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Timeline: Tom Cruise's biggest moments

By Ned Ehrbar

May 16, 2016 / 5:02 PM EDT / CBS News

"I feel the need ... the need for speed!" It's been 30 years since "Top Gun" hit theaters and Tom Cruise was catapulted into the movie star stratosphere. To celebrate, let's take a look back at some of the highlights and more eyebrow-raising moments of his career over the years.

"Risky Business"

While 1983's "Risky Business" marked Cruise's fifth film role, it was the part that put him on the map -- thanks in large part to this whiskey-fueled, pants-less dance around the living room to Bob Seeger.

He also really hit it off with his co-star, Rebecca De Mornay, as the pair began dating after meeting on the film and lived together in New York until they broke up in 1985.

Just three years later, Cruise's status as a bona fide movie star would be cemented with the Navy pilot drama "Top Gun," released May 16, 1986. A pop culture touchstone, it's spawned plenty of parodies and made Cruise a household name.

Always the nominee

Cruise dominated Hollywood for the rest of the '80s and into the '90s, with standout hits such as "Days of Thunder" and "Far and Away" -- co-starring second wife Nicole Kidman -- plus "Interview with the Vampire," "A Few Good Men" and "The Firm."

His '90s box office dominance hit its apex in 1996, with the release of the first "Mission: Impossible" film and "Jerry Maguire," which marked Cruise's second trip to the Oscars as a nominee. His received his first nod for 1989's "Born on the Fourth of July," and he'd go on to earn a third nomination for 1999's "Magnolia." He did win Golden Globes for all three, though.

The couch-jump heard around the world

And then this happened. Cruise paid a visit to Oprah Winfrey's talk show that would become infamous -- thanks to his oddly expressed excitement about new girlfriend Katie Holmes. After several instances of Cruise derailing the interview by dropping to his knees or jumping on the couch, he literally dragged Holmes out of the dressing room and onto the stage.

Suspicious behavior

Tom Cruise said he was just in love, but his shenanigans while promoting "War of the Worlds" seemed out of character for the normally private actor. Many were even wondering if his professed love for Katie Holmes was real -- though it turned out be real enough to lead to a marriage soon after, at least.

"It has been a whirlwind romance and nobody seems to be buying it. It has been two months of craziness - a lot of intensity very, very fast," Us Weekly's Katrina Szish said. "Any time that happens, people are going to be skeptical. And we're still waiting to see the outcome."

That Matt Lauer interview

On June 23, 2005, Tom Cruise joined Matt Lauer on the "Today" show to discuss "War Of The Worlds," his new relationship with Katie Holmes and Scientology. It did not go well.

That Scientology video

As Cruise's ties to Scientology became more explicit and he became more open about his life in the controversial religion, an internal promotional video featuring Cruise speaking at length about his faith was leaked.

As the years went on, critics of the church found speaking out to be less daunting -- like former Scientologist Leah Remini, who spoke out in 2015 about how she'd been "reprimanded" by the organization for making jokes about Cruise's behavior when courting Katie Holmes.

Tom gets the giggles

Maybe he's normal after all. In 2008, Cruise visited "the Late Show with David Letterman" for a chat that started out stilted and uncomfortable but took a delightfully bizarre turn when Cruise attempted to share a humorous anecdote about piloting his own plane -- only it was too humorous for him to get through without doubling over in fits of laughter.

So long, Katie

Katie Holmes confirmed that she had filed for divorce from Cruise on July 29, 2012 -- four days before his 50th birthday. Holmes retained primary custody of their daughter, Suri, and relocated to New York City.

Onward and upward

Post-divorce, Tom Cruise has seen something of a career resurgence, with smarter blockbuster fare like "Oblivion" and "Edge of Tomorrow" improving his profile with critics -- even if their box office receipts weren't stellar.

But the "Mission: Impossible" franchise continued to find overwhelming critical and commercial success. While 2011's "Mission: Impossible -- Ghost Protocol," brought in $694.7 million at the global box office, still remains Cruise's top earner, 2015's "Mission: Impossible -- Rogue Nation" is close behind at $682.3 million. Naturally, a sixth installment has been announced. And there are even those pesky rumors about a long-awaited "Top Gun" sequel finally happening.

Eyes Wide Shut

Cruise closed out the 20th century by starring with Kidman for a third and final time in "Eyes Wide Shut," the final film by director Stanley Kubrick. The pair divorced two years later in 2001.

The Untold Truth Of Interview With The Vampire

In the 21st century, you can't flip through three TV channels without coming across a vampire; back in the '90s, however, things were very different. 

By the mid-90s, the vampire genre was scraping the bottom of its barrel, somewhere between pirates and Westerns. It had been decades since Dracula became a cinematic icon, and it would be many years until "True Blood," "The Vampire Diaries," "Twilight" and others would make bloodsucking cool again. But then a trifecta came to pass, one featuring a hit film (1992's "Bram Stoker's Dracula"), a critically-acclaimed film (1993's "Cronos"), and arguably the most eagerly-anticipated film of its year (1994's "Interview With the Vampire"). Of course, much of the progress these films made was undone by Eddie Murphy's 1995 bomb "Vampire in Brooklyn," but that's a story for a different article.

The fact of the matter is, good fang fests were hard to come by. Which is why, when "Interview with the Vampire" was optioned and Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt attached to a script by author Anne Rice herself, it seemed like a delicious prospect. Add in "The Crying Game" director Neil Jordan and a sumptuous, decadent couple hours was assured. 

But things rarely turn out the way the world expects. From casting spats to rewrites and miserable actors, "Interview" barely made it to the screen at all. In the end, the film was indeed a hit, and as it approaches a milestone 30th anniversary, it is still so fondly remembered that it seems like the perfect time to look back on the film's top-secret details — some unsettling enough to make Lestat himself flash a pointy grin.

Make-upside down

However you feel about the casting, the level of gore, or the way the book was adapted, there's one thing everyone agrees on: The vampires (with the exception of Tom Cruise's hair) look great. 

Oscar-winning makeup and special effects whiz  Stan Winston  captured the characters' vampiric essence. Weird glowy eyes? Check. Fangs that make talking even harder than usual for Brad Pitt? Check. But the piece de resistance of the entire vampire shebang has to be their delicately translucent skin.

If "Interview" was being made today, all that lovely vampiric stuff would most likely be CGI'd in during post-production. But this was the '90s, which meant hard contact lenses, fake fangs and painted-on veins . Winston came up with a truly unique method of ensuring that those delicate veins were accurate. Yes, accurate.

Believe it or not, every vein you can see on Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise's faces are actually their own veins . Winston (the late mastermind behind "T2," "Jurassic Park, "Aliens" and too many other classics to name) achieved this effect by making them hang upside down — a la David from "The Lost Boys" — for 30 minutes before starting the makeup process. Why? The rush of blood to the actor's head made their veins pop, allowing them to be more easily traced and painted. 

Anne Rice didn't want Tom Cruise

Back in 1994, it was big news that Anne Rice was vehemently opposed to Tom Cruise portraying her beloved Lestat de Lioncourt. But the story of how Cruise did it anyway is one of Hollywood's more bizarre tales. 

Rice originally sold the film rights to "Interview" back in the ' 70s . At the time, she had visions of Rutger Hauer or, somehow, John Travolta in the title role. Things can move exceptionally slowly in Tinseltown, however. By the time an adaptation finally got off the ground, both actors were considered too mature for the part. 

Rice was far more interested in '90s possibilities like Jeremy Irons, John Malkovich and Tom Actual Hanks for the part. When the studio went with Cruise against her advice, Rice made her feelings known. To anyone who would listen. 

Here's how she described Cruise's casting to the L.A. Times : "[Cruise] is no more my vampire Lestat than Edward G. Robinson is Rhett Butler." 

She even went so far as to ask that Cruise and Brad Pitt just switch roles. But as Rice explained to Movieline in 1994 , "They just don't listen to me." 

Anne Rice came around

After having been so vocal in her opposition during production, Rice's opinions about Cruise did a complete 180 just in time for opening night. In fact, upon seeing the completed film that she dubbed a " masterpiece ", the author seemed completely under the spell of Cruise's Lestat. 

So contrite was Rice that she took out a full page ad in Vanity Fair  to apologize. Decades later the author (who published her 13th "Vampire Chronicles" novel in 2018) was still attempting to explain her change of heart. In a 2009 interview , she reasoned: "I was too shocked at the beginning and I was very much against [Cruise's casting. But] I think Tom did a wonderful job, I really do."

"[Tom] got the essence of Lestat. He got Lestat's power," she continued. "He got his charisma and his charm. He got them all across in the movie ... he had great skill in that performance." 

While for the most part audiences agreed, there was one very important viewer who wasn't impressed: Oprah. The '90s talk show titan hated "Interview" so much, in fact, that she walked out of a screening in the first ten minutes . She then almost cancelled a Cruise appearance on her show because of how bloody the film was, explaining: 'I believe there are forces of light and darkness in the world, and I don't want to be a contributor to the force of darkness." Tom Cruise did in fact appear on Oprah's show, offering up a four-word response: "It's a vampire movie!"

The shoot broke Brad Pitt and he tried to run away

Brad Pitt made no secret of the fact that he found the entire "Interview" experience deeply unsettling. 

Years later, when an Entertainment Weekly reporter said he looked miserable during the shoot, he replied : "I am miserable. Six months in the f***ing dark, contact lenses, makeup ... London was dead of winter. We're shooting in Pinewood. There's no windows in there." 

In 2011, he once again looked back on the experience with something less than enthusiasm. "You go to work in the dark. You go to this cauldron, this mausoleum, and then you come out and it's dark. One day, it broke me." 

Having been pushed to his darkness/contacts/gravity boots limit, the star took decisive action. He told EW , "I called David Geffen, who was a producer. I said, 'I can't do this anymore. I can't do it. How much will it take to get me out?'

The actor went on, "[Geffen] goes, very calmly, 'Forty million dollars.'" So whether he liked it or not, Pitt stuck it out until the bitter end. And while he may have  r eferred to the film as " the shoot from hell ," he would add that it was "worth every minute of it. We got a great movie out of it."

Anne Rice wasn't the only screenwriter

Although Rice had written lots of versions of the script for "Interview" over the years, '94's was different. A little too different, in fact, as far as the author was concerned. 

"I've had a good relationship with [producer] David Geffen, although it's kind of iffy right now," she told Movieline about ten months before the film's release. "When I was working on the script for 'Interview,' I told him I wanted to do exactly what I wanted to do with it. And that's the way I wrote it. [Director] Neil Jordan has rewritten it, and they are putting his name on the credits, and I don't know if you know, but the WGA will only allow a director to share writing credit if he brings over 50% original material. I don't know if he's done that or not. Maybe he has."

As it turns out, Jordan did not receive a writing credit, and Rice was the only credited writer on the final film. 

Anne Rice posted her own extensive notes in 1994 on the movie and everyone involved,  sounding as if she had largely forgiven Jordan for any transgressions and saw the film's final product as a success.

"Whatever Neil Jordan's comments to the press, he seemed to believe in that and to make it work on the screen," she wrote. "The film is one which the audience starts talking about, discussing, arguing before they ever leave the theatre. The film invites analysis. It invites a return viewing. It makes a difference to the people who see it."

Brad Pitt spent a lot of time in a ditch

As we all know, Tom Cruise is famous for many, many things. But being tall is definitely not one of them. As his success shows, though, height is no indicator of talent. Unless that is, you're playing a vampire that is six feet tall . 

Since Pitt is 5'11" and Cruise is  5'7 ," the production team came up with some ingenious ways to balance out that not-so-subtle height discrepancy.

The simplest solution, it seems, was to put heels on Cruise's shoes. But as "Drag Race" had yet to be invented, having the star totter around in five inch heels just wouldn't have worked. 

Which meant that other solutions — and a shorter heel  — were necessary. So Cruise occasionally stood on specially-constructed platforms in scenes with Pitt. But then, production also came up with a third option.  

They dug ditches , and Pitt stood in them while acting out scenes opposite Cruise. So, imagine one iconic Hollywood legend wearing platform shoes and the other standing in a ditch, and them both trying to act out impossibly dramatic moments while wearing fake pointy teeth and ponytails, and you have some idea of what was going on behind the scenes of "Vampire" on a daily basis. When you consider such things, it's amazing the film turned out as good as it did.

Cruise went Full Tom Cruise during pre-production

We all know that Tom Cruise can be a bit gung-ho when it comes to preparing for a role. Stunt work, aircraft piloting, so very much running ... the list is endless. But where "Interview" was concerned, Cruise found a whole new level of going for it. 

The superstar saw Rice's savaging of his casting as a challenge. As he told Esquire  at the time, "You don't usually start a movie with someone not wanting you to do it. That's unusual."

Describing his reaction to Rice's criticism, Cruise went on, "When it first hit, it really hurt, to be candid about it. Her venom hurt." 

His way of dealing with that venom, it seems, was to do everything in his power to prove her wrong. To start with, he read all the books, saying , "You have to read [the source material] very carefully to find the clues to who Lestat is." He changed his diet and exercise regime to drop 12 pounds for the role. He moved to Paris. He even learned to play the piano. But perhaps the most useful — and deeply unpleasant — research involved watching film of lions hunting zebras in the wild. In Cruise's opinion, Lestat wasn't evil, he was merely amoral, hunting food to survive. He just wore a fabulous frock coat to do it.

Brad Pitt could have been Cher

Back in 1994, "Interview" was an envelope-pushing film. As it turns out, Rice wanted to push it even further.

During the movie's development, Rice and her editor, Vicki Wilson , hit on a radical plot twist: What if Louis was actually, say, Louise?

The pitch went something like this: Louis was in fact a woman dressed as a man, essentially a transvestite. Back in the dark ages, the film would explain, women couldn't own or run a business. So, to keep the plantation, she had taken on the persona and role of a man. Other than that small detail, Wilson told Movieline , "It was exactly the same as 'Interview with the Vampire'." 

Who did Rice and Wilson have pegged for the newly-tweaked main role? None other than Cherilyn Sarkisian herself, Cher.

Given that the " Vampire Chronicles" TV show is about to be a reality, and the times we live in would seem to be more welcoming of such a twist, perhaps a gender swap of the character could still happen. 

Christian Slater stepped in after the death of River Phoenix

With a production already beset by public animosity between writer, director and star, you'd think things had reached a nadir for the "Interview" crew. But, on October 31, 1993 , River Phoenix's death at age 23 forced the production to scramble once again. 

"We lost River. Literally a week before he was supposed to come in, he passed away," Pitt told EW in 2008. "It was a horrible moment." 

Phoenix's passing meant that not only had the production lost a friend and colleague, they had also lost their Malloy, the reporter who conducts the eponymous interview. Which meant that someone had to take Phoenix's place. 

During a 2008 chat with Venice  magazine, Christian Slater admitted it was a difficult role to take, reflecting on the unease he felt at the time. "(Phoenix's death) was tragic ... It was really awkward to be stepping into that kind of scenario." He went on, "I think I eased my own discomfort by not accepting money and donating it to (Phoenix's) charities." The actor  gave away his entire $250,000 salary to EarthSave and Earth Trust .

Kirsten Dunst thought kissing Brad Pitt was disgusting

To an army of loyal fans over the last several decades, the notion of kissing Brad Pitt might sound like a moment for life's highlight reel. But although Dunst's character Claudia looked like a ten-year-old girl, she was supposed to be nearly 40 years old — even though in real life, Dunst obviously was the former. 

As it turned out, there needed to be a kissing scene between Dunst and Pitt — who at the time was 29. In 2013, she explained her repugnance to Bullet magazine. 

"It was just a peck," Dunst reasoned. "I remember Brad would watch lots of 'Real World' episodes . He had this long hair. He was just a hippie-ish cool dude. Everyone at the time was like, 'you're so lucky you kissed Brad Pitt,' but I thought it was disgusting. I didn't kiss anyone else until I was 16, I think. I was a late bloomer."

Kirsten Dunst auditioned twice

These days, Kirsten Dunst is a confident, assured acting veteran. But back in 1994, things were a little different. 

So different in fact, we could have seen a Claudia with the face of Anne Hathaway or Christian Ricci were it not for one very confident adult. Listening in on ten-year-old Dunst as she bombed her initial audition (he was sitting just outside the room), Dunst's acting coach persuaded her not to give up just yet. As she explained to Variety in 2016, "He knew I didn't nail it. And I walked out and he was like, 'No, you go back in there.'"

Apologizing to all present, the coach explained: "She didn't do what she can do." So, Dunst got a second chance to impress and went on to land the role. In the eyes of many, Dunst's work has become iconic, and it propelled her career to a new level — even if she wouldn't be able to watch "Interview" for several years. Because she was so young at the time, Dunst's parents  banned her from watching the film.

Robotic Tom Cruise

Some might assume this section title refers to his acting — but in actuality, there was a robotic element to Tom Cruise's performance. 

During Claudia's first attempt to rid herself of Lestat, she clumsily slashes his throat. He then proceeds to bleed excessively and, for some reason, melt. If you were assuming these were physical effects, you'd be partially right. None of it was CGI'd. But what you saw was also not Tom Cruise rolling around and melting during that scene.

The movie's $70 million budget included money for an animatronic Tom Cruise . It was built to have realistic-looking masks placed on it, sculpted to look like his face and melted at will. All these years later, if you want to play Stan Winston yourself, you're just one transaction away from y our own Lestat latex mask  — which would allow you to recreate the actor's grisly demise at your leisure. 

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7 best Tom Cruise 1990s movies, ranked

For 40 years, Tom Cruise  has been one of Hollywood’s biggest movie stars. From heartbreaking monologues to death-defying stunts, Cruise has been lighting up the big screen since he slid across the floor in Risky Business . At 61, Cruise has no plans of slowing down, with Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part Two hitting theaters in 2025.

7. Days of Thunder (1990)

6. the firm (1993), 5. eyes wide shut (1999), 4. a few good men (1992), 3. magnolia (1999), 2. mission: impossible (1996), 1. jerry maguire (1996).

Cruise went from budding star to acting icon in the 1990s as he starred in nine films from 1990-1999. Several of Cruise’s films during the 1990s feature some of the actor’s finest work, and he even scored two Oscar nominations. From charming dramedies to action tentpoles, Cruise did it all in the 1990s. Below, we rank Cruise’s seven best films of the decade.

Cruise mastered playing the young, cocky hotshot in Top Gun . Cole Trickle falls under the same archetype in Days of Thunder . After dominating in open-wheel racing, Cole jumps to NASCAR, where he quickly forms a rivalry with veteran champion Rowdy Burns (Michael Rooker). After a crash sidelines them with injuries, Cole and Rowdy put their differences aside and become friends. Cole also romances Dr. Claire Lewicki, played by Cruise’s future wife (now ex-wife) Nicole Kidman. 

Days of Thunder is not as good as Top Gun , but it’s still a fun sports movie with good racing sequences and a flashy Cruise performance. Fun fact: Days of Thunder is Cruise’s only writing credit. Cruise received a story credit along with Robert Towne, the Academy Award-winning screenwriter.

Stream Days of Thunder on Paramount+ .

Considering he’s played lawyers in multiple movies, I wonder if Cruise ever wanted to seek a career in law if acting didn’t work out. Luckily for Cruise, he chose the right profession. In The Firm , Cruise plays Mitch McDeere, a promising Harvard Law School graduate who takes a job with a prestigious firm in Memphis. The firm introduces Mitch to a life of wealth and power. However, the long hours strain his marriage with his wife, Abby (Jeanne Tripplehorn).

Mitch accidentally discovers the firm’s illegal activities, from money laundering to tax fraud and murder. Approached by the FBI to flip on his associates, Mitch knows he’s a dead man if he helps the authorities. Cruise’s fiery persona and star power are a winning combination in Sydney Pollack’s cat-and-mouse legal thriller. The Firm also inspired Cruise’s lifelong mission to become an elite runner .

Stream The Firm on Paramount+ .

Looking at how Cruise gravitated toward action in the 21st century, Eyes Wide Shut was one of the actor’s biggest risks. Stanley Kubrick’s final film stars Cruise as Bill Harford, a doctor who is stunned to learn that his wife, Alice (Nicole Kidman), has sexual fantasies about sleeping with other men. Jealous, Bill sets out to look for a sexual encounter.

Bill meets with his old friend, Nick Nightingale (Todd Field), and learns about a masked sex party hosted by a secret society. After attending one of the parties, Bill realizes he’s in danger, leading him to rethink his intentions. Unfortunately for Cruise and Kidman, their real-life marriage ended a few years after this film, and when you read about the difficult production , it’s easy to speculate that it may have played a part. However, Eyes Wide Shut remains one of Cruise’s most vulnerable performances.

Rent Eyes Wide Shut  on Prime Video , YouTube , Apple , or Google .

Cruise starred as a JAG attorney in A Few Good Men. In the film directed by Rob Reiner and based on a script by Aaron Sorkin, Cruise plays Lieutenant Daniel Kaffee, a lawyer tasked with defending two U.S. Marines accused of murdering another Marine on Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba. Kaffee assembles a team, including Lt. Cdr. JoAnne Galloway (Demi Moore), to mount a defense and prove the Marines were carrying out an order from a superior officer.

Cruise’s courtroom scenes are some of his finest acting moments. He brings the proper amount of intensity and ferocity to the courtroom, leading to the film’s climatic scene between Kaffee and Col. Nathan R. Jessup, played by Jack Nicholson . Cruise versus Nicholson in a courtroom , what’s better than that?

Rent A Few Good Men  on Prime Video , YouTube , Apple , or Google .

Magnolia has a lot of problems, but Cruise isn’t one of them. While Cruise was making Eyes Wide Shut , director Paul Thomas Anderson  met with Cruise to discuss working together on a future film. That film became Magnolia , with Cruise starring as Frank T.J. Mackey, a conceited motivational speaker and dating expert who teaches people that life is about “what you take.”

While the misogynistic speeches show Cruise’s comedic chops, the single best scene of his career is when Frank breaks down and weeps in front of his dying father. How the Academy watched that scene and didn’t award Cruise Best Supporting Actor is beyond me.

Stream Magnolia on Prime Video .

The role that has come to define Cruise for the last three decades is Ethan Hunt in Mission: Impossible . Ethan is an elite agent who works for the Impossible Mission Force (IMF), the secret government agency called upon for dangerous assignments. In Mission: Impossible , a failed mission that results in the death of several IMF agents forces Ethan to go on the run as the government deems him the prime suspect.

Forced to clear his name, Ethan assembles a new team to infiltrate the CIA building and steal an electronic list that could prove his innocence. By 1996, Cruise mostly did dramas with a few action films mixed in. However, the success of Mission: Impossible kicked off Cruise’s run as a global action star who is not afraid to push himself to the absolute limit, even if that means driving a motorcycle off a cliff.

Stream Mission: Impossible on Paramount+ or Prime Video .

Jerry Maguire is Cruise’s magnum opus. Everything we love about Cruise, from his natural charisma and infectious smile to his exuberant energy and undying passion, is channeled into the football dramedy Jerry Maguire . Written and directed by Cameron Crowe, Jerry Maguire stars Cruise as a sports agent who quits his high-profile agency to start his own management firm, so he can focus on stronger relationships with fewer clients.

Jerry’s only client is Rod Tidwell (Cuba Gooding Jr.), a wide receiver in the NFL who wants Jerry to “show him the money.” Jerry’s only employee is Dorothy Boyd (Renee Zellweger), a single mother and eventual love interest. Cruise turns his movie star charm up to 10 in Jerry Maguire . And yes, Tom, you had us at hello, too.

Rent Jerry Maguire on Prime Video , YouTube , Apple , or Google .

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• The 7 best Tom Cruise action movies, ranked

Since it first arrived on the big screen in 1996, the Mission: Impossible film franchise has thrilled audiences with increasingly ambitious practical stunts. Star and producer Tom Cruise won’t be satisfied until he’s shown gravity who’s boss once and for all, diving off of increasingly high platforms at increasingly deadly speeds. The daredevil feats have become such essential parts of the Mission: Impossible films and their marketing that one could almost forget the stories that these stunts are meant to service. In most M: I movies, at least one of those miraculous action set pieces is attached to some sort of heist or caper. Ethan Hunt is a spy, after all, and his quests typically require that he infiltrate a highly secure location and intercept an important item, person, or piece of information. With respect to the remarkable craft put into each of the daredevil actions, how often is the payoff equal to the setup? Is there a correlation between the magnitude of the danger to Tom Cruise and the stakes to Ethan Hunt? On the occasion of Dead Reckoning Part One’s theatrical release, we’re ranking the action scenes in the Mission: Impossible series and our preferences might surprise you.

7. Stealing the Rabbit’s Foot (Mission: Impossible III) Mission: Impossible III: Daring Leap (HD CLIP) Mission: Impossible III gets a bit of a bad rap for its efforts to ground the series in something approaching reality, and it can definitely be argued that director J.J. Abrams’ more TV-style aesthetic was an overcorrection from John Woo’s unrestrained bombast. We’ll stand behind M:I-3’s more human and emotional characterization of Ethan Hunt, the romance subplot, and of course, the outstanding performance of Phillip Seymour Hoffman as the villain, but we do have to admit that the choice to essentially skip this movie’s main heist sequence is pretty disappointing. In the second act of M:I-3, Ethan’s wife Julia (Michelle Monaghan) has been kidnapped by terrorist Owen Davian (Hoffman), who promises to kill her unless Hunt retrieves the mysterious “Rabbit’s Foot” weapon from a secure facility in Shanghai. Hunt goes rogue and, with the help of his team, plans a daring swing between two skyscrapers, using a third, taller building as a fulcrum. However, while we see Ethan’s leap and his tricky landing on the roof of the facility, we don’t follow him inside for the rest of the heist. Instead, we remain with his teammates Zhen (Maggie Q) and Gorley (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) as they wait to hear whether or not he’s acquired the Rabbits Foot. We only catch up with Ethan once the mission has gone sideways, and Zhen, Gorley, and trusty tech wizard Luther Stickell (Ving Rhames) participate in a wild, shaky-cam car chase away from the building’s facility. It’s a cute subversion of the franchise’s usual structure and it allows the plot to continue at an even clip, but for the purposes of this list, we can’t put it anywhere but dead last.

In 1996, Tom Cruise starred in two movies. One of those movies, Jerry Maguire, earned the actor his second Oscar nomination. The other film was Mission: Impossible, a film that drastically changed the course of his career. As Ethan Hunt, Mission: Impossible elevated Cruise into a bonafide action star, as he started his transition from dramatic and comedic movies to more action and sci-fi films.

Thirty years later, the Mission: Impossible franchise remains one of the most consistent series in Hollywood. Mission: Impossible continues to raise the stakes with each entry as Cruise risks his life with each death-defying stunt, all in the name of entertainment. Before Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One, we have a task for you to complete. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to read the Mission: Impossible movie rankings below and discover which one is the best in the series. Cue the theme song.

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life lessons

Life lessons from tom cruise, by orson gillick morris, photographed by herb ritts, june 9, 2022.

Tom Cruise by Herb Ritts for Interview

Welcome to  Life Lessons . This week, we’re revisiting our cover story with Tom Cruise from our May 1986 issue. In it, Cruise sits down with Cameron Crowe in the weeks prior to the release of three box-office smashing films : Martin Scorsese’s The Color of Money and Ridley Scott’s Legend, and Top Gun , which would become the actor’s most legendary franchise . Cruise, then 24, opens up to Crowe about his experiences with loneliness and rejection, his addiction to flying in F14s, and his plan to become the biggest name in Hollywood. Today, nearly 40 years later, Cruise is back onscreen reprising his iconic role and introducing a new legion of characters to the Top Gun universe with Top Gun: Maverick. S o sit back and buckle up—you just might learn a thing or two. 

“I didn’t have a lot of friends. The closest people around me were my family. I think they felt a little nervous about me because I had a lot of energy and I couldn’t stick to one thing… I feel good about the fact that I finally found something I love.”

“I was always packing and moving around, staying in Canada, Kentucky, Jersey, St. Louis—it all helped because I was always learning new accents, experiencing different environments.”

“I felt that the people rejecting me were there to help me in the long run. Sometimes it hurts, but I truly believe that there are parts I’m supposed to get and parts I’ m not supposed to get and something else is going to come along.”

“I just went to Francis [Ford Coppola] and said, ‘Look, I don’t care what role you give me, I really want to work with you. I want to be there on the set and watch.’ And he said okay.”

“I’m not a very good cold reader. What I do is start with a line and go off and ad-lib and kind of find my way down the script.”

“The important thing is to be relaxed in your work. Same in life. Don’t make everything too intense. Then you can let everything go and not ‘act.'”

“When you fly in the F-14, it’s one of those experiences that is bigger than life itself. It blows your shit away. These guys do it everyday and you know why they want it. Flying is so intense and emotional. But ever since I got involved in Top Gun , I didn’t want to make a warmonger movie. I wanted to get into the personality of these guys, what makes them fly. What makes my character, Maverick, want to fly? I wanted to give him a sensitivity.”

“I go to rushes every night, not just to see my performance, but to see what the director’s done in terms of choosing his shots and lighting. I enjoy seeing the overall process.”

“Making a movie is like a chess game. It’s about constantly changing patterns, adapting to new things. It’s not just black and white as you know.”

“I hope the public and everyone realize that I’m still growing. I’m still feeling my oats here. I’m working toward the long range of what I can be as an artist. And I work my ass off trying. Because I know what I want to be.”

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Critic’s Notebook

What Becomes a Star Most? For Tom Cruise, It’s Control.

Sheer force of will is now part of his potent mix of athleticism and charisma. That combination goes a long way to explain why “Top Gun: Maverick” is a hit.

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By Calum Marsh

“In order to do my job,” Ben Stiller, as Tom Cruise’s stunt double Tom Crooze, muses in a video made for the 2000 MTV Movie Awards, “I have to ask myself: Who is Tom Cruise? What is Tom Cruise? Why is Tom … Cruise?”

This is a tricky line of questioning.

Onscreen, Cruise is unmistakably our biggest movie star, as the New York Times reporter Nicole Sperling recently explained — the last true exponent of a century-old studio system that has been steadily eroded by the rising forces of franchise filmmaking and streaming. His powerful charisma and daredevil stunt work have combined, yet again, in his latest hit, “Top Gun: Maverick,” bringing it past the $1 billion mark.

Offscreen, Cruise is elusive. He is the frequent public mouthpiece for a cryptic, controversial religion that seems harder to understand the more he talks about it . He is intensely secretive about the details of his private life. Even when he makes the occasional effort to seem like an ordinary, relatable guy, he winds up sounding like an A.I. approximation of one. Asked by Moviebill magazine to describe his most memorable filmgoing experience, Cruise couldn’t name one . (“I love movies,” he said, very normally.) When asked which team he was rooting for at a Giants-Dodgers game he attended last fall , he replied, “I’m a fan of baseball.”

It can be hard to reconcile these disparate sides. So it is worth considering the question: Who is Tom Cruise?

Much of his early success as an actor, through the ’80s and ’90s, was predicated on a certain down-to-earth charm. The sexed-up, troublemaking young Cruise of “Risky Business”; the guileless, endearingly naïve Cruise of “Cocktail”; and the tenacious, morally principled Cruise of “Jerry Maguire” each relied on his ability to convincingly embody the American Everyman, the sympathetic heartthrob the audience could desire or root for. Around the turn of the century, he complicated that image by appearing in more challenging, less accessible films, like “Eyes Wide Shut” and “Magnolia.” Auteurs like Stanley Kubrick and Paul Thomas Anderson helped showcase Cruise as a serious actor, capable of delivering subtle, nuanced performances.

He has moved away from romance, drama and the independent art house. Over the last decade-plus, he has become more firmly entrenched in the action-adventure genre, perfecting the summer tentpole blockbuster. His performances tend to emphasize his easy charisma and powerful athleticism, but Cruise still brings to these roles a touch of the same delicate charm and actorly nuance of his dramatic fare. You see it in the breezy, naturalistic chemistry he shares with Jennifer Connelly in “Maverick,” and in the jaded, world-weary intensity he has carried through the last couple of “Mission: Impossible” sequels. My favorite recent Cruise performance was from the underrated “Edge of Tomorrow” (2014), in which he plays a cowardly, sniveling politician forced to relive the same deadly battle over and over again — a playful sci-fi take on “Groundhog Day” that found the actor playing against type to delightful effect.

But that’s just part of the story. One of the defining features of the last decade of his career is a level of quality control for which he himself is chiefly responsible. It’s not that he is incapable of making a bad movie: “The Mummy” (2017), Universal’s failed attempt to kick off an entire “Dark Universe” of big-budget creature features, made that clear. But recent Cruise films have in common a degree of ambition and enthusiasm that is rare in today’s blockbuster landscape, and when everything works, that effort pays off enormously. You will not see Cruise phoning in a performance. You get the sense that he treats every movie he does these days as if it were the most important one he has ever done.

The results of this commitment have a way of feeling almost miraculous. How could anyone have expected “Top Gun: Maverick,” a sequel to a 35-year-old action movie with a rather cool critical reputation, to be not only far superior to the original film, but also one of the finest action films in many years? But then you read about Cruise’s dogged insistence on keeping everything as real as possible — demanding a minimum of computer-generated effects, forcing himself through arduous flight training, encouraging his co-stars to bear G-force speeds until they literally threw up. Some of Cruise’s co-stars over the years have characterized his obsessiveness as extreme to the point of what sounds like cinematic despotism, and it’s true that it would probably be easier, and cheaper, to do much of this in front of a green screen. But that’s not Cruise. When it comes to this stuff, he cares too much.

“Mission: Impossible” was a slick espionage film, directed by Brian De Palma, based on a TV series from the 1960s. How is it possible that it yielded five sequels, and how is it conceivable that the sequels keep getting better, culminating in “Mission: Impossible — Fallout” (2018), which is pretty much an unqualified masterpiece? (The final two installments, “Dead Reckoning Part One” and “Dead Reckoning Part Two,” are due in 2023 and 2024.) Again, the credit should go mainly to Cruise, who, for the sake of our entertainment, will happily climb the world’s tallest building , hold his breath for six and a half minutes , or jump out of an airplane with the cameraman .

But Cruise’s devotion to the movies runs deeper, if that’s possible. It’s a devotion to the Movies with a capital M. As A-list talent flocks to deep-pocketed streamers with blockbuster ambitions, Cruise has remained adamant that he will not make a movie for the likes of Netflix or Amazon Prime Video, refusing to negotiate on the possibility of a V.O.D. premiere for “Maverick” earlier in the pandemic. (“I make movies for the big screen,” he explained.) His interest in preserving that traditional cinematic experience shines through in the colossal scale of the productions themselves, so that when Cruise is looming over you in immense, Imax dimensions, he feels every bit as big as the image. It’s a reminder that so much of what we watch is tailored to the streaming era — a mass of “content” designed to play as well on a phone as on the big screen. For those of us who still care deeply about the cinema and fear for its future, Cruise’s efforts feel invaluable.

It’s also a reminder of why we go to the theater to see Tom Cruise movies — to see Tom Cruise himself. We can still be tempted to the cinema by the names on the marquee, but as franchises have become the dominant force in the business, the persuasive power of those names has declined. The supremacy of proven, bankable intellectual property today over the traditional star system has meant that we are more likely to seek out Spider-Man, Thor and Captain America than Tom Holland, Chris Hemsworth and Chris Evans; the actor in the cape is more interchangeable than ever. With Cruise movies, that relationship is inverted. Does anyone particularly care about the adventures of Ethan Hunt? (That’s the name of his character in “Mission: Impossible,” in case you forgot.) Hunt is just another name for the man we really care about: Cruise, plain and simple.

Cruise has all of the qualities you want in a movie star and none of the qualities you expect of a human being. As a screen presence, he is singular; as a person, he is inscrutable. But it’s his inscrutability that has allowed him to achieve a sort of clarified, immaculate superstardom, one that exists almost entirely in the movies, uncontaminated by mundane concerns. Cruise the star burns as bright as any of his contemporaries, and far brighter than any who have come up since, in part because he continues to throw more and more of himself into his work and give up less and less of himself everywhere else. Who is he? You have to look to the movies to find out.

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Tom cruise interview: top gun maverick.

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Top Gun: Maverick — Miles Teller's Real-Life Dance Moves Are Just As Good As Rooster's, And I Will Die On That Hill

Chloe bailey talks the exorcism, her singing career & staying away from horror in real life, interview with the vampire season 2, episode 7: roxane duran on madeleine & claudia's fate.

Fans have waited with bated breath for decades to see Tom Cruise soar the skies once more, and   Top Gun: Maverick  has finally delivered beyond everyone's expectations. The sequel to the 1986 classic  Top Gun  has already seen the  highest Thursday gross ever for Paramount , with a lofty $150M opening projection, and received an incredible  97% Rotten Tomatoes rating . After all this time, audiences can once more meet Peter "Maverick" Mitchell (Cruise) - but now he's an older and wiser commander looking after eager recruits instead of being the restless youth ready to prove his worth.

While  Top Gun: Maverick  boasts a large ensemble cast that fleshes out the naval aviators far beyond Maverick's immediate reach, he remains the central axis around which the story revolves. Fans get a peek at the romance in his life, thanks to former flame Penny Benjamin (Jennifer Connelly,  Snowpiercer ), as well as significant connections such as to Goose's son Rooster (Miles Teller,  The Offer ). Furthermore, viewers will be thrilled and moved by the touching reunion between Maverick and  Top Gun 's Iceman (played by Val Kilmer).

Related:  Top Gun Maverick’s Iceman Scene Is A Beautiful Val Kilmer Tribute

Screen Rant  had the chance to catch Cruise on the Top Gun: Maverick  red carpet, where he gushed about the significance of his moment with Iceman as well as defended the supposedly tough training the ensemble cast went through.

Screen Rant:  The movie is so fun, but also so emotional, and I think one of the most emotional components is reuniting you with Val Kilmer. How do you describe that reunion?

Tom Cruise: I think people just have to see it; I don't even want to try. He's such a fine actor, and you see what he brings to this movie; the power that he has. And I think that relationship and the structure of the story, where it works, I don't want to talk about. I just want people to experience it.

Everybody talks about the hard training that the actors went through.

Tom Cruise: It wasn't that hard.

Was there a point where you were like, "I think this is too much? We're pushing them too hard?"

Tom Cruise: No, absolutely not. Absolutely not. Listen, the whole point of making films and the beauty of it is that you get to travel the world and see other cultures and be part of communities. To look and walk in someone else's shoes and feel what they are [feeling].

Making movies, you're constantly learning; you have to constantly work to become more and more competent in many different fields. And I want to tell them, that's the beauty of making movies. That's why I've always pushed my films to go international, around the world and in different communities. And to be part of that right from the beginning. It was my dream.

You've got to work. You got to work. It's not a bunch of parties and doing that, and that's what I love. And then they get to enjoy this evening.

More Top Gun: Maverick  Interviews

After more than 30 years of service as one of the Navy's top aviators, Pete "Maverick" Mitchell is where he belongs, pushing the envelope as a courageous test pilot and dodging the advancement in rank that would ground him. Training a detachment of graduates for a special assignment, Maverick must confront the ghosts of his past and his deepest fears, culminating in a mission that demands the ultimate sacrifice from those who choose to fly it.

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Next:  Top Gun Maverick Ending Explained

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Tom Cruise slammed by fans for ‘wrong decision’ over daughter Suri’s major milestone

Fans have been left unimpressed by cruise's decision of what to do while his daughter marked an important moment.

Kit Roberts

Fans have slammed Tom Cruise over his decision regarding a major milestone for his daughter Suri.

Suri, 18, was seen on Friday marking an important moment in her life as she graduated from high school.

The new high school graduate could be seen marking the special moment with her mom Katie Holmes, as well as several friends.

Suri marked her achievement ahead of beginning at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, where she is expected to begin attending in the fall.

She wore a 90s-inspired white dress for the occasion, while her mom Holmes opted for a collared long-sleeve shirt and matching pleated pants.

Tuesday night also saw Suri ringing in another part of the milestone as she attended senior prom.

But on her graduation ceremony there was one notable absence as father Tom Cruise did not attend the ceremony at LaGuardia High School on Friday.

Fans have criticised the movie star's decision to not go to the ceremony.

Instead, Cruise was photographed attending the latest leg of Taylor Swift' s Eras Tour on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean in London.

Cruise was not the only big name spotted at the concert, with others reportedly including Liam Hemsworth, Hugh Grant, Ashton Kutcher, Mila Kunis, and Swift's boyfriend Travis Kelce .

But fans were less than impressed with Cruise's decision, and took to social media to share their thoughts.

One wrote: "Tom Cruise missed daughter Suri's graduation, but he didn't miss Taylor Swift's Eras tour."

Another referenced a recent decision made by Suri, saying: "Still WOW at Tom Cruise was partying at Taylor swift while his daughter big day graduating HS. No wonder she removed your surname."

A third said: "Tom Cruise skipped his daughter’s graduation to go to a Taylor Swift concert like the clown that he is."

A source spoke to Heat magazine about the relationship between Suri and her father, from whom she is estranged.

The source told Heat: "Tom is feeling guilty about missing so much of her life, but insists that he hasn’t completely shut Suri out of his life, and does get updates from time to time."

Cruise had reportedly made a deal to 'allow her and her mother to live their own lives because that was what Katie wanted'.

Suri recently appears to have made another change which distances herself from her famous father as well.

A playbill had her name listed as Suri Noelle rather than Cruise.

In the divorce settlement with Holmes, Cruise agreed to pay $400,000 a year until Suri turned 18, as well as paying for things like insurance and tuition.

UNILAD has reached out to representatives of Tom Cruise for comment.

Topics:  News , Celebrity , US News , Tom Cruise

Kit joined UNILAD in 2023 as a community journalist. They have previously worked for StokeonTrentLive, the Daily Mirror, and the Daily Star.

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Every Tom Cruise Movie from the 1990s, Ranked

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All 5 Movies Starring Brandon Lee, Ranked

Every live action batman costume, ranked from worst to best, the best live action american superhero movies of the '90s, ranked.

Tom Cruise has been a movie star since the late '80s, but it was in the '90s when he played some of his more memorable roles, both as a box office star, but also as an actor who wasn’t afraid to play some unique, not always good characters. Here’s every Tom Cruise movie from the 1990s, ranked.

9 Far and Away (1992)

Far and Away tells the story of Irish immigrants who move to America for a better life. Joseph (Cruise) is poor, and Shannon (at the time, his real-life girlfriend, Nicole Kidman) is rich, and yet they fall in love while also being participants in the Cherokee Strip Land Run of 1893.

The film has some great shots, taking as much opportunity as possible to show the incredible hills and vistas around, and Ron Howard directed the film, but it still falls flat. The Irish accents of both leads don’t help their performances at all, in a movie that now is almost forgotten.

8 Days of Thunder (1990)

Days of Thunder was one of the first movies to explore the deadly sport of car racing and reunited Cruise with his Top Gun director, Tony Scott. The film isn’t great, other than giving some cheap thrills on the racing track, and two fun performances from Robert Duvall as Cruise’s mentor, and Nicole Kidman as his love interest.

7 Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles (1994)

Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles has one of the things Cruise hasn’t done enough, being the bad guy as Lestat. When he was cast in this Neil Jordan film, most people, including the writer of the novel, Anne Rice, thought it was a mistake, but Cruise won them over. His interpretation of Lestat as a sad, bored-to-death, lonely brat, who decides to create a buddy for himself in Louis (Brad Pitt), is a unique way to see the character.

Even then, it’s a young Kirsten Dunst who almost steals the show, as a girl who is transformed and stays physically as a kid while her psyche is getting older. The film also had Christian Slater and Antonio Banderas in its cast, making it one of the most interesting assembled back then.

6 The Firm (1993)

Back in the '90s, a John Grisham adaptation was as big office success as superheroes are now, that’s why it was big news when Cruise got cast as the lead in The Firm . The thriller tells the story of Mitch McDeere (Cruise), a tax lawyer who starts working for a firm in Memphis until he discovers they’re laundering money for one of the biggest crime families in the nation.

Cruise is great as the charismatic, idealist lead, and has fun cat-and-mouse-like chemistry with a villainous Gene Hackman. In the movie with an incredible cast, not only Cruise and Hackman appear, but also Jeanne Tripplehorn, Hal Holbrook, Ed Harris, Holly Hunter, David Strathairn, Gary Busey , and Wilford Brimley.

5 Eyes Wide Shut (1999)

Eyes Wide Shut was the last film Stanley Kubrick ever directed and had, at its center, Tom Cruise and his then-real wife Nicole Kidman. Alice (Kidman) tells Dr. Bill (Cruise) that she fantasized about cheating on him with another man, and that’s enough for Bill to explore his darkest nature in the New York underground, which gives the film most of its plot. Kubrick died before he could finish editing the whole thing, and yet the many layers of the film about marriage, love, and desire are still visible.

Both actors give great performances, but it’s Cruise's humiliated husband who decides to challenge his whole life after his wife’s confession that’s fascinating, as this character was very different from his usual roles . This film is also the reason Cruise didn’t do more films in the '90s, as they spent three years shooting it with one of the most perfectionist directors ever.

Related: These Strange Romance Movies Redefine Loving Relationships, For Better or Worse

4 Jerry Maguire (1996)

Jerry Maguire was a surprising hit for Cruise, and everyone involved (it also had breakout roles from Renée Zellweger and Cuba Gooding Jr.,) playing a character that started pretty despicable and becomes a little bit better as the movie goes along. The film had a lasting legacy , as some of its best quotes are still used (and parodied) today. The movie used the underdog theme to tell a story about sports, family, working with the ones you love, and much more. Cruise’s Maguire shows a more human side of the actor, one where he’s always one step away from losing everything, and yet the most vulnerable he allows himself to be, the most things go well for him.

About how much Cruise wanted to do the film, director Cameron Crowe told Deadline : “My first conversation with Tom after he read the script, he said, I’ll fly out there. I’ll sit down. I’ll read for you. You tell me if you think I’m right for the part. He asked to audition. He came out, we sat and talked, and he said, well, let’s read this thing. He read the script out loud with Jim and me.”

3 Mission: Impossible (1996)

It’s crazy to think about it now, but the original Mission: Impossible was released 27 years ago, and it was the start of an incredible action franchise that, for some, has even replaced the James Bond movies as their action go-to. The saga has the best Cruise action movies by a mile, and all started with this one, and its memorable sequence where Cruise is trying to get information in a disc without touching the floor.

Brian De Palma delivered an action-packed, tense, thriller, with a couple of scenes that are still memorable (the one mentioned before, and the first scene in the film where most of Ethan’s team is killed, including Emilio Estevez in a cameo). All these years later, Cruise (and Ethan) are still working with their inseparable Ving Rhames (and Luther), who also had his first appearance here.

2 A Few Good Men (1992)

A Few Good Men was Aaron Sorkin’s first script ever shot, as it started as his play, and it showed, making every character interesting, and having some tense, court scenes. The play that became the movie was based on a true story . Cruise plays Lt. Daniel Kaffee, the cocky, smart military lawyer investigating a death at Guantánamo Bay.

The actor shows all the attitude and charisma that had made him a movie star, and the script has some incredible lines he gets to deliver perfectly. Cruise was so good in this film, that he was able to go toe-to-toe with non-other than Jack Nicholson in the court scene, where Nicholson has the famous “You can’t handle the truth!”

Related: These Are the Best Tom Cruise Movies, Ranked

1 Magnolia (1999)

Magnolia was Paul Thomas Anderson's third film, and for some, it’s still his best. Copying the structure of Robert Altman’s Short Cuts, the film tells many interconnected stories in Los Angeles, with an incredible cast, from Philip Seymour Hoffman to John C. Reilly, and has one of Julianne Moore’s best performances ever . Cruise plays Frank T.J. Mackey, a misogynistic guru who tells other men how to seduce women.

It has one of Tom Cruise’s most essential movie moments , but what makes this role so good is how broken the character is at the end when he sees his father one last time. Cruise has become a stuntman more than an actor in the last few years, and that’s a shame as in movies like this, he proves how much he could as an actor interested in character more than in action. Luckily enough, his films in the '90s were always about that first.

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Tom Cruise Said in 1990 Making a Sequel to Top Gun Would Be 'Irresponsible'

Cruise suggested a sequel to top gun would give kids a warped 'fairy tale' view of war..

Tom Cruise’s latest movie, a sequel to his classic 1986 action pic, Top Gun , is finally getting a release later this month after delays related to the covid-19 pandemic. But Cruise, who’s now 59 years old, felt very different about doing a sequel to the film back in 1990. In fact, Cruise said making a sequel would be “irresponsible” and suggested any continuation of the story could be interpreted as pro-war propaganda.

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Cruise made the comments in an interview with Playboy magazine for the January 1990 issue, while promoting his then-new film Born on the Fourth of July . That movie, directed by Oliver Stone, was an anti-war statement that seemed to clash ideologically with Top Gun , something the Playboy interviewer pointed out.

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But Cruise was clearly ready for the question and believed Top Gun ’s cartoonish artifice was clear. The actor did, however, draw a line at doing a sequel.

Playboy: [ Born on the Fourth of July ] is also the flip side of Top Gun , which is essentially war by Nintendo game and a paean to blind patriotism. Cruise: OK, some people felt that Top Gun was a right-wing film to promote the Navy. And a lot of kids loved it. But I want the kids to know that that’s not the way war is—that Top Gun was just an amusement park ride, a fun film with a PG-13 rating that was not supposed to be reality. That’s why I didn’t go on and make Top Gun II and III and IV and V . That would have been irresponsible.

Cruise notes that “some people” felt Top Gun was a promotion for the Navy, but it quite literally was. The film received assistance from the U.S. Navy from its inception and the script was approved by the Pentagon, as we know from books like Guts and Glory: The Making of the American Military Image in Film by Lawrence Suid.

But many readers of this interview in 1990 may not have been aware of the military’s intimate involvement in the movie. And, even if they were, Cruise was still going to pretend like Top Gun was a story that was responsible for a huge uptick in kids signing up to be fighter pilots.

Playboy: Is Born a redemption of Top Gun ? Cruise: They are to different things. Top Gun is a joy ride and shouldn’t be looked at beyond that. Born is about real people and real events. Top Gun should be looked at as going on Space Mountain—it’s like a simple fairy tale.

But the interviewer wouldn’t let Cruise off that easy.

Playboy: A lot of boys have gone off to war to that kind of drumbeat. That is the history of war—young, callow kids marching off to a fairy-tale glory as in Top Gun . Cruise: Think of that: I am totally responsible for World War Three [ laughs ]! Come on. Let’s look at the reality of what I am saying—where my beliefs lie. I didn’t have anything riding on Top Gun . The fact is, I really want people to see Born on the Fourth of July —it’s a movie that had to be made.

As Suid points out in his book, the producers of Top Gun met with military leaders at the Pentagon in early June of 1983, long before they even had a script. The producers, including action movie legend Jerry Bruckheimer, pitched the basic idea for Top Gun and the brass at the Pentagon loved it. The military received total veto power over the script and the producers in turn received access to incredibly advanced weapons of war that would’ve been difficult to reproduce effectively and economically with the relatively primitive special effects of the early 1980s.

Top Gun producers gained access to aircraft carriers the USS Enterprise and the USS Ranger, along with incredibly expensive F-14 jets, with the military charging Paramount Pictures for the fuel alone.

What got cut from Top Gun ? According to Suid, an early version of the screenplay had Tom Cruise’s love interest as a naval officer. That character, played by Kelly McGillis, was turned into a civilian astrophysicist at the Navy’s request. The filmmakers also scrapped a scene showing U.S. aircraft “flying after MIGs over land of the fictional foreign country,” another thing with which the Pentagon took issue.

Not only did the Navy receive a pro-military film at a time when movies more critical of the establishment were popular in the wake of Vietnam—like Apocalypse Now (1979), Rambo: First Blood (1982), and Platoon (1986)—the military also got a huge boost in interest from kids looking to sign up for real warfare by enlisting in the armed services. Military recruiters even set up enlistment booths at movie theaters, according to an article from Time magazine in 1986 .

But where does all of that leave this Top Gun sequel, known as Top Gun: Maverick , which will hit theaters on May 27? Cruise started receiving criticism for the Top Gun sequel as early as the summer of 2019, when the first trailer for the film hit the web. Viewers noticed that Maverick’s jacket no longer had a Taiwanese flag , an obvious concession to China, the world’s biggest cinema market. And whatever Cruise’s hesitation to create a pro-military film in 1990 that could lead to increased recruitment, he clearly doesn’t feel that way anymore.

“I wasn’t ready to make a sequel until we had a special story worthy of a sequel and technology evolved so that we could delve deeper into the experience of a fighter pilot,” Cruise says in a new promo for the film uploaded to YouTube by Paramount Pictures .

“We worked with the Navy and the Top Gun school to formulate how to shoot it practically. Because if we’re going to do it, we’re flying the F-18s,” Cruise continues as viewers see footage of the planes zooming by like a Navy commercial.

That YouTube video has over 4.3 million views and Cruise clearly has a different attitude about it all now. And don’t be surprised if you see military recruiters camped outside the theater when you buy your ticket for Top Gun: Maverick . There really is nothing new under the sun.

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Tom Cruise's looks 'could kill' in heated debate during live interview

We all know Tom Cruise, whether we love him, hate him, or love to hate him, interviews and news stories are never short of his controversial opinions on religion and romance. We revisit an interview from 2005 where Tom Cruise gets into a heated discussion with Matt Lauer about Psychiatry, Brooke Shields, and medication.

Tom Cruise has reached infamy in more ways than one. At 61, this Hollywood legend has starred in hit movies spanning five decades. Recently revisiting his 80’s classic Top Gun, and continuous new reboots of Mission Impossible , the actor has zero plans to retire from Hollywood just yet. In 2005, Cruise starred in Steven Speilburg’s War of the Worlds alongside sweetheart Dakota Fanning. It seems the pair have remained close friends since, with Cruise never forgetting his co-star’s birthday! We revisit an interview with Tom Cruise during the promotion of this film, in which he and host Matt Lauer engage in a very heated discussion.

The Hollywood feud

Back in 2005, Tom Cruise was madly in love with actress Katie Holmes, and the world knew about it. From his infamous jumping up and down on Oprah Winfrey’s couch, to this interview with NBC news presenter Matt Lauer, Tom is literally beaming ear to ear.

During the Matt Lauer interview, Holmes waits backstage, while Tom Cruise gushes: “It’s a great time in my life. I’m really happy, I’m engaged, I’m going to be married, and I can’t restrain myself.”

Lauer asks Cruise how he copes with so much of his personal life being in the headlines, to which he responds: “There’s always cynics, always has been, always will be. I have never worried about what other people think and what other people say.”

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One of the many reasons the Top-Gun star was in the headlines during 2005, was due to a very publicized feud between him and actress Brooke Shields. Brooke, now 57, opened up in 2005 about her struggles with postpartum depression. The mother of two, revealed following the birth of her daughter, Rowan Henchy she had fallen into a “deep-depression” and sought treatment through taking anti-depressants. Cruise accused the star of spreading “irresponsible misinformation.”

Tom Cruise’s conversation becomes heated in Matt Lauer interview

During a Today Show interview with Matt Lauer the topic of discussion moves swiftly from Cruise’s latest movie, War of the Worlds, to the Brooke Shields controversy. When host Lauer asks Tom about his views on psychiatry, the actor refers to psychiatry as a “pseudoscience”.

“I have never agreed with psychiatry, ever, before I was a Scientologist I didn’t agree with psychiatry,” the Mission Impossible star states.

At this point the interview becomes more heated, Cruise appears agitated in mannerisms and tone as he accuses Lauer of “not having all the facts”. Firm in his beliefs, Cruise talks about his extensive research into these topics claiming, “there is no such thing as a chemical imbalance” and that people should not be medicated for mental health reasons.

Lauer raises with Cruise the Brooke Shields incident, while Tom defends that he cares for Shields, describing her as a “wonderful and talented woman” who he wants to “do well”. He can’t help but to continue to reaffirm his belief in her ‘ignorance’.

“The thing that I’m saying about Brooke is that there’s misinformation,” Cruise continues. “She doesn’t understand the history of psychiatry.”

While host Matt Lauer challenges Cruise on the issue, he controversially responds: “I disagree with it. She doesn’t know what these drugs are, and for her to promote it is irresponsible.”

If you are affected by any issues raised in the article or would like someone to speak to, please call the Samaritans for free on 116 123. You can also email them at [email protected] or visit samaritans.org to find your nearest branch in the UK. In the US, please visit Samaritans USA for more information.

You can also contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-TALK (8255) or text 741741 to get in touch with the Crisis Text Line. Americans can now call or text 988 to reach out and speak to a counselor.

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The post Tom Cruise's looks 'could kill' in heated debate during live interview appeared first on Celebrity Tidbit .

'90s Tom Cruise Movie Just Left Hulu

Fans of 1994's 'Interview with the Vampire' will now have to pay to rent the film on a different platform.

By Allison Schonter - January 2, 2024 11:30 am EST

There's one less Tom Cruise movie streaming on Hulu . Just before the clock struck midnight on New Year's Day, director Neil Jordan's 1994 gothic horror film Interview with the Vampire , an adaptation of Anne Rice's 1976 novel of the same name, left the streaming platform .

Released in November 1994, Interview with the Vampire focuses on Lestat and Louis, both vampires, and chronicles time together, beginning with Louis' transformation into a vampire by Lestat in 1791 and including their turning of young Claudia into a vampire. The story, however, is framed by a present-day interview as Louis tells his story to a San Francisco reporter. Along with Cruise, the movie stars Brad Pitt, Kirsten Dunst, Antonio Banderas, and Stephen Rea.

Interview with the Vampire was a commercial success. The film not only received two Oscar nominations for Best Art Direction and Best Original Score, but Dunst was also nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress. It also spawned a stand-alone sequel, Queen of the Damned, in 2002. On Rotten Tomatoes , Interview with the Vampire currently holds a 63% critics score and an 86% audience score. A critics consensus reads, "Despite lacking some of the book's subtler shadings, and suffering from some clumsy casting , Interview with a Vampire benefits from Neil Jordan's atmospheric direction and a surfeit of gothic thrills." Meanwhile, audience reviews have dubbed the movie "campy in the best way," with one person writing of Cruise, "Lestat is the real-stand out in this, absolutely my favourite Tom Cruise performance."

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Unfortunately for fans of the 1994 film, with its exit from Hulu, it seems you will now need to dip into your wallet to stream the movie. Interview with the Vampire is currently available to rent on platforms including Prime Video, Apple TV, Vudu, Google Play Movies, and YouTube, with rental prices ranging from $3.79 to $3.99.

Although Interview with the Vampire is no longer streaming on Hulu, the platform's library does still boast several titles starring Cruise. Currently available to stream with a Hulu subscription is Edge of Tomorrow , The Mummy , and War of the Worlds . Titles including Who Is Tom Cruise , Jack Reacher: Never Go Back , and Top Gun are available to stream with a Hulu + Live TV subscription, and Jack Reacher is available to stream with the Showtime add-on service.

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Tom Cruise’s 20 Best Performances, from ‘Top Gun’ to ‘Mission: Impossible’ to ‘Magnolia’

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Cruise has been leveraging looks and charm, and flexing his blockbuster muscles, for decades. Going all the way back to the early 1980s, his appeal never seems to age, even at 61 years old. He’s skillfully shepherded original movies as a star and producer, never falling into the trap of IP except, of course, with the franchises that are entirely his: “Top Gun,” “Mission: Impossible,” and “Jack Reacher.” Related Stories Tom Cruise Gave June Squibb and Director Josh Margolin His Blessing for Their ‘M:I’ Homage in ‘Thelma’ Johnny Depp Almost Didn’t Audition for ‘Edward Scissorhands’ After ’21 Jump Street’: I’m Just a ‘TV Actor Guy’

While some may say that Cruise’s sculpted movie star image lacks a certain vulnerability, many of the films below showcase his gifts for dramatic acting, proving him more than just a deft maneuverer of box office and death-defying stunts — though he is, of course, all those things.

Cruise may in fact be the Last Movie Star in a time where such a nomenclature doesn’t really mean much anymore. He’s worked with smart directors — from Martin Scorsese to Steven Spielberg, Paul Thomas Anderson and Stanley Kubrick — often chasing them down himself with a wicked idea or hopes for a collaboration. He’s thrived and held his own alongside iconic movie stars in classics, from Jack Nicholson in “A Few Good Men” to Paul Newman in “The Color of Money,” and even in duds alongside the likes of Meryl Streep and Robert Redford (“Lions for Lambs,” anyone?).

As we saw from the way he stood up against COVID rule-breakers on the set of “Mission: Impossible 7,” he cares about his collaborators and the work. And with “Dead Reckoning Part One” heading to theaters this week, Cruise has a brand new chance to showcase his charisma and talent for pulling off death-defying stunts onscreen.

Samantha Bergeson, Christian Blauvelt, and Kate Erbland also contributed to this story.

“Risky Business” (1983)

Few actors embodied the ‘80s as a time of simultaneous repression and entitlement like Tom Cruise in “Risky Business.” Paul Brickman’s capitalist satire, with its silky Tangerine Dream score and night cinematography by Bruce Surtees and Reynaldo Villalobos worthy of a Wong Kar-Wai movie, finds Cruise’s high school senior Joel having sex with a call girl (Rebecca De Mornay) on a dare and getting entangled in her orbit until he’s running a brothel from his house. He certainly expresses both an attraction and terror about losing his virginity, but morality or prudishness about profiting from sex workers? Hardly, despite the white-collar suburban setting. That is, after all, a world of materialism, of transactions, and running a brothel out of one’s home isn’t transgressive — it’s entrepreneurship. Or “human fulfillment,” the corporate buzzword label Joel gives it.

“Top Gun” and “Top Gun: Maverick” (1986, 2022)

Tom Cruise is both a great actor and a great movie star, two jobs that often overlap but don’t necessarily have to. The first “Top Gun” is a quintessential movie star performance from Cruise, relying more on excellent vibes than challenging character work. Pete Mitchell, aka Maverick, is a brilliant but cocky pilot, and we’re occasionally reminded that he’s tortured by the death of his father. But really, the movie is an excuse for Tom Cruise to wear cool sunglasses and leather jackets while he operates cool planes and motorcycles. No shame in that game, and Cruise can do it as well as anyone. But “Top Gun: Maverick” takes those good vibes and builds on them, and an aging Cruise turns the character into something much more three-dimensional as Maverick confronts the possibility of losing the life he has grown to love. Each movie is great in its own way, but the combination of the two serves as a perfect illustration of Tom Cruise’s unique set of skills. — CZ

“The Color of Money” (1986)

All you need to know about Cruise’s performance as Vincent — beyond the fact that he’s the kind of character who, totally unironically, wears a T-shirt printed up with just his name in massive letters across the chest —  is contained in the iconic “Werewolves of London” sequence . Vince faces off against a fierce competitor just for kicks, displaying wild cockiness, total resilience, and a major panache for pool-playing that shouldn’t surprise anyone up to snuff on his dedication to practical stunts. The actor practiced for months on end and ultimately completed nearly every one of Vince’s trick shots on his own, but that’s not even the marquee attraction here: instead, it’s Cruise’s full-force charm. “Top Gun” made the initial case, but “The Color of Money” sealed it. — KE

“Rain Man” (1988)

“Born on the Fourth of July” (1989)

Based on Vietnam War veteran Ron Kovic’s autobiography, “Born on the Fourth of July” starred Tom Cruise as an anti-war activist grappling with PTSD after being paralyzed in military service. Kovic’s life is depicted over the course of two decades onscreen; fellow Vietnam vet Oliver Stone co-wrote the screenplay with Kovic and directed the Oscar-winning film. Despite Al Pacino originally being attached to the lead role, Cruise carved out his iconic performance and received his first Academy Award nomination. Stone went on to win for Best Director, with the film also taking home Best Editing.

“Days of Thunder” (1990)

A sweat-soaked hotshot with a devil-may-care attitude and a taste for speed, danger, and zero gets handed a plum assignment that feeds all those desires and more. His love interest is smarter than him (and knows it). He rubs everyone the wrong way (including the similarly hotshot-y dudes also jockeying for a spot). He begrudgingly accepts a stately mentor. His unlikely best pal is grievously injured while on the clock. The soundtrack is a banger. Tony Scott directs.

No, this isn’t “Top Gun” — it’s the racecar drama “Days of Thunder,” which vroomed into theaters four years after the high-flying aviation hit, packed to the goddamn gills with the same elements that made the previous entry such a heart-pounder. As Cole Trickle, Cruise captures the same bravado and ballsy attitude as Pete “Maverick” Mitchell, but in a decidedly earth-bound conveyance.

“A Few Good Men” (1992)

“The Firm” meets “Top Gun” is probably the simplest way to explain Aaron Sorkin’s complicated legal drama starring Tom Cruise and directed for the screen by Rob Reiner.

Cruise plays Lieutenant Daniel Kaffee, a military attorney who is assigned a murder case involving three Marines. Demi Moore is Kaffee’s fellow lawyer Lieutenant Commander JoAnne Galloway who questions Kaffee’s motives and approach to the case.

The duo question officers at Guantanamo Bay as they uncover a conspiracy involving corrupt witness accounts and bogus testimony.

Jack Nicholson stars as Colonel Nathan Jessup, who defends the practices of his Marine unit, and Kevin Bacon, Kiefer Sutherland, Noah Wyle, and Cuba Gooding Jr. round out the ensemble cast.

The film was applauded by critics upon release in 1992, with its acclaim marking the Cruise star vehicle as the “anti-‘Top Gun.’” “A Few Good Men” was nominated for four Academy Awards, including Best Picture. — SB

“The Firm” (1993)

Gene Hackman plays Mitch’s boss Avery, while Ed Harris is an FBI agent using Cruise to expose the Firm’s corrupt offshore dealings and Chicago mob ties. Mitch’s legal prowess leads him to a private investigator (Gary Busey) and an ingenious secretary (Holly Hunter, who landed an Oscar nomination for the role) but leaves countless bodies in his wake. The cat and mouse thriller is anchored by Cruise’s signature smile and innate ability to build tension through his typically fierce determination to prove the truth. Call it Cruise’s good guy version of “American Psycho,” if you will, because you’ll never look at a lawyer the same way again. — SB

“Interview With the Vampire” (1994)

“Mission: Impossible” (1996 and onward)

Tom Cruise seamlessly shifted into the action star status era of his career with 1996’s “Mission: Impossible.” Based on the action spy series of the same name, the film franchise has endured over 25 years of billion-dollar profits to date. Cruise transformed into charismatic CIA agent Ethan Hunt who leads the Impossible Missions Force. Brian De Palma directed the first film, originally with Cruise set to reteam with “The Firm” filmmaker Sydney Pollack before De Palma took over.

“Jerry Maguire” (1996)

For years, conceiving a great Tom Cruise role was as simple as coming up with a cool job that lots of men wanted. Fighter pilot? Check. Pool hustler? Cruise played one. Hot bartender? Ditto. So it was almost inevitable that he would play a sports agent at some point, and Cameron Crowe gave him a beautiful vehicle to do just that in “Jerry Maguire.” While the idea of a rom-com set in the world of sports may be the greatest marketing ploy of all time, the endlessly quotable film is elevated by a thoughtful script and great performances from Cuba Gooding Jr. and Renee Zellweger. But it’s Cruise’s singular charm that ties the movie together, seamlessly alternating between alpha-male swagger and sentimental romance without ever missing a beat. It’s the kind of performance that reminds cinephiles what a real movie star is. — CZ

“Eyes Wide Shut” (1999)

Kubrick stops short of stripping him down to that degree, but the filmmaker disarms Cruise into giving one of his most exposed turns. (Recall an earlier scene in the film, when a marauding pack of frat boys flings gay slurs at Dr. Bill, a moment that calls the character’s, and by extension the actor’s, masculinity into question.) When the masquerade is over, and he finally heads back to a sleeping Alice, only to see the Venetian mask he wore to the orgy displayed on the pillow next to her, he breaks down. “I’ll tell you everything,” he weeps. Kubrick doesn’t show what happens then, instead cutting to an emptied-out Alice smoking blankly, having now absorbed his confession. No matter, as Cruise’s sometimes arch but inevitably denuded performance up to here tells us what we need to know about this offscreen moment. And then, of course, there’s that one thing Bill and Alice need to do as soon as possible. — RL

“Magnolia” (1999)

Cruise had jitters over taking on the role of Frank T.J. Mackey in Anderson’s sprawling San Fernando Valley love letter “Magnolia,” and that’s unsurprising given the leaps he takes. (And singing Aimee Mann’s “Wise Up” in-camera? How’s that for vulnerability.) The character, a motivational speaker peddling misogynistic pickup tips with wildly slung onstage maxims like “respect the cock” and “tame the cunt,” is all sorts of unpleasant. He’s viciously guarded toward a broadcast journalist interrogating his toxic male persona, preening and jumping around in his underwear in a moment that might anticipate the real actor’s eventual “Oprah” onstage meltdown. Frank dodges questions about his estranged, ailing father (Jason Robards), obviously hiding volcanic levels of trauma. But in a movie where “we may be through with the past, but the past ain’t through with us,” Frank ultimately has to pay his tab. Cruise scored a Best Supporting Actor Academy Award nomination most certainly for a cathartic deathbed breakdown in the movie’s operatic climax, clinging to his cancer-riddled father’s last rattle of life and watching redemption slip away. It’s the most moving single-scene performance of Cruise’s career. — RL

“Vanilla Sky” (2001)

Despite the movie’s constantly shifting timeline, Cruise conveys a compelling and coherent emotional arc, whether withdrawing into depression or huffing the fumes of his megalomania. With “Magnolia” and “Eyes Wide Shut” before it, “Vanilla Sky” capped a period of Cruise opening himself up emotionally to audiences. No other actor could better sell the wincingly cheesy line, with David tipping over a Manhattan high-rise ledge at the end (or beginning?) of his life, “I’ll see you in another life when we are both cats.” — RL

“Minority Report” (2002)

“Collateral” (2004)

When Tom Cruise gives that unblinking, intense eye contact — come on, you know you’ve seen it in interviews as well as in movies — you can either think this is the most committed, fully realized performer (or, maybe, human?) in existence, or that he’s an “American Psycho” type come to life. So of course he had to play a serial killer at least once. Not just any serial killer, though. One who is a professional and demonstrates the level of professionalism Cruise brings to everything he does himself. His Vincent in Michael Mann’s “Collateral” is meticulous, and he comes up with a unique plan. He’ll hire an ordinary Los Angeles cabbie, Max (Jamie Foxx), to drive him around the City of Angels to carry out his hits in the course of one night. Cruise has been able to do something the past couple of decades that few others have managed: to make action thrillers that are also character studies, and “Collateral” is the ne plus ultra of that combination. His character’s shock of silver hair notwithstanding, this unexpectedly haunting movie is pure gold. — CB

“War of the Worlds” (2005)

“Tropic Thunder” (2008)

Tom Cruise may have spent much of the 21st century cementing his status as the world’s greatest action star, but his surprise cameo in “Tropic Thunder” proved he can do comedy with the best of them. Cruise donned a fat suit and prosthetics to play studio executive Les Grossman, delivering a masterclass in the creative use of profanity (in addition to some legendary dancing to Flo Rida). Considering how carefully Cruise guards his image, seeing the movie star randomly pop up in a comedy and cut loose with an unhinged performance is a singular cinematic treat. — CZ

“Oblivion” (2013)

“Edge of Tomorrow” (2014)

Part of what makes Cruise such a good movie star is that he helps the cast around him shine. As larger-than-life as he can be, he’s also a generous scene partner who builds wonderful dynamics with his co-stars (see how good he and Rebecca Ferguson are playing off each other in the “Mission: Impossible” movies for proof). One of the clearest cases of this is “Edge of Tomorrow,” the highly underrated action film he headlined in 2014. Playing a public relations officer in a future where humanity is at war with alien “mimics,” Cruise is a blast. He’s cast slightly against type as a clueless wimp in over his head; especially after he gets stuck in a time loop where he repeats the same 24 hours after being killed in combat. But the best performance in the film is from Emily Blunt as the seasoned veteran he allies with, and Cruise is more than happy to give her the spotlight she deserves, while still delivering sparky chemistry. –WC

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‘Interview With the Vampire’ Director on Casting Tom Cruise Over Daniel Day-Lewis and the Backlash That Followed: ‘The Entire World’ Said ‘You Are Miscast’

When Neil Jordan ‘s “ Interview With the Vampire ” film adaptation released in 1994, Tom Cruise was already a worldwide star. He had led the highly successful “Risky Business” and “Top Gun” and received an Oscar nomination for “Born on the Fourth of July.” But, not everyone was convinced he could play the titular vampire, Lestat de Lioncourt, and his casting caused a considerable amount of backlash among fans of Anne Rice’s original book.

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After meeting with Cruise twice at his house in Brentwood, Jordan realized that the actor actually had a lot in common with Lestat, something that made him sure of his decision.

“I finally got it,” Jordan wrote. “He had to live a life removed from the gaze of others. He had made a contract with the hidden forces, whatever they turned out to be. He had to hide in the shadows, even in the Hollywood sunlight. He would be eternally young. He was a star. He could well be Lestat.”

Jordan noted that Cruise is “also a superb actor,” but “that small fact got lost in the outrage that followed.”

“Half of America, it seemed, had read Anne Rice’s books and wanted a say in the casting of Lestat,” he continued. “Anne herself took to the airwaves, saying that it was as if I had cast Edward G Robinson as Rhett Butler. But she was wrong and was later big enough to admit it.”

“The entire world said, ‘You are miscast,’” Jordan said. “He’s a great actor. If he says he can do something, he will do it in a way that people will be shocked by. Tom has become the last remaining film star. It’s kind of strange.”

Pitt, who joined the film straight after “Legends of the Fall,” was exhausted by the night shoots and the character’s nature, Jordan said. “It simply wore him out. Brad’s a very active guy, that was the direction he wanted to go in. The passivity of the character got him down.”

Jordan’s next film is “The Well of Saint Nobody,” adapted from the director’s acclaimed 2023 novel of the same name.

Jordan’s “Amnesiac: A Memoir” will be published by Head of Zeus on June 20.

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Tom cruise attends taylor swift’s eras tour in london day after daughter suri’s high school graduation.

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Tom Cruise was all smiles at Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour show in London Saturday night the day after daughter Suri’s high school graduation in NYC just hours prior.

The “Top Gun” star looked gleeful at Wembley Stadium as he traded friendship bracelets with fans ahead of the singer’s second of three sold-out performances in England’s capital city.

The 61-year-old actor — who rocked dark wash jeans, a white T-shirt and a black jacket — sat among A-list attendees including Mila Kunis, Ashton Kutcher, Hugh Grant and “Barbie” director Greta Gerwig.

Cruise appeared to be having the time of his life as he — much like Prince William the night prior — danced along to the Grammy winner’s hit song “Shake it Off” with his famous peers in the VIP tent.

Swift’s beau, Travis Kelce, was also among stars as he attended his second London concert in a row with his brother and sister-in-law, Jason and Kylie .

Meanwhile in the US, Cruise’s estranged 18-year-old daughter graduated from LaGuardia High School the day prior.

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A beaming Suri was photographed greeting friends outside the venue shortly after they received their diplomas.

She also eagerly took pictures with mom Katie Holmes, who proudly stood by her daughter’s side on the special day.

The teenager dressed for the heat in a white sundress and heels adorned with a flower.

She completed her summery ensemble with a red graduation robe and white sash.

The 45-year-old “Dawson’s Creek” alum, for her part, looked cheerful in beige pleated trousers and a matching collared shirt.

Cruise’s choice to opt out of the graduation does not come as a surprise, as he has been estranged from the teen for years .

Suri even dropped the “Risky Business” actor’s last name in her school’s official graduation pamphlet, opting instead to go by her first and middle names, “Suri Noelle.”

Cruise confirmed in a 2012 deposition that Holmes divorced him “in part to protect Suri from Scientology.”

Followers of the controversial religion are not allowed to associate with nonbelievers.

Suri — who revealed she will attend Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh in the fall — did not let her father’s absence ruin her final days of high school.

Earlier this week, she was seen having a blast with her friends as they took pictures before they went off to prom.

Suri looked like a spitting image of her mother in a ’90s-inspired floral gown that featured a corseted bodice.

Holmes and Cruise split in 2011 nearly six years after tying the knot.

The “Mission Impossible” actor shares daughter Isabella, 31, and son Connor, 29, with ex-wife Nicole Kidman, whom he separated from in 2001 following an 11-year marriage.

Cruise still spends time with his eldest children as they have followed in his Scientology-practicing footsteps.

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Interview With the Vampire director says backlash against Tom Cruise casting was ‘wrong’

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Interview With the Vampire director Neil Jordan is looking back on the outrage that ensued after he cast Tom Cruise in the lead role opposite Brad Pitt .

Cruise, 61, led the 1994 fantasy horror – based on Anne Rice’s 1976 novel – as Lestat, a vampire who befriends and persuades suicidal vampire Louis (Pitt) to choose immortality over death.

While Cruise had starred in popular hits Risky Business (1983) and Top Gun (1986) already, his casting was criticized by fans of Rice’s book, who questioned if he could do the character justice .

In an op-ed published in The Telegraph , Jordan recalled the difficulty of casting Lesate, revealing that he had initially offered the part to Daniel Day-Lewis.

“The problem was the casting of Lestat. Brad Pitt had agreed to play Louis and somehow assumed Daniel Day-Lewis would be playing Lestat, an assumption shared by Anne. I offered it to Daniel, who read it, and, as I expected, didn’t want to play the character,” the Irish director wrote.

“A few years before, he had confined himself to a wheelchair to play Christy Brown in ‘My Left Foot.’ He would have had to sleep in a coffin for the entirety of this production if he followed the same practice. So we moved on.”

Jordan explained that it was after he met Cruise twice at his Brentwood house that he realized the actor had a lot in common with Lestat, affirming his decision.

“I finally got it,” Jordan continued. “He had to live a life removed from the gaze of others. He had made a contract with the hidden forces, whatever they turned out to be. He had to hide in the shadows, even in the Hollywood sunlight. He would be eternally young. He was a star. He could well be Lestat.”

Noting that Cruise is “also a superb actor,” he added that “that small fact got lost in the outrage that followed.”

“Half of America, it seemed, had read Anne Rice’s books and wanted a say in the casting of Lestat,” he said. “Anne herself took to the airwaves, saying that it was as if I had cast Edward G Robinson as Rhett Butler. But she was wrong and was later big enough to admit it.”

Jordan additionally touched on the subject in a new interview with The Guardian , saying that “it must have been very difficult” for Cruise amid fan fury.

Critics eventually came to appreciate Cruise’s performance , and it is now considered one of his defining roles.

“He’s a great actor,” Jordan said. “If he says he can do something, he will do it in a way that people will be shocked by. Tom has become the last remaining film star. It’s kind of strange.”

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