One of the most iconic romantic comedies of the 1980s is John Cusack’s Say Anything. The scene of Lloyd Dobler holding a boombox playing Peter Gabriel’s 'In Your Eyes' outside Diane Court’s window remains memorable even today. Thanks to social media, the iconic clip of Cusack from the film continues to make the rounds online.

While the scene has not lost its spark among nostalgic fans, how would a present-day audience respond if the same moment were recreated in 2026? Cusack has a few words to share about this unique what if scenario.

John Cusack recently appeared on Josh Horowitz’s Happy Sad Confused podcast, where the actor discussed how audiences might react to Lloyd Dobler’s iconic boombox scene in Say Anything if it were recreated today. Cusack suggested that the scene could face criticism. He added that some viewers might potentially call Lloyd’s behavior stalking.

"There's a good chance if Say Anything was made today, they'd be like, 'You can't do that. You're stalking her. You know, she gave you her emotional boundaries and you're you're putting a boom box," he said.

During the conversation on the podcast, he further explained that there is a recent idea to judge characters and their actions by modern standards of what is considered acceptable. Now, what is interesting about Say Anything is that Cusack made several changes to Lloyd’s character in the script to give the character a darker side, who chose to be optimistic. During a screening last year, Cusack said that he wanted Lloyd to feel like a young, real person, rather than an idealized character.

“So I thought, I don't really know how to do it. And then finally at the end of the movie, I thought, ‘Oh, what if he's really bad? And he's more defiant.’ And that was what made it work," he said.

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With Cusack’s thoughts on his character sharing a fresh perspective on the iconic moment, fans might be curious to revisit the film.

Say Anything is a 1989 film available to rent on Amazon Prime and Apple TV. The film follows Lloyd Dobler, an optimistic young man who falls in love with the class valedictorian, Diane Court, after their high school graduation. Say Anything was Cameron Crowe’s directorial debut, and he also wrote the screenplay for the film.

John Cusack played Lloyd Dobler, while Ione Skye portrayed Diane Court. The rest of the cast includes John Mahoney, Lili Taylor, Amy Brooks, and Pamela Segall. Although Cusack's opinion might divide people, Say Anything remains among the much-loved rom-coms of that era.

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What do you think about John Cusack's opinion on Say Anything's iconic boombox scene? Let us know your take in the comments.