90s heartthrob John Cusack ignites plastic surgery rumors with unrecognizable taut appearance on new podcast

John Cusack's newly taut appearance set tongues wagging over possible plastic surgery during his latest appearance on a podcast this week

The heartthrob, 60, best known for his appearances in iconic films including Serendipity, Sixteen Candles and Con Air, showed off a new look as he discussed his legendary career on the newest episode of the Happy Sad Confused with Josh Horowitz podcast.

As Cusack waxed lyrical about 1989 romantic teen comedy Say Anything, all attention turned to his face, with one fan quipping he was 'turning into Barry Manilow' – referencing the legendary singer's facelift.

Others claimed, without verification, that the actor had gone under the knife and took to the comment section to air their thoughts.

One wrote: 'I’ll take super-obvious face lifts for a thousand, Alex' while a second typed: 'Oy vey the facial fillers must stop…'

Others typed: 'Oh honey, his face,' 'These guys and their facelifts!', 'What has he done, looks like Liza Minnelli' and 'Ohhhh no they got john.'

John Cusack's newly-taut appearance set tongues wagging over possible plastic surgery during his latest appearance on a podcast this week

Cusack is pictured in 2016 at the Berlinale International Film Festival

The actor is seen with Anthony Michael Hall and Darren Harris in Sixteen Candles in 1984

Some followers defended the star against trolling, saying 'People in these comments: John is 60 years old! People still think he is in his 20s?'

Others wrote: 'He’s always so calm, polite and grounded!', 'Love every one of his movies' and 'so handsome.'

The Daily Mail has contacted representatives for Cusack for comment and has yet to hear back.

During the candid chat, Cusack finally addressed a long-standing rumor that he declined the lead role on monster hit series, Breaking Bad, which Bryan Cranston starred in. 

He said: 'Some of those things are so weird, because there was this whole riff that I had turned down Walter White. And I never ever remembered that, and I was like, did that happen and I blacked it out? Did I lose time?

'I met [Breaking Bad creator] Vince Gilligan in New York, and I was like, "Hey, man, I love your show, it’s awesome. I gotta know, everyone is saying you offered me that — did you offer me that?” He was like, "No." I was like, "Thank you, Vince!”

Known for his work on several coming-of-age dramas in the 1980s such as Sixteen Candles and Stand By Me, in recent years, Cusack has undertaken less high-profile projects.

Speaking to The Guardian in 2020, he explained that it wasn't a case of not wanting to make movies, but more that Hollywood was giving him the cold shoulder.

He mused: 'In the last few years, I haven't been able to get projects financed. That could be a function of getting older. Or it could be a function of being cold...

As Cusack waxed lyrical about 1989 romantic teen comedy Say Anything, all attention turned to his face, with one fan quipping he was 'turning into Barry Manilow' - referencing the legendary singer's facelift

Others claimed, without verification, that the actor had gone under the knife and took to the comment section to air their thoughts - pictured R in 2019

Others defended the star and branded him 'so handsome' 

Cusack is pictured with Ione Skye in 1989 film, Say Anything 

Cusack starred with Kate Beckinsale in 2001 film, Serendipity

'I haven't really been hot for a long time.'

Cusack is known more for his outspoken political views, notably rallying against President Trump and defending Palestine.

His last American film role came in 2025 in Fog of War and he has starred in two Chinese films, Dragon Blade with Jackie Chan in 2010, and spy-thriller Decoded in 2024, which was a box office hit in China.

John is also on online marketplace Cameo, where fans pay celebrities, athletes and influencers to record short, personalised video messages – he charges $199+ per recording.