John Cusack in 'Frozen Ground': Serial Killer Role 'Chose Me'

Actor John Cusack will play the role of a serial killer for his next film, "Frozen Ground," although the actor said that he "didn't choose the role" -- it chose him.

"Frozen Ground" tells the story of an Alaskan state trooper, played by Nicholas Cage, that is determined to bring down a serial killer after 13 years of being on the hunt. The killer, played by Cusack, enjoys picking teen prostitutes off of the street. After they are captured, he lets them loose in the forest and proceeds to hunt them down. The film is based on a true story.

But Cusack is known for very different roles, often playing the charmer in romantic films. When asked about why he chose to play a serial killer, he responded by stating,"Well, I didn't really choose it."

"It sort of chooses you. That's the way it goes," he said in an interview with The Guardian.

Admitting the his new role was a "hard character to play" Cusack explained that getting into character is "a journey where you're sort of going to the other side and seeing if you can come back without going crazy or becoming a drug addict or a psychopath".

After reading a book about sociopaths to better identify with his character, Cusack said he learned that sociopaths who kill have no empathy for other human beings.

"And I thought: how would you portray that? I came to the terrible conclusion, after going around in circles, that he was having a good time," the actor said.

Of course, Cusack had played the role of the serial killer before in "Paperboy." More recently the actor played Edgar Allen Poe in "The Raven." In contrast, he has also starred in films like "The Martian Child" where he plays the heartwrenching role of a father to a boy who doesn't fit in.

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