John Cusack on Voicing Dimitri in Anastasia and the Art of Acting

Voicing Dimitri in Anastasia

• 💡 John Cusack found the 1997 animated film Anastasia to be a beautiful, lyrical, and modern take on a classic tale.
• 🎯 He was drawn to the role of Dimitri because he wanted to work with Meg Ryan and Angela Lansbury, and thought it would be a fun project.
• 🎭 Cusack notes that Dimitri is a unique animated male character, being sensitive and complex, with a hustler-like nature that adds a modern touch.

Experience with Voiceovers

• 🎙️ While Cusack had done voiceovers before, including commercials and a spot on The Simpsons, Anastasia was his first massive animated project.
• 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 He also considered doing a movie his nephew and potential future children could enjoy and appreciate for a long time.
• 🎬 Cusack enjoyed the studio environment for voice acting, finding it liberating to focus solely on performance without worrying about visual elements like lighting or framing.

The Essence of Acting

• ⚡ Cusack describes the core of acting as the moments between "action" and "cut," where politics fade away and performers connect with their instincts.
• 🌟 He finds acting more fulfilling now than when he started, partly due to having more creative freedom and the ability to make his own films.
• 🎭 The process of making his own films has been a wonderful and fulfilling experience, contributing to his increased satisfaction with acting.