Tom Cruise is doing what he does his: best Climbing on airplanes, scaling buildings, and performing all of those amazing acts that leave us speechless are all things that Tom Cruise excels at.
The fans and media outlets of the Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning star are going crazy over it all, and rightfully so, because WOW!, but I will never forget that the superstar’s 2005 press tour went in a much less successful, more “Oh my goodness, what in the world is happening?!”.
First, let’s talk about today. Cruise is 62 years old and the last rZX+eal movie star. Sean Penn calls him “the best stuntman in the movie world.” Described by Steven Spielberg as the man who “saved Hollywood’s ass” with Top Gun: Maverick.
The leading man has an unrestrained passion for the film industry and would rather make movies than go on vacation.
The enthusiasm that Cruise provides to the alleged final movie in the series — with his “crazy, death-defying,” “off the hook” stunts —
Given his wealth and Hollywood connections, Tom Cruise could easily rely on stunt doubles or computer-generated imagery for 99.9% of his cinematic feats, but he chooses to employ them because he is Mr. Movies. Whoever came up with Paramount’s iconic line, “Nobody goes as hard as Tom Cruise,” deserves a round of applause because, well, bingo.
Tom Cruise at the Cannes Film Festival with the actors of M:I 8.
“Tom Cruise joined director Christopher McQuarrie and the rest of the cast on the red carpet, appearing as an integral part of the team — even though he seemingly holds the most influence behind the scenes.”.
The No. 1 on the call sheet appears to be an ensemble person, getting into group photos without even being in the centre, thanks to his shaggy hairstyle, which would land Maverick in hot water with his superiors.
Wonderful: Cruise incorporates meet-and-greets into his red carpet activities.
The actor stood atop two separate planes during the London premiere, even though he hasn’t yet entered a M:I 8 premiere via helicopter, motorcycle, or parachute. in formal footwear.
He really enjoys a good photo opportunity. We are aware of his demand for speed, but he also has aspirations of reaching new heights. Cruise chose an extreme location to film a M:I 8 commercial—the roof of the BFI IMAX in London—following his spectacular Olympic stunt from the previous summer.
Cruise is becoming the ideal representative of Hollywood. “He personally requested a heartfelt moment of silence in honor of Val Kilmer.” In a rare gesture, he even acknowledged his ex-wife, Nicole Kidman. As a young actor, he recalled being anxious to approach Dustin Hoffman, who would later co-star with him in Rain Man.
He gives us very little information regarding his personal life throughout this time. What’s happening to Ana de Armas? Who knows? He isn’t mentioning Scientology, for sure.
Actually, he hardly ever does interviews, and when he does, they are usually about making movies.
What a difference 20 years makes
Anyone who has made it and done well in Hollywood for as long as Cruise has (nearly 50 movies in 40 years) has gone through different roles.
“Honestly, I’ve had similar experiences with celebrities myself, which makes it impossible not to compare today’s Tom Cruise to who he was exactly 20 years ago.”
War of the Worlds, starring Tom Cruise, came out in June 2005. The press tour was a terrible mess. He was having a great time because he had fallen in love with Katie Holmes, who would become his third wife and is now dead. But things went horribly wrong.
A lot of bad things happened over the course of four weeks that hurt the company’s reputation. It all began when Cruise fired his long-time publicist, who said she kept him in line when he talked about his Scientology views in public, and hired his sister Lee Anne DeVette instead.
While being interviewed on The Oprah Winfrey Show, Cruise couldn’t answer any questions because he was too happy with Holmes to talk. He went all out by pumping his arms, doing the Rocky pose, and then jumping on the couch in a moment that will live on in many people’s minds forever.
People were arguing a lot about whether the thing with “Kate” was just for attention, but he started talking about Scientology in interviews.
Cruise spoke out against Brooke Shields for writing in her book that she used antidepressants to deal with postpartum depression. He said on Access Hollywood that Shields was “irresponsible.”
Someone played a joke on Tom Cruise at the London opening of War of the Worlds by using a fake microphone to spray water in his face. It wasn’t nice, but Cruise got into a fight with the guy and scolded the “jerk” in front of the camera. The man and three others were caught and jailed.
The Today show then came on. When asked about what he said about Shields, Cruise got angry with the host at the time, Matt Lauer, while Holmes watched from the wings. He said Lauer was “glib” and didn’t “know the history of psychiatry” like Tom Cruise did. He also called psychiatry a “pseudo-science.”
Cruise said Shields should have worked out and taken vitamins instead of taking medicine. He said that chemical problems didn’t exist and that ADHD drugs like Ritalin were “dangerous.” He also helped friends get their kids off of these drugs. A lot of experts didn’t agree with what Cruise said.
Also, the conversation on 60 Minutes Australia was a mess. The writer said he had to take a four-hour Scientology course in order to get the interview, but Cruise didn’t want to talk about Kidman.
War of the Worlds was a big hit, even though the press tour was terrible. The Washington Post called it “a series of manic moments in public, in which the screen idol appears to be losing his chiseled, steely reserve.”
But Tom Cruise’s influence dropped like a rock. His sister lost her job. Someone from Paramount who booked Cruise on Oprah was the same way.
The following year, M:I 3 came out, which took the stunts to a “entirely new level.” They were “bigger, riskier, and bolder” than ever before.
He kept getting action parts, like in M:I, Reacher, Edge of Tomorrow, and Oblivion.
Though he did get news, it wasn’t about Scientology. Instead, it was about his on-screen moves, for which he began working with a helicopter and motorcycle coach. It was also about how hard he worked—he was always the first one on set and the last one to leave.
The birthday gifts he sends have been going strong for 20 years. He sends Christmas cakes all over the world. helping young artists learn how to act.
The Tom of today
The celebrity is a master of his craft and his image, according to a crisis and public relations specialist who has witnessed all of Tom Cruise’s highs and lows.
“Every CGI superhero in the business should be afraid of Cruise’s dedication to real stunts.” Additionally, he is the final true movie star; a Marvel mask is unnecessary.
Who does not collaborate with Cruise, all of his exploits, such as wing-walking at 10,000 feet in M:I 8 and hanging off the Burj Khalifa, are only “press release shots.” The marketing is the film itself.
Cruise’s “work-ethic lore,” Schiffer remarked, is helpful in that regard. The leading lady “projects blue-collar glamour: the billionaire who clocks in first,” regardless of the “5 a.m. helicopter arrivals” or those “birthday cakes flown to crew.”
Cruise, aside from that, “guards mystique like IP.” In contrast to most influencers, he doesn’t post a lot on social media. He has only appeared on a few talk shows in the past fifteen years and has had “zero TMZ sound bites.”
“In a time of too much content, lack is king.”
Despite the fact that 2005 was a PR disaster, Tom Cruise’s story has transformed as a result of his film office achievements, particularly Top Gun: Maverick, for which he revealed a sequel.
According to Schiffer, Cruise’s Q-Rating—a measure of celebrity fame—”cratered 40% after 2005.” The bad news from his 2012 divorce with Holmes and his 2013 lawsuit against the tabloid Bauer Media made it difficult for him to bring it back up.
Schiffer stated that “the final exorcism of Oprah’s sofa will happen on Memorial Day 2022.” He moved backwards slowly. Tom Cruise was transformed from a “eccentric enthusiast” to the “Saint of Popcorn” in Top Gun: Maverick, which attracted an audience still recuperating from the pandemic to IMAX theatres. A lot of things may be removed by sadness, and Maverick did just that.
In February 2023, the entertainment data firm National Research Group named Tom Cruise the greatest movie star of all time. They accomplished this by asking 3,000 Americans, ranging in age from 12 to 74, which movie stars they most eagerly anticipate seeing. In August 2024, he fell to No. 2 behind Denzel Washington.
Tom Cruise’s current media approach, according to Schiffer, is “brutal in its simplicity: talk craft, show stunts, skip faith.”
“Interviews were planned so that any deviations into Scientology or personal life would lead back to cameras, lenses, and G-forces.” The members of Tom Cruise’s crew are aware of when to detonate and when to disappear.
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