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John Cusack Movie Inspired by Ban on Press Photos of Flag-Draped Coffins Editor and Publisher | June 9 2006 CHICAGO John Cusack's motivation for his latest film grew out of something he did not see -- flag-draped caskets returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. Pentagon policy bans media coverage of America's war dead as their remains are returned. The administration of U.S. President George Bush has strongly enforced the ban, something Cusack describes as "one of the most shameful, disgraceful, cowardly political acts that I've seen in my lifetime." So the actor started looking for a project that would illustrate "what happens when the coffins come home." The result is "Grace Is Gone," a small, independent film in which Cusack plays a man whose wife Grace is killed in service in Iraq. Filming wrapped last month. The movie's producers -- who include Cusack -- will be looking for a distributor or film festival opportunities. Cusack's character, Stanley, delays telling his two daughters about their mother's death, instead taking them on a road trip while the former military man sorts out his complicated feelings about the war. While Cusack's motivation for taking the part are political, he insists the movie is not. "It's kind of a spiritual story about grief and, hopefully, a little bit of redemption," Cusack said recently. The screenplay was written by James C. Strouse, who penned "Lonesome Jim," which was directed by Steve Buscemi and released earlier this year. Grace Is Gone marks his directorial debut. While Grace is set in a vague Midwestern city, most of the six-week shoot took place in Chicago due to Cusack's influence. He grew up in suburban Evanston and divides his time between homes in Chicago and Los Angeles. ---------------------------------------------------
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