
The 60-year-old has largely stepped back from the spotlight in recent years, yet made a rare appearance at the Oscars in March to honor his late friend and collaborator, Rob Reiner. John has been open about the ageism he and his peers have faced in the industry, and shared with The Guardian in 2020 that he hadn't "been hot for a long time".
"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 said.
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He previously told the outlet that ageism was worse for women in Hollywood, who were expected to stay youthful or fade away. "I got another 15, 20 years before they say I'm old. For women it's brutal," he explained in 2014.
"I have actress friends who are being put out to pasture at 29. They just want to open up another can of hot 22…It's [expletive] weird." John added that the kindness that existed in the industry had dissipated too in the years since he came up in Hollywood.
"People would look after you when I was a kid," he said.
"There were good people in the business. When I came to LA, Rob Reiner said: 'Come stay at my house.' He taught me. I worked with Pacino. Pacino would talk to you and mentor you. Now it's different. The culture just eats young actors up and spits them out. It's a hard thing to survive without finding safe harbor."
John's sister Joan also returned to the spotlight in 2026
John's older sister, Joan Cusack, has also opted to step back from the spotlight in the last decade to focus on raising her family. Joan is best known for her performances in Working Girl, In & Out, Addams Family Values, School of Rock, the Toy Story franchise and High Fidelity alongside her brother.
The 63-year-old stepped onto the red carpet for the first time in 11 years in May at the premiere of Toy Story 5. When she is not voicing Jessie in the hit film franchise, Joan runs a gift shop in Chicago.
John has worked with his sister on several projects
"As my kids would say, 'Chicago is awesome!' It has rich culture and history, as well as some of the best museums, architecture and restaurants in the world," she shared in an interview.
"Plus, it prevents our family life from revolving around TV and the movies. In LA, it's easy to get caught up in what you look like or how much money you have, and those aren't values I want my kids to adopt."
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