# The “perfect” 1989 role John Cusack will always regret never playing: “It’s his”

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/the-perfect-1989-role-john-cusack-will-always-regret-never-playing-its-his/
- Published: 2026-10-30T19:45:00+00:00
- Updated: 2026-10-30T20:33:54+00:00
- Original publisher: Far Out
- Original article: https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/perfect-1989-role-john-cusack-always-regret-never-playing/
- Topics: Music

## Key points

- Cusack says he was never offered Walter White.
- Bryan Cranston’s performance was “meant to be his”.
- Matt Dillon starred in the 1989 film Drugstore Cowboy.

## Summary

John Cusack says he never turned down the role of Walter White in Breaking Bad: he asked creator Vince Gilligan, who told him no offer had been made. Cusack also praised Bryan Cranston’s performance, saying the role belonged to him.

The article also considers Cusack as a possible fit for Drugstore Cowboy, the 1989 film starring Matt Dillon, whose performance helped establish director Gus Van Sant’s career. Cusack and Dillon were both prominent actors at the time, but Cusack was known for comedies and starred in Say Anything that same year. The piece contrasts Cusack’s later career with the acclaim Breaking Bad brought Cranston.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.