After working together no less than six times before on screen, John and Joan Cusack might get another chance to appear together in the remake of 1975 thriller, THE STEPFORD WIVES -- With Joan already confirmed to play a hard-drinking, sarcastic wife pre a touch of robot transformation, little brother John is now in talks to star opposite Nicole Kidman in the reworking of the quietly feminist tale. (March 8, 2003)
One of Hollywood's funniest and most underappreciated actresses, Joan Cusack was for years relegated to playing the buddy sidekicks of her more glamorous co-stars and known primarily as John Cusack's older sister.
In the softball game scene, Cusack wears a Peaches baseball cap, a reference to A League of Their Own, which was directed by Penny Marshall (director Garry Marshall's sister) and which co-starred Anne Cusack (Joan's sister).
Joan and John are real-life siblings as they also play brother and sister in SAY ANYTHING (1989).
Was nominated Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for IN & OUT in 1998 and for WORKING GIRL in 1989.
Joan's entire family are actors or actresses, including all four siblings and her parents.
Nominated for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture at Golden Globe Awards for IN & OUT (1998)
Joan and John used to put on family plays in the garage. Joan would play the princess; their sister Ann would play the queen, but baby brother John would always get stuck playing the dog. In the '80s, Joan was a member of the Chicago improv group, An Impulsive Thing, with Bonnie Hunt.
Joan Cusack Detailed Biography
Joan was born in New York on October 11th, 1962, but was raised in Evanston, Illinois. Her dad was an actor, and Joan would follow in his footsteps along with siblings John, Bill and Ann. They trained at the Piven Theatre Workshop in Evanston from a very young age and grew up performing on stage. Joan was not a part of the "in" crowd at school, and was a shy and introverted young woman except when she was on stage.
Like her brother John, Joan made her debut in silly 1980's teen romps. Her first big screen appearance came in My Bodyguard, about a bully who gets his payback. More of the same followed, including 1983's Class, which marked the debut of her little brother. In 1985, Joan was offered a spot on the Saturday Night Live roster. She took the job with anticipation, long having been a fan of sketch and improv comedy. While studying English at the University of Wisconsin, she had spent a lot her time performing with The Ark, the school's improv troupe. However, SNL did not end up being to her liking. Cusack claimed that all of the best material was offered to the men, which left the women very little to work with. She left after only one season.
The move ended up being good for her career. Her time on the show had given her enough exposure to land a role in Broadcast News, playing supporting actress to Holly Hunter. Working Girl followed, where she played supporting actress to Melanie Griffith. The latter role earned Joan her first Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress.
Joan was quickly building a solid reputation as being the actress to call if you needed a ‘buddy' for your glamorous star. She filled her role for Michelle Pfeiffer in Married to the Mob, and for a host of other actresses. Cusack was finally offered a lead in Steve Martin's My Blue Heaven, but the experience proved trying for Joan, who did not get along with director Herbert Ross. After the whole ordeal was over, Cusack ended up being overshadowed by Martin's over-the-top comedy.
Trying to put the whole experience behind her, Joan moved back home to Chicago. Fed up with L.A., she had to get back to her roots. In 1993, she married corporate attorney Richard Burke, and for the next few years concentrated on her marriage and starting a family. During this time, Joan barely appeared at the multiplex, making her personal life a priority.
In 1997, Joan Cusack came roaring back. Content with her new life and still living in Chicago, she went about forging a comeback. First came Gr osse Pointe Blank, in which she co-starred as the secretary of the hitman played by her brother John. That same year she appeared in In and Out as a fiancé who gets jilted at the altar when her groom realizes he's gay. Although the film was just fluffy fun, Cusack's role was felt to be so wonderful that she found herself once again nominated for a Best Supporting Actress Oscar.
Since her return, Joan has found herself offered a greater variety of roles than the first time around. She continues to work with John whenever possible, and the two have a close relationship. They appeared together most recently in Cradle Will Rock and High Fidelity. The duo are also developing a sitcom which John will write and in which Joan will star as an actress who returns home to Chicago to escape L.A.
