Tom Cruise has been making movies in parts of five decades now. Starting in the 1980s with such mega-hits as “Risky Business” and “Rain Man,” Cruise established himself as one of the most versatile, popular stars in Hollywood. Now, at 61 years of age, Cruise is still a mega-star and box office gold.
However, Cruise hasn’t coasted into his AARP years by dialing down the intensity. In fact, Crusie has turned it up several notches, especially with his most recent releases, “Top Gun: Maverick” and “Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part 1.”
Instead of taking more low-key, less physical roles as so many other aging stars do, Cruise continues to push the envelope by devising riskier stunts and pushing himself physically; he even flew the fighter plane in Maverick.
This commitment and intensity have contributed greatly to Cruise’s popularity. In a time where so many movies are CGI-heavy superhero flicks or have so many woke themes baked into them that they are borderline unwatchable, Cruise has stuck to meat and potatoes action and excitement with his films.
Those are all important factors to note because the actor does have some quirky aspects about him. Cruise is an unapologetic Scientologist, and as the”religion” has come under the microscope in recent years, many question why someone like Cruise would be involved with Scientology.
Tom Cruise is also reportedly very controlling and demanding on set. This makes sense since Cruise produces his own movies and stars in them as well. He has a reputation and a huge financial stake, so he pulls the strings. A certain level of narcissism and control is necessary for people who are high achievers. Whether it’s the presidency or in Hollywood, it doesn’t matter; it takes a certain personality type to rise to the top.
Naturally, since you can’t please everyone, people are going to be put off by strong, Type A personalities like Cruise. Recently, a screenwriter that worked with the actor on the 1999 psychological thriller “Eyes Wide Shut” has revealed his thoughts about Cruise and the film’s legendary director, the late Stanley Kubrick, in a new book. Needless to say, he is still bitter.
Frederick Raphael, 91, recently published a book where he wrote about his experience with the movie. The screenwriter fell out with Kubrick after he wrote his first memoir in 1999, after his experience with “Eyes Wide Shut.” He was critical of Kubrick’s directing style and questioned Tom Cruis and his decision to cast his wife at the time, Nicole Kidman, among other things.
After the release of the first book in 1999, cruise commented on Raphael’s claims: “[Raphael] wouldn’t have written it if Stanley had been alive.” Kubrick died shortly after the movie was filmed and before it was released.
Cruise continued: “Opportunistic. Self-serving. Inaccurate. I don’t know that man at all and I’ve never met him. It’s been interesting seeing how people have behaved afterwards.”
Now, at age 91 and more than two decades since working with Cruise and Kubrick, the salty screenwriter is continuing to take shots at the actor and director. Now he is accusing Kubrick’s family and Tom Cruise of orchestrating a Wikipedia smear campaign against him.
In his book, he writes: “The Harlans and Master Cruise have managed to insert some derogatory stuff in my Wikipedia entry. I have never been called a liar by anyone as I have been by the Harlan clan and by Tom Cruise, an egocentric control freak to whom I have never spoken.”
Raphael also went on to criticize the casting of Kidman. An easy call in hindsight, as the movie was generally considered a disappointment. However, at the time, the anticipation was palpable to see Cruise and Kidman, one of the hottest couples in Hollywood, on screen together. The screenwriter said: “Was there something just a touch naïve in your idea that casting a married couple as a married couple would enable you to put ‘the truth’ on the screen?”
“One thing you can be pretty sure of: whatever any conjugal duo may disclose in public about their relationship, they rarely let any crucial cat out of the bag. Did you honestly suppose Cruise and Kidman were bound in genuine passion, rather than embraced in a careerist merger?”
Credit Frederick Raphael for recognizing that in 2023, controversy plays well and sells books. At 91, it is likely his final attempt at cashing a check and leaving a legacy. Cruise and Kubrick’s legacies are established, and some bitterness from a little-known screenwriter likely won’t affect either one bit.
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