John Cusack says graphic novel gave him creative freedom

John Cusack says his new graphic novel Momo gave him the creative freedom he has struggled to find in filmmaking.

Speaking to Variety ahead of San Diego Comic-Con 2026, the 60-year-old actor said the project, created with artist Ignacio Noé, was completed without outside interference.

"It was just me and Ignacio's story," Cusack said. "Nobody edited anything I wrote or that he drew. There was no committee."

Cusack said he turned to graphic novels because he wanted to tell a story without negotiating with investors or studio executives. He argued that big-budget films often involve too many people influencing creative decisions.

"When you ask somebody to put like $20 to $30 million into a bank account, they want to have an opinion," he said.

The actor, known for films including Say Anything, High Fidelity, Being John Malkovich and Grosse Pointe Blank, has appeared in relatively few films in recent years. His latest screen roles include Fog of War and Detective Chinatown 1900 in 2025, following Decoded in 2024.

Cusack has criticised studio decision-making before. In a 2014 interview with The Guardian, he said filmmakers once had more opportunities to balance commercial projects with personal ones, but argued that creative freedom has since declined.

Momo is scheduled for release on 26 September.