Things That Can and Cannot Be Said

Arundhati Roy studied architecture in New Delhi, where she now lives. She is the author of the novels The God of Small Things, for which she received the 1997 Booker Prize, and The Ministry of Utmost Happiness. A collection of her essays from the past twenty years, My Seditious Heart, was recently published by Haymarket Books.

With an impressive body of work spanning the course of three decades, John Cusack has evolved into one of Hollywood's most accomplished and respected actors of his generation, garnering both critical acclaim as well as prestigious accolades for his dramatic and comedic roles. Most recently, Cusack appeared in the WWII spy film "Fog of War," playing Robert, a conflicted intelligence officer navigating moral ambiguity during the war; "Detective Chinatown 1900," a historical Chinese blockbuster directed by Chen Sicheng and Dai Mo; and Chinese espionage thriller "Decoded," which focused on wartime code-breaking and intelligence. In 2020, Cusack was seen in Prime Video's SciFi series, "Utopia," in which he stars as Dr. Kevin Christie, a charismatic, media-savvy, and brilliant biotech mind who wants to change the world through science. "Utopia" is based on Dennis Kelly's British series of the same name and highly acclaimed author Gillian Flynn served as executive producer and showrunner. Cusack first gained the attention of audiences by starring in a number of 1980's film classics such as "The Sure Thing," "Say Anything" and "Sixteen Candles." Following these roles, Cusack successfully shed his teen-heartthrob image by demonstrating his ability to expand his film repertoire by starring in a wide range of dramas, thrillers and comedies including "The Grifters," "Eight Men Out," "Being John Malkovich," "High Fidelity" and "Grosse Pointe Blank." In recent years, Cusack starred in Bill Pohland's "Love and Mercy," in which he played iconic Beach Boys songwriter and musician Brian Wilson. Cusack starred opposite Paul Dano, Elizabeth Banks and Paul Giamatti as Wilson in the later years of his life. Cusack also starred in David Cronenberg's, "Maps to the Stars" alongside Julianne Moore, Robert Pattinson and Mia Wasikowska, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival. The satirical drama is an analysis of the entertainment industry's relationship with Western civilization as a whole. Cusack also appeared in a supporting role in Spike Lee's "Chi-Raq," alongside Teyonah Parris, Nick Cannon and Samuel L. Jackson, Lee Daniels' drama, "The Paperboy," opposite Nicole Kidman, Zac Efron and Matthew McConaughey and in James McTeigue's independent thriller "The Raven," where he portrayed the infamous author, Edgar Allen Poe. Additionally, in 2009 he starred in Roland Emmerich's apocalyptic thriller, "2012." Released by Sony Pictures, the international blockbuster went on to gross more than $766 million worldwide. In 2001, Cusack was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical for his role in the feature version of Nick Hornby's English novel, ""High Fidelity,"" for Touchstone Pictures. In addition to starring in the film, Cusack also co-produced and co-wrote the script with Steve Pink and D.V. DeVincentis. The film also stars Jack Black, Lisa Bonet, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Joan Cusack. In 1999, Cusack starred in the dark comedy ""Being John Malkovich"" for USA Films. Cusack's performance earned him an Independent Spirit Award nomination in the category of Best Actor. Some of his other feature film credits include: "The Frozen Ground", "Hot Tub Time Machine", "War Inc.", "Grace Is Gone", "The Ice Harvest", "Runaway Jury", "Identity", "Max", "Cradle Will Rock", "The Thin Red Line", "Con Air", "City Hall", "Bullets Over Broadway", "The Road to Wellville", "True Colors", "Broadcast News", "Serendipity", "Better Off Dead" and "Stand By Me." In April 2012, the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce presented Cusack with a Hollywood Walk of Fame star, honoring his long, ground-breaking career in film. Cusack resides in Chicago.