John Cusack’s latest interview has sparked a savage reaction online, with some viewers more interested in his appearance than the major casting rumor he was discussing.

The 60-year-old appeared on Josh Horowitz’s Happy Sad Confused podcast, where the conversation turned to whether he had ever been offered the role of Walter White in Breaking Bad. But footage from the interview sent fans in a very different direction about whether he’d had any plastic surgery.

Several commenters immediately began picking apart the Hollywood star’s looks and claiming the star had a “new face”. It comes as the star unleashed a scathing attack on President Trump, telling him to “go to hell” in a recent interview. It comes after Michael Jackson’s harrowing autopsy revealed a grim tattoo detail.

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In the footage shared on Instagram, John, best known for films including Say Anything, High Fidelity and Con Air, sits opposite the interviewer wearing a black zip-up top, with a microphone positioned in front of him. Several commenters immediately began picking apart his looks and claiming the star had a “new face”.

One viewer asked, “Who is that ?” Another wrote, “That lacquer job on the hair ain’t fooling anybody.” A third delivered a particularly harsh verdict, writing, “As my generation, I would have just loved to see him age normally. He’d be so cute still. This face is creepy.”

Other replies speculated about cosmetic treatments, blasting: “John Cusack was/is one of my favorite actors. He got a facelift. Getting old in Hollywood is not easy, but let’s hope this is a fresh one and it will settle.”

The backlash also sparked a fierce defense of the actor, with supporters accusing other viewers of being unnecessarily cruel.

One wrote, “These comments are horrid. Leave John alone. He’s a fantastic actor and a wonderful person. My fave.”

Another urged, “Let the man age. Let him look however the f**k he looks.”

Meanwhile, some viewers stuck to the interview’s subject about rumours he was offered the role of Walter White. One commented, “Totally irrelevant, because the show would have been nowhere near the hit it was without Cranston in the lead.”

The Walter White rumor has followed John for years, but he previously denied receiving an offer for the part. Bryan Cranston ultimately played the chemistry teacher turned drug kingpin throughout the acclaimed drama’s five seasons.

John’s latest podcast appearance comes after he explained why he had been exploring a different creative outlet.

Speaking to Variety at San Diego Comic-Con in July, he discussed Momo, his graphic novel made with illustrator Ignacio Noé. John said he wanted the freedom to tell his story without executives intervening.

He explained, “I always thought [graphic novels] were the closest things to film, really.” John added, “You’re picking out shots; they’re so cinematic.”

The actor said he wrote the story before bringing Ignacio on board to create the illustrations.

He explained that neither his writing nor the artist’s drawings had been edited by anybody else, and the project “allowed him to develop his own ideas without having to negotiate how the story would ultimately be told.”