When Hollywood Legends Were Asked About Tom Cruise

When I got cast in this movie, my first call was to Tom. Tom Cruise is obviously one of the great actors of all time, but maybe the greatest stunt performer ever. And so I just said, hey, what do I need to know? And I was expecting a five minute conversation. He stayed on the phone with me for two hours. Most actors play the scene. Tom Cruise does the scene. There's no stunt double standing in for the moment that matters. Standing by and watching Tom do stuff is always exhilarating because there's a degree of sort of uncertainty there. That's not a trick of the camera. That's a man hanging off the side of a plane on purpose because he decided the shot deserved it. Well, he sleeps probably like two hours a day. He does so many things, so many things. And he's so giving and generous. I don't know where he gets the time or the energy to do all he does in a day. It's fascinating. Nobody around him can explain where the energy comes from. They just know it never runs out. I started and I told myself I was doing all of my stunts. I was doing Tom Cruise that was just hanging on the side of an airplane. Yes. F-50. Yes. I was like, man, I'm better than Tom Cruise. Yeah, do it. And I did like two stunts. And I was like, I'm not better than Tom Cruise. Everyone in this industry has a joke about him. Almost none of them can back it up. But behind the stunts is something quieter. He calls actors himself for hours just to help them get a scene right. He remembers the assistants. He shows up for people who never expected him to. The most famous man in the room spending his energy on everyone else in it. And I walk into a room and there he is. Just happy, smiling. We drink coffee. Two hours. And it hits me now and then. I'm actually here with Tom Cruise. And then he smiles and you're back into normality again. He embraces you. It's incredible. So the stunt, more nerve wracking. OK. People don't clock it at first. They just know they feel comfortable. The realization comes later. He is. It's funny because I don't think of him just as a stunt. You know, an actor who does stunt his own stunts, which is already crazy because I've done that. And I'm like, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh. Right, right. But I really feel like he's an artist. Like, I think about his work. I think about Magnolia. I think about, like, the deep things that he's done that are maybe not as commercial. But of course, he's, you know, iconic. He's a movie star. And he's a movie star from a different time. Stuntman, movie star. Most people only get to claim one of those titles in a career. He spent four decades holding both. My hat is now and forever off to Tom Cruise. If ever I were lost in the woods. Because he should change his name to just Competence Cruise. I feel like he is the most competent man on earth. He just tells me he knows what to do. And I would believe in that. I would snuggle in on a piggy, like a little piggyback ride. And I'd let him just take me to safety. And he would. He would. He's got, he has got the confidence gene. The competence and confidence gene. He would get me there. And he makes you feel good. And he wouldn't gloat about it. Wouldn't make a big thing. He'd gloat a little tiny bit. He'd just let me down. No, mainly he would gloat quite a bit. A little bit, a little bit. Maybe a touch. A good gloat. That's warranted though. Yeah, I think so. It's earned it. That's not a fan talking. That's a fellow A-lister. Now, let's hear what other actors have to say about Tom Cruise. He said, I've been dreaming of this shot for 15 years. Of this sequence. And finally I had a chance to do it. And I goes, well, so how did it come to pass? And he goes, okay. Okay, so I go to the safety guy. I tell him this is what I'm going to do. This is what I'm going to explain the whole gag to him. Right. The safety guy says, you can't do that. He goes, that's too dangerous. And I'm like, uh-huh, uh-huh. And he goes, so I get another safety guy. I said to him, I said, why do you want me in Skyscraper? He said, because Tom Cruise wasn't available. That's true. What Tom Cruise does is extraordinary and special. Again, another legend in another universe. I'm more like on the ground playing in the mud. And he's like flying and jumping and outside of buildings and helicopters, fighter jets. So what he's doing in terms of the events that he's participating in, I think is extraordinary. And his passion for it, his skill, his talent just shines. And I think we're just the beneficiaries of his excellence. And he's inspiring. I think one thing I could say is that I share, as you spoke about, the passion for movies. We're lucky to be there. And we're just trying to have fun and help people like what we do. I love that he's the strongest man I know mentally, psychologically. And also, he's so kind and generous. And funny, I remember sometimes it was a long shoot. Sometimes for personal reasons, life, you feel low, things like that. He was the best just to cheer me up, to make me feel better, and to make me feel that everything was going to be OK. And then be like, yeah, everything is great. He has this power of just making you fearless. And this is how I knew I wasn't a big star. We're in the car and we're driving. We're supposed to do this stunt where I crash into another car, right? But it's supposed to be a stunt. But what happens is the car gets out of control. And I actually do crash into the car. And when they get there, they're like, Jamie, get out of the way. Tom, are you OK? And that's where you know where you are. He's extraordinary. I've never met anyone like him. He has so much enthusiasm, so much passion for everything that he does. He's so committed. I've never met anyone who I felt like every single moment was an opportunity. And he took nothing for granted. You know, he's a kind. He is just very committed and dedicated to his craft. You know, and he understands the landscape of filmmaking now. He understands what audiences are looking for. And he is literally at pains to deliver that, you know. And so what's going to be the Tom Cruise story that you're telling at dinner party? Oh, my God. That's a good question. Oh, my God. I don't know. I have so many beautiful memories. You know, like sometimes we were at the studios and then we're like wrapping the day. And he was like, oh, do you want to ride home? And the ride home is in a helicopter. So I was like, yeah, sure. So he would just like fly me or like us back to central London with a helicopter. It was so beautiful because it was sunset. So it was really cool. So, yeah, I don't know any other actor who does that or any other movie that, you know, that I've done that with. So that was really special. The fun thing I can I can say about Tom is that and it's it's nearing that time of year where every year Tom gifts this coconut white chocolate cake and he sends out. And he sends out like hundreds, potentially thousands of cakes to like all you know, all the people that he's worked with, all the people that he knows and loves. He's a professional. He's a good guy. He shows up. He stayed in character most of the time. We had a couple of great moments together and stuff like this off camera and stuff. Tom Cruise is like an old school action star. He's an elder. A proper movie star. Like they don't make them anymore. No. What was that experience like? Overwhelming at first, but he makes it so that everyone is relaxed actually in his orbit. He is the most inspiring, kind, generous, giving actor I've ever worked with. He's an incredibly good egg. The thing that's lovely about Tom as well, they will have you in coverage all day coming around different angles, different angles, different angles, and maybe like the last half an hour or hour of the day, they'll pick up some coverage on him. That's not normal for a big star to do that. But he wants you to shine so much. And you can see it all over the film.