'The Q&As get pretty rowdy': See John Cusack at 'High Fidelity' screening Sunday

As he prepared to adapt British author Nick Hornby's “High Fidelity” for the screen, actor-screenwriter John Cusack drew on his local roots to reset the story from London to Chicago.

In the end, the romantic comedy showcased the city as more than just a setting: Chicago played a major role in the 2000 film's plot and in influencing how the characters act. And viewers got a real feel for the city.

For Evanston native Cusack — who returns to the suburbs to host a “High Fidelity” screening at 6 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 10, at Waukegan's Genesee Theatre — capturing his hometown in such a way was critical.

“That was what we tried to do,” Cusack said in a phone interview. “We ... shot Chicago in a way that was very authentic and hadn't really been seen that much. So I was happy with our effort on that.”

Directed by Stephen Frears, “High Fidelity” focuses on record store owner Rob Gordon (Cusack) as he tries to figure out where his relationship with Laura (Iben Hjejle) went wrong and how to get her back.

Filmed in Chicago's Wicker Park neighborhood, the film is set largely within Gordon's record shop, Championship Vinyl, and includes his interactions with fellow music snobs, employees Dick (Todd Louiso) and Barry (Jack Black, in his breakout role).

As a co-writer, Cusack was tasked with adapting Hornby's 1995 novel. The challenge was making it work for an American audience without losing the warmth and authenticity that made the book so relatable.

For Cusack, setting it in Chicago was an obvious choice.

“When I read the book, I knew the characters — absolutely, 100 percent. All you had to do was take away the British accents,” he explained of his idea to change the setting. “The Brits (in the book) were more obsessed with R&B and soul music, you know? And we were more obsessed with the stuff coming out of Europe — the British punk and new wave. If you just switch those? They're the same guys,” he said, noting the musical shift that defines the film adaptation.

Cusack said the themes — about how people experience music and how music “marks the years in your life” — are universal.

“It had nothing to do, to me, with whether it was Britain or Chicago,” he said.

Cusack's suburban upbringing, listening to the radio and visiting record stores like Vintage Vinyl in Evanston, played a major role in how he envisioned Gordon's Championship Vinyl store.

“(Vintage Vinyl) in Evanston was, I think, probably the one in my head that I related to most. Because that was when I was growing up in high school,” explained the Evanston Township grad of his days perusing suburban shops. “(Northwestern's) WNUR, 'XRT — all those things,” he continued, noting the local radio influence.

Music is central to driving the plot of “High Fidelity” thanks to a diverse soundtrack that features everything from Bob Dylan and the Velvet Underground to Elvis Costello and Stevie Wonder. Even Jack Black is featured, handling the lead vocal on a cover of Marvin Gaye's “Let's Get It On” a year and a half before his band Tenacious D released its first album.

In addition to “High Fidelity,” Cusack has starred in “Say Anything” and “Grosse Pointe Blank,” which also feature terrific soundtracks. “Grosse Pointe Blank,” starting with its title, contains suburban references despite its Michigan setting, and Cusack is acutely aware how a terrific soundtrack can help drive the narrative.

“Music is a big deal. If you listen to the Scorsese films — 'Good Fellas' or any of his films — the needle drops to those movies and you can't think of a great Scorsese movie without the Phil Ramone sound in a way,” Cusack explained. “'Grosse Pointe Blank' and 'High Fidelity' were big needle-drop movies. On 'Grosse Pointe,' we had Joe Strummer doing the score, but we were also using a lot of his music, a lot of his Clash music and a lot of other music. I couldn't have made those movies without the needle drops and that kind of music.”

For Cusack, who was nominated for a Golden Globe for his performance, “High Fidelity” lends itself well to events like the upcoming screening in Waukegan and the live conversation scheduled to follow.

“You know, I'm not one who usually looks backwards too much, but I thought, 'Well, wait a minute — there are people who like the movie. And if people want to go see it in a nice packed hall with a great sound system, and have some fun, why not?' Sounds fun to me,” Cusack said. “People are real smart about wanting to talk about it. They have real specific questions about why things were done or choices that were made in the movie. The Q&As get pretty rowdy. People ask a lot of crazy questions and we laugh. It's pretty fun.”