LOS ANGELES – In the wake of Brian Wilson’s passing at 82, John Cusack, who embodied the legendary musician in the 2014 biopic Love & Mercy, recalls the profound access he was granted into Wilson’s life. Cusack spoke of Wilson’s willingness to expose the darker chapters of his life, especially following the Smile sessions, a period cusack described as “much less known.”

Cusack emphasized the extraordinary access granted to him by Wilson and his wife melinda Ledbetter, which allowed him to deeply understand Wilson’s character. He recounted spending time at their home, visiting Wilson’s favourite diner, and observing him in his music room, where Wilson was frequently enough found “strumming” on a piano.

Cusack noted the synchronicity during filming, particularly with Paul Dano, who played the younger Wilson. Initially, they avoided discussing their portrayals to maintain distinct perspectives. However, they later discovered a shared “entry point” into Wilson through the smile sessions. Cusack explained, “I had some version of that going around me every waking hour that I wasn’t filming. That was sort of my language into him, some doorway into him. And I just thought it was captivating, after not talking at all, that Paul and I picked the same one.”

Wilson’s generosity extended beyond the film, as he invited Cusack and Dano to perform with him at the wrap party, handing Cusack the lyrics to “Do It Again.” Cusack later joined Wilson onstage at the Pitchfork Music Festival in 2016 to sing “Sloop John B.” They maintained contact, exchanging holiday cards. Cusack described Wilson as “such a mythological figure” whose “heart was as big as you think it was,” adding, “He was just extraordinary, like otherworldly.”

Cusack emphasized the importance Wilson placed on authenticity in the film, stating, “He really did give me access into his life, he and Melinda, so I could kind of learn and find out what it was like for him and how he lived.They were very generous about it. And I think they wanted the movie to get it right, number one.”

Wilson’s openness about his mental health struggles was driven by a desire to help others, Cusack explained: “But I also think he approached the troubled aspect of his life with the same kind of open, raw, big-hearted way that he approached, I think, anything, which was: lay it all out there, tell the truth, let it out. So he wanted all the darkness exposed becuase he thought that would help take away the stigma of mental illness away from others, that it could help other people.”

Cusack described Wilson as “a very complex guy” who was acutely aware of his surroundings, despite his eccentric demeanor. “There’s a difference between someone who thinks about music all the time and somebody who literally can’t get the tune out of their head,they can’t not hear music.But he was actually very aware, and more aware than people think – he just came across as a very eccentric, big-hearted person.”

Recalling a particularly poignant moment during the filming of the breakdown scene in the studio,Cusack shared an anecdote about Wilson’s unexpected arrival: “When we were doing the scene where Brian breaks down in the same studio where he recorded all those things…Someone taps me on the shoulder, and they say, ‘Brian’s here.’ And I said, ‘Brian who?’ And they say, ‘Wilson.’ And I say, ‘What?’ He didn’t tell anyone he was coming. The director didn’t even know he was there. He just showed up five minutes before the breakdown scene.”

Cusack continued,”Now,that day,I chose to wear [a Hawaiian shirt] because Brian wore these kind of Hawaiian shirts…He says, ‘Hey, how you doing, man. I just want to talk.’ I looked around, and – everyone was just staggered – he just showed up…[And then it was] roll the cameras, something’s about to happen. And you can’t really explain that.How do you explain that? He was just in-tuned and decided he would drop in at that moment.”

wilson’s approach to Cusack’s portrayal was more about absorbing energy than offering direct advice: “[He didn’t advise anyone on how to portray him.] He would just sort of look at you and look over your head and talk to you. and he would just try to really absorb you and your energy.”

Cusack shared a touching anecdote about Wilson’s reaction after the film’s completion: “When we finished the film, he took a music pad, wrote up lyrics to ‘Love and Mercy’ and Melinda was like, ‘Well, he’d never done that before.'”