Los Angeles, Dec 27 (NationPress) Hollywood actor John Cusack has revealed that he invested considerable effort into his bold display of affection in ‘Say Anything’. It wasn't as effortless as it appears.

Over 35 years after Cusack's character, Lloyd Dobler, became a cultural icon by raising a boombox outside Diane Court’s window, portrayed by Ione Skye, while Peter Gabriel’s “In Your Eyes” resonated, the 59-year-old actor confessed that he originally “didn’t know how to do it,” as reported by ‘People’ magazine.

“I was uncertain about how to portray it because I viewed the character as someone sitting outside, lamenting and saying, ‘Please come back to me’,” Cusack shared during a screening of the film at New York City’s Kings Theatre on November 30. “Men tend to possess pride, right?” However, he soon “figured that part out.”

“He sensed something was amiss, perhaps with her father, or that someone was influencing her,” he elaborated about his character in the film directed by Cameron Crowe. “I thought, initially, I don't quite know how to do this. Eventually, I realized at the film's conclusion, ‘What if he’s genuinely rebellious? That’s what made it resonate’.”

According to People, Cusack also disclosed that he accepted the iconic role on the condition that Crowe, 68, would allow him to modify parts of the script. After his initial reading, he recognized that many films depicted youth through the perspective of a “45 to 50-year-old professional writer in the dialogue of characters.”

What changes did he want for Lloyd’s character? Cusack stated that “the character was inherently optimistic but lacked any darker elements.” Thus, he aimed to showcase Lloyd as “actively choosing optimism,” emphasizing that it portrayed him as “somewhat heroic.”

“It resembles a song by (John) Lennon and (Paul) McCartney. McCartney expresses, ‘You must admit it's improving. It's getting better all the time.’ Then Lennon counters, ‘It can't get any worse.’ That encapsulates the essence of that character,” he added.