Episode #462
John Cusack Breaks Down Momo: Artaud, Aliens & a Rescue From an Insane Asylum
John Cusack Breaks Down Momo: Artaud, Aliens & a Rescue From an Insane Asylum John Cusack is back on Reza Rifts, and this time the conversation has nothing to do with the movies that made him famous. He sits down with Keith Reza to break down Momo, his debut graphic novel from Mad Cave Studios, hitting shelves September 29. What starts as a book talk turns into a full on history lesson. Cusack walks through the real life threads behind the story: Antonin Artaud, the French surrealist who once terrified all of Europe, Jackie Gleason, Richard Nixon, and a White House flight log with one name blacked out. He explains what actually happened, what he invented, and why he let the myths stay in. Cusack also gets into the craft. He wrote Momo in a loose screenplay form, built footnotes into the pages so readers could hear the soundtrack in their heads, and handed the art over to Ignacio Noe with one instruction: draw what you want. He talks about touring the book at San Diego Comic Con, what real fans pick up on, and the next project he and Noe already have in the works, The Chemical Wedding. Then the two of them get loose. Rejected roles, the Breaking Bad rumor, the Frasier voiceover he swears he does not remember recording, an unexpected John Mahoney connection, Internet dating rumors, a shout out for Kate Miller, and Cusack's own theory on how the pyramids were really built. Funny, honest, and full of surprises, this is the kind of conversation that only happens on Reza Rifts. GUEST INFO John Cusack is an American actor, producer, and screenwriter born June 28, 1966 in Evanston, Illinois. Over a career spanning more than four decades he has appeared in over ninety films, moving from teen comedy to crime drama to satire without ever losing his own voice. He broke through in the 1980s with Sixteen Candles, Better Off Dead, The Sure Thing, Stand by Me, and Say Anything, then reinvented himself in the 1990s with The Grifters, Bullets Over Broadway, Grosse Pointe Blank, Con Air, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, and Being John Malkovich. In 2000 he earned a Golden Globe nomination for High Fidelity. Later credits include Identity, Runaway Jury, 1408, 2012, Hot Tub Time Machine, The Butler, Love & Mercy, and Maps to the Stars, which won him the 2014 Canadian Screen Award for Best Supporting Actor. Momo is his debut graphic novel. It is written by Cusack, illustrated by Argentine artist Ignacio Noe, published by Mad Cave Studios, and released September 29, 2026. This marks his second appearance on Reza Rifts. GUEST SOCIAL LINKS Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/johncusack X: https://x.com/johncusack Threads: https://www.threads.com/@johncusack Momo (graphic novel): https://madcavestudios.com/product/momo-vol-1/ CHAPTERS 00:00 Welcome to Reza Rifts 02:13 John Cusack Returns 03:25 Why Writing Momo Was Pure Freedom 05:35 San Diego Comic Con and the Real Fans 09:20 Jackie Gleason, The Exorcist, and the Truth Behind the Book 10:55 Discovering Antonin Artaud 14:25 How Momo Was Born with Mark Leyner 16:05 The Nixon Helicopter and the Redacted Name 18:15 The Three Act Structure of Momo 20:30 E. Emmett Walsh and Casting the Momo Movie 21:45 Writing Momo Like a Screenplay 24:35 Footnotes, Soundtracks, and Hawaii Five-O 25:30 The Chemical Wedding and the Return of Momo 29:05 Chicago, Judy Maxwell Home, and the Stand Up Scene 30:55 Rejected Roles, Breaking Bad, and As Good as It Gets 33:20 The Frasier Voiceover Mystery and John Mahoney 34:25 IMDb Dating Rumors and Internet Myths 35:35 A Message for Kate Miller 36:25 How the Pyramids Were Really Built 38:25 1972, Time Travel, and the Secrets of Momo 41:20 Where to Get Momo and Final Thoughts CALL TO ACTION Like, comment, subscribe, and turn on notifications for Reza Rifts with Keith Reza. Rate and review on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Share this episode with a John Cusack fan, a comic book reader, or anyone who loves a good story about how a wild idea becomes a real book. HOST LINKS Support the show on https://patreon.com/rezarifts61 Follow Keith on all social media platforms: FB: https://www.facebook.com/realkeithreza IG: https://www.instagram.com/keithreza ALT IG: https://www.instagram.com/duhkeithreza X: https://www.twitter.com/keithreza TT: https://www.tiktok.com/keithreza Book Keith on cameo at www.cameo.com/keithreza Check out my website for dates at https://www.keithreza.com/ Subscribe - Rate & Review on Apple Podcasts - Tell a friend :) Be a Rifter! #JohnCusack #Momo #MomoGraphicNovel #JohnCusackInterview #MadCaveStudios #IgnacioNoe #GraphicNovel #ComicBooks #ComicBookPodcast #ActorInterview #CelebrityInterview #Hollywood #AntoninArtaud #JackieGleason #RichardNixon #SayAnything #HighFidelity #GrossePointeBlank #Podcast #ComedyPodcast #EntertainmentPodcast #NewComicBookDay
