site.btaAnn Cusack to BTA: Dreams Are Grounded in Reality, Attainable with Hard Work

"I’ve been very fortunate, and I don’t take it for granted that I’ve been able to do everything I’ve done or work with so many incredible people. Dreams, after all, are grounded in reality. Fantasies are another thing, but I think dreams are attainable if you work for them, which everyone should," US actress Ann Cusack told BTA’s Gergana Nikolova and Daniel Dimitrov in an interview on Monday. Cusack was part of the jury at the international cinema-literature festival Cinelibri.

In the film industry, good manners are crucial. "If someone helps you get a role or advance in your career, it’s important to say "thank you" […] You don’t get anywhere you want to be without other people helping you along the way. So, it's important that you be respectful and acknowledge those people that have helped you in the process," Cusack said, reflecting on her journey of living the American dream.

In her interview, Ann Cusack shared unforgettable memories from A League of Their Own, discussed her genre comfort zones, her parents’ influence on her career path, and, of course, her love of chocolate mousse. She also answered why being able to say "thank you" and "please" is one of the most essential qualities in the film industry. Cusack also shared about her mother’s involvement in math and politics, her own leanings, and whether she feels she’s lived the American dream.

Following is the full text of the interview:

Cusack isn't a common name, but it’s quite popular. Have you ever wondered where it comes from, or what it means? Do you have Irish roots?

Yes, Cusack is of Irish descent. Both my mother's side and my father's side of the family are originally from Ireland. I know what parts of the country my family was from, but I’m not sure about the specific meaning of the name.

The next question is kind of inevitable. It’s about a movie that is beloved by viewers across generations - A League of Their Own.

Oh yes, yes, my favorite movie!

How did you end up in the company of Tom Hanks, Geena Davis, Lori Petty, Madona?

I actually, oddly, went through the traditional route. I had to audition, but first, when they came to Chicago, Penny had a lot of the women from Chicago first do baseball exercises. She watched to see how we handled a baseball and a mitt, how we did the exercises, and how we looked on screen, she then cast me, and after I was cast, then she assigned me the role of Shirley Baker. [...]

I have so many memories from that time—it really changed the whole trajectory of my life. I remember one moment in particular when we were shooting in Henderson, Kentucky. They had taken over an AAA stadium. Baseball has a lot of divisions—there’s the Major League, and then there’s AAA, just underneath it, like, if you imagine different tiers. They transformed the entire stadium to look like it was 1943. It was incredible.

We had 5,000 extras, and they were all in period clothing. The garbage was even period garbage! They set the camera up in the press box area, everyone was dressed in uniform, and we played a couple of winnings. Penny just wanted us to play. It was this beautiful night, a light breeze, and it genuinely felt like we were back in 1943. It was surreal, because wherever you looked, everyone was in period clothing, we were all in period uniforms, and the dug-out, and all of it, it was just so cool. It was just so real and amazing.

After such a start, was it difficult to move on to the next project?

Well, I was always—I know this might sound a bit annoying—but I never took any role I got for granted, because it’s such a competitive field. One of my teammates, Ann Ramsey, ended up on a sitcom, Mad About You, in the early ’90s with Helen Hunt and Paul Reiser. I went to see her on the show, and it was really cool to watch, because it combined television with live theater, having a live audience.

Eventually, I got cast in sitcoms myself, which brought me to LA. From there, I started doing more sitcoms, then moved on to hour-long dramas, and it just spiraled from there.

You’ve done comedy, drama, horror, thrillers, and TV series. Is there a genre you don’t feel comfortable in?

Silent movies! [laughs] No, really, it’s all fun and fascinating, it depends on what the story is and what the character is.

You said in an interview that the most important thing in the film industry is being able to say "thank you" and "please." Why?

I think manners are very important, and there is a lot of dysfunction in any industry. But if somebody does something for you to get you a role, or a part, or move your career along, it’s important to say thank you. Because you cannot do anything by yourself, There is no lone wolf. You don’t get anywhere you want to be without other people helping you along the way. So, it's important that you be respectful and acknowledge those people that have helped you in the process.

The very nature of film or television is kind of abusive, in a way. The hours are crazy. You know, actors, at least on a union job like SAG-AFTRA, work 12 hours on, 12 hours off. But the crew works even longer hours. So you’ve got people putting in these really long hours, often in tough, challenging conditions, all for the final product.

Nothing happens in a vacuum. I can’t do a period piece without the right clothing, which means the costume designer, wardrobe team, hair and makeup—they spend so much time and energy to make you look like a character from the 1940s, or even Cleopatra, you know? And then there’s the production designer, making sure things look authentic and help communicate the foundation of the story, ensuring the world they create is believable.

So, you really can’t do anything in a vacuum—it’s a tough industry. I remember working with Clint Eastwood. My brother had worked with him on a film, and later, I worked with him on Sully and did a small part in another one. He’s worked with the same crew and people over eight or nine films because he just doesn’t tolerate any difficult personalities. You don’t have time for that. It’s grueling work, and you want to ensure the people around you are professional, know what they’re doing, are gracious, and work hard. They show up, and they say please and thank you.

It’s a simple thing, but manners matter. People work so hard, and acknowledging their effort goes a long way. It really does. And it’s just about being a decent human being, right?

In such a grueling industry, you want to make sure the people you’re working with are professional. They know what they’re doing, they’re gracious, they work hard, they show up, and they say please and thank you. It’s such a simple thing, but manners matter. People work incredibly hard, and acknowledging their effort goes a long way. It really does. It’s just about being a decent human being, right?

Did you ever feel like you have an affinity for math or politics, like your mother did? Or was it clear from your young age that you would follow in your father’s footsteps?

The political side of my family really came from my mother’s activism and also my father, who had a relationship with the Berrigan brothers—two Jesuit priests involved in the peace movement during the ‘60s and ‘70s, especially in New York. They’re part of Plowshares, which still exists as a peace movement, and they were very active during the Vietnam War and all that.

So, we were always kind of progressive, left-leaning, but also big on accountability—people being responsible for their behavior. My mother and father gave us a lot of different experiences as kids to see what would stick. And I think they were a little baffled when we all ended up in film and television. You know, like when a dog looks at you, tilting its head, as if to say, “What?” I think my parents were like that when we got into the industry, just thinking, What the hell?

Would you say you’ve lived the American dream?

Yes, when I was a kid, I had dreams about being an actress and having certain kinds of experiences. I’ve been very fortunate, and I don’t take it for granted that I’ve been able to do everything I’ve done or work with so many incredible people.

Did the dream match the reality? Well, living those dreams turned out a bit different from what I imagined as a kid because dreams, after all, are grounded in reality. Fantasies are another thing, but I think dreams are attainable if you work for them, which everyone should.

I got to live a lot of that dream. I carried a half-hour sitcom, led an independent film, and appeared in major features. I’ve worked with Oscar-winning directors, writers, actors, and been in Emmy-winning television shows. I’m truly grateful—I know I’m part of the 1% of the 1%.

Is there one word that describes you as a person?

Silly. Yes, I think that’s the one I’d like, at any rate.

How would you complete this sentence—"I’m a person who loves..."

Chocolate mousse! Really, I do. But I’d also say I’m a person who loves … That’s a hard sentence to answer, because there’s so many ways that you can go with it.

I love it when people are kind to each other, and I think we could use a lot more of that. I love it when people are allowed to be who they are, and they are not judged, or criticized for who they love, what they look like, what their passions are, and how they move through the world. And chocolate mousse.

Ann Cusack is an American actress and singer, born on May 22, 1961, in Brooklyn, New York, USA. She was raised in Evanston, Illinois, and is one of five siblings, including her well-known siblings, actors Joan and John Cusack. Her mother was a mathematics teacher and political activist, and her father, Dick Cusack (1925–2003), was an actor, producer, and writer. Cusack trained at a theatre workshop in Evanston before graduating from Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts.

Her first major film role was in the sports comedy-drama A League of Their Own (1992). She also appeared in Multiplicity (1996), Stigmata (1999), and Sully (2016), the biographical drama directed by Clint Eastwood and based on the book Highest Duty by Sully Sullenberger and Jeffrey Zaslow. Cusack has also had roles in numerous television series, including Grey's Anatomy, Bones, Ally McBeal, Rizzoli & Isles, Scandal, Private Practice, and Criminal Minds.