Cusack: 'Actors aren't tortured artists'

John Cusack has dismissed the idea that actors are tortured artists.

The Hollywood star, whose upcoming blockbuster 2012 opens on November 13, said that he does not subscribe to the belief that those in his profession need to struggle in their craft.

"I probably believed in it a bit when I was younger," he told The Guardian. "Actors are weird enough as it is. We don't need to act tortured. I'm probably tortured enough."

Cusack added that he enjoys making risky choices with his roles, comparing the filmmaking process to going to war.

"With acting, you wanna see if you can get into trouble without knowing how you're gonna get out of it," he said. "It's like the exact opposite of war, where you need an exit strategy. When you're acting, you should get all the way into trouble with no exit strategy, and have the cameras rolling."

He continued: "Acting can be pretty challenging. I can't say making a romantic comedy is challenging, but to do anything well, you have to put yourself into it. If I'm doing some commercial movie just to keep my name in the public eye, then it's just a job. You don't have to sweat it too hard."

> Video preview: 5 minutes of destruction in 2012