Higher, faster, further – the life of Tom Cruise is like a high-speed roller coaster ride, but instead of ever landing again, this actor seems to only go uphill. Anyone who was present at the tribute to Hollywood superstar and Scientologist Cruise in Cannes could get the impression, where the long-awaited part two of “Top Gun” was launched – with a master class on the idol and extensive autograph writing afterwards on the red carpet. Cruise obviously feels most comfortable there when he can bathe in the affection of his followers. This also earned him standing ovations when, announced by festival director Thierry Frémaux, he entered the Debussy cinema, where the audience had to endure a ten-minute homage through his films: everything was there: the stunts from “Mission: Impossible”, his freak out in court in “A Few Good Men”, his tender and hard bond with Dustin Hoffman in “Rain Man”, of course the best shots from 1986’s “Top Gun” and the most daring shots from movies like “Last Samurai”, “Minority Report”, “Born on July 4th” or “Days of Thunder”.
Tom Cruise is brimming with positive energy, but that’s no wonder given the frenetic reception the soon-to-be 60-year-old received in Cannes. And because Tom Cruise is Tom Cruise, he prefers to talk about himself on this occasion. “It’s thanks to all the skills I’ve worked hard for the films to be the way they are,” says Cruise. “I don’t want viewers to notice the work that goes into a scene. Only then does the film work for me.”
But it is precisely this work behind the scenes that is so enormously important, and a star like him is not enough if the costumes, the lighting or the sound fail, says Cruise. “We are a big team that makes films possible in every little detail and in all facets”. To be on the safe side, however, Cruise has expanded his skills in all areas, as he never tires of emphasizing: “Even as an 18-year-old, I was more inquisitive than almost anyone else on my first days on a film set. I wanted to know everything about the technology and the cameras, the optics and the light. I absorbed that.” Cruise is convinced that these parameters are an essential part of his success. And success is the reward for hard work. “I’ve always wanted to do this: movies, movies, movies,” Cruise said. “It’s just my life and that’s why I will never stop making films”. For the big screen, mind you. Because there are films “that I make for the audience. The audience is the only benchmark – and people should sit together in a cinema and have an experience. Fortunately, that’s finally possible again”.
So he brought a lot of positive energy with him. Cruise is also known for giving quick-witted answers, and once again he had one ready that perfectly describes the self-image of this tall, short man. When asked why he actually does all the stunts in his action films himself, no matter how dangerous, Cruise asks a counter question: “Why did Gene Kelly actually dance himself?”
Tom Cruise explained Tom Cruise, and somehow you knew in advance where this was going. After all, Cruise has also acquired another skill that is almost the most important in his profession: he has learned to live with the applause and to play humility.