Tom Cruise -When He Was Still Speaking to the Press

March 14, 2021 168 Comments

                                             June 2002 By Philip Berk

In Minority Report, Tom Cruise plays the top gun of the elite Pre-Crime unit.

The year is 2054, and murder has been eliminated from society because the guilty are apprehended before the crime is committed.

The movie was once planned as an Arnold Schwarzenegger project.

The difference now is the director, Steven Spielberg

It is his vision that makes the film a sci fi classic and provides Cruise with his most subtle performance in years.

Cruise was instrumental in getting the film made, and it confirms his reputation as Hollywood’s most audacious movie star.

You could call it Risky Business.

Since Mission Impossible he’s gone from Stanley Kubrick’s Eyes Wide Shut to Cameron Crowe’s Vanilla Sky to Steven Spielberg’s Minority Report.

None of these movies could  be called commercial.

When I compliment him on his brave choices, he thanks me but denies there is any grand over arching scheme involved.

“I look at something and ask myself, ‘Am I interested in this? Do I want to make it?’ Then I look at the other elements involved. I put together a team, and that’s exciting to me. Right now I’m going to produce War of the Worlds. In October I’ll be doing The Last Samurai in which I play a mercenary who goes to Japan to train the imperial army. I’d like to do a comedy.”

Jokingly he adds, “I’d like to direct again before they take my SAG (Screen Actors’ Guild) card away.”

But they all sound like commercial projects. Is he changing course? 

“You know what, I don’t look at it as one way or the other. I don’t approach it as this is commercial, this is artistic. I see it as a movie, something that I want to do. And because it takes so much time out of my life, when I make that choice, I’m very serious about it and I give it everything I have. Every day.”

Cruise had an equally dedicated partner in Steven Spielberg.

This was their first collaboration although they’ve always wanted to work together.

How did that pan out?

“It was extraordinary. He has total command of his craft. Here’s a man who works from a visceral place. And he’s not afraid to turn things around on a dime. He never loses sight of the story. As an actor, working with him was so easy. He gave great notes to me. He’s like a kid, and he has tremendous energy. He’s not only doing that, but he’s running a studio and everything else. Yet I never felt rushed. I never felt he didn’t have his eye on the picture the entire time. I mean, look at the complexity of the production, it’s just astonishing. He’s an astonishing film-maker.”

The original story by Philip K. Dick, like Blade Runner which he also wrote, took place in the year 2020.

Why 2054?

“Steven chose that year so that it would more relevant. We sat down with a bunch of scientists and discussed what the future would be like. The one thing we learned was that everyone is going to know a lot more about each other than we’re comfortable with.”

Does that make him more pessimistic or optimistic?

“I’m realistic about the future. There are a lot of things to be excited about. You look at the advances of science and medicine, that’s very exciting, but you’ve always got to take the good with the bad, so there are a lot of things I’m nervous about.”

Such as?

“Government interference. Right now we have certain laws that require that your child must go on Ritalin to be able to attend a particular school, and then you look at the underlying factors and discover the kind of kickbacks and the tremendous amount of millions upon billions of dollars that these guys make by giving these (prescription) drugs to young kids who don’t really need it.”

Speaking of kids, how is he enjoying being a single father?

And does it worry him when the kids are not with him?

“As a parent you always worry about them, and you’re concerned for them. But nothing has changed in terms of my love and concern for them, and I know Nic(ole Kidman, his ex wife) feels the same way also.”

Does he feel a sense of loss because they have to share separate custody?

“No I don’t.”

And his relationship with Penelope (Cruz)?

“I am very happy in my relationship. I have no regrets about what happened in the past.” 

What are he and Penelope doing to protect the kids?

“The most important thing I can do as a parent is to educate them so that they can read and write and learn and are able to make their own decisions, able to look at information and discover what is real for them. To be happy, they will need language not only to communicate but to think for themselves and not be susceptible to the information other people feed them. That I think is the most important thing in the world.”

And where does his partner fit into this?

“Well, I’m divorced. I depend on Nic. Both of us know what’s important.”

Obviously he didn’t get the question.  

When not having to do press for Minority Report  — at the Four Seasons where he’s informally dressed and unshaven  — what is his typical day like?

“It’s up at dawn, depending on whether the kids are there or not. My day is trying to take care of as much work as the kids’ schedule allows. If I’m working on a film it’s 18 to 20 hour day.  Some days 17. I can get away with about five hours of sleep three or four days a week, but then I usually sleep seven or eight the other three days. It depends. If I’m making a movie I’m usually up at 4:30. I’ll shoot all day and take calls. When I have the kids it’s different.”

Is he still able to see movies in a theatre or go out to eat?

“I see movies in theatres. I go out. I’ll go out for dinner, I’ll go to restaurants and stuff like that. You just have to make up your mind before you go out if you want to face the paparazzi or not. Right now it’s difficult. We used to be able to go to a restaurant or even a movie, and a guy might come up and ask for an autograph or take a picture, but now we have to settle for a fast food place like McDonald’s or In & Out.”

Do they take trips?

“I’m not a big vacation guy. When I relax I like going for hikes, and when the kids aren’t with me I’ll work seven days a week. But when they’re with me I try to work around their schedule.”

In the movie his character is preordained to commit murder. Would he be capable of doing that?

“Being a parent, I don’t even want to talk about something like that. But even in that situation I wouldn’t do that.”

But then he adds, “If I had a chance to kill Hitler I would have pulled the trigger in a second.”

The movie suggests that the government will go to any extreme to perpetuate itself. Does that frighten him?

“I love America, but it does pose a question. When they have that kind of power they tend to use it in the wrong way.”

What does he think of Italy finger-printing all non European Community citizens who enter the country?

“It’s so strange that we trust each other so little, but I can understand why. Certainly I don’t want anyone to get on an airplane and be at the mercy of people who hold such little value to human life; but then again if we had better intelligence. I mean the Taliban was right there in Berlin the whole time, preparing for 9/11. It’s sad.”

Whenever he can point to Germany as a culprit, he does. Could it be because the German government still refuses to recognize Scientology as a religion?

That is one question I don’t ask him.

He recently turned forty. 

Did he give much thought to it?

“I haven’t thought about it a lot. But I can recall the first time I did a press conference; it must have been twenty years ago. I remember being a young actor wondering where I would be at 40. I remember just hoping I would still be working. I never anticipated anything like this happening to me. It’s amazing how things have turned out. I feel very proud.”

How does he deal with pressure, is it something he tries to avoid?

“I love pressure. It’s never bothered me. It’s part of making films. Some people get really nervous when there’s a lot of pressure, but not me. There’s also grace under pressure. That’s when you know you’re going to get through the day and things are going to be okay. All you can do is your best.”

Has he always been interested in the science fiction genre?

“I enjoy science fiction. I remember reading Dune as a kid. It was a great book. I grew up watching science fiction movies, reading science fiction. But the fact that I’m making these two films one after the other is just coincidental, not planned in any  way.“

And his relationship to the internet?

“I don’t get on the internet much. I find it a waste of time. I did when it first came out, but a lot of the time I find it’s just a lot of information I don’t need, so I don’t spend a tremendous amount of time surfing around.”

And would he want to be cloned?

“No I would not want to be cloned.”  

THREE YEARS LATER

Big things come in small packages

And Mission Impossible 3 is big

The film initially went into production in 2003 with Tom’s protege Tom Carnaham hired to direct but then the film was shut down.

Asked about it  at the time, Tom had a cryptic answer

“The thing about these movies, it’s not Mission Difficult, it’s Mission Impossible.”

A week later the project was put on hold and thestudio announced a replacement, a remake of The War of the Worlds, with Steven Spielberg directing.

When shooting resumed, Carnaham had been replaced by boy wonder — like Tim he’s around 5’2” — JJ Abrams.

At his press conference for the film, now completed, Tom Cruise is his usual buoyant, upbeat, irrepressible self

And for good reason, he’s about to become a real daddy.

After two marriages and much speculation, he’s finally gotten a partner pregnant.

It’s not the press that’s made a big deal of it. It was Tom himself, starting with his appearance on Oprah just a few weeks after he began dating actress Katie Holmes– who at 26 is 16 years younger than him — he confirmed that they were in love in  a bizarre fist-pumping appearance in which he jumped on the host’s set furniture and dragged a seemingly reluctant Holmes onstage.

Which culminated in the revelation that she was carrying his child.

At the time I thought his antics were demeaning to his two adopted children but at his press conference he convinced me otherwise.

Asked their response he replied, “It’s so beautiful, because now Bella is 13 and Connor is 11. The kids are growing up. I’m so excited about another baby. Because I love that. I can’t wait for those times. I remember actually when I was producing the first Misssion Impossible, I would carry Connor with me into the production meetings. And on subsequent films  the kids would come by the sets. They’re excited about the new baby, everyone is, her whole family is, my whole family is. And they’ve both put their hands on Kate’s stomach, it’s just beautiful, it’s all very exciting. It brings everyone very much even closer.”

Tom has always loved his kids.

They seem like wonderful kids, the girl taking after her mother Nicole and he boy like Tom.

Can he talk about that’ and the other coming attraction in your life Mission Impossible 3, speaking of which, anything less than a $100 million opening week would be a major disappointment not only to him but to the studio (Paramount) so desperately in need of a blockbuster.

But Tom doesn’t seem worried.

To hear him tell it, his ace in the whole is JJ Abrams

On the other two missions, Tom clashed with his directors Brian de Palma and John Woo But this time there were no disagreements

“He and I see eye to eye. It was the two of us together. I really felt confident and comfortable with him; we were always challenging each other in a positive way, I absolutely trust him.”

And no intimidation on his part?

“When I work with a director, I expect him to be the director, and I want him to know that. ‘You’re the director. I’m the producer, I’m the actor, but you are the director. So what do you want? Now direct it.’ I really respected him, I think he’s exceptional, and I can’t wait to work with him again.” 

JJ in an earlier interview told us what really surprised him was how much control you gave him.

“First of all, when I work with someone, I’ve got to respect them. And I met him and he’s just undeniable talented. Undeniable. And he and I see eye to eye. It was the two of us together. I really felt so confident and comfortable with him that there was never a disagreement. It was always a challenging each other on story, on character in such a fun and positive way, I just absolutely trusted him. When I work with a director, I expect him to be the director. And I wanted him to know, ‘You’re the director. I’m the producer, I’m the actor, but you are the director. So what do you want? Now direct it.’ In the same way that he should know that I’m the actor. And when I come in, I’ll be prepared. And as a producer I will do everything I can to support him. But I just really respected him. I think he’s exceptional, JJ Abrams. 

You offer a more emotional Ethan than in previous Missions. Is that a result of your present state of mind.

No, I’ve always felt open emotionally. It’s what those directors were interested in. I’m always pushing like storytelling. These movies are very difficult. It’s not … it wasn’t that I wanted more now than before, it’s just that’s where the stories led us, that’s where it went to. That was what we created at that time. And you look at what JJ … when I saw what he was able to do with his storytelling, I got very excited. I want … when you look at films like War of the Worlds and Jerry McGuire , where you understand and invest in those characters. And it always makes the action better, it’s always better drama. It leads to more humor, character humor. I like character humor in movies. Where there is tension, then you can have all of these things. But tension also … people say, ‘Well, we want tension.’ And there is … like you can have structural tension, but then when you  have character tension where you care about the character so much like, ‘Oh, what’s going to happen?’ I love that in movies.

You’re already an experienced father. For Katie this is a new experience. How are you helping her.

It’s so beautiful, because now Bella is 13 and Connor is 11. The kids are growing up. I’m so excited about another baby. Because I love that. I can’t wait for those times … I remember actually when I was producing the first Mission Impossible, I would carry Connor with me intro the production meetings. And I would carry him around. And then the kids would come by the sets. And they’re excited about the new baby, and her whole family is and my whole family is. So yeah, there’s stuff that I’m not nervous about. Helping with the child and doing those things, I’m just very excited about creating it with her together. But all of us. I mean, we’ve all … we’re taking classes to study the gestation period of pregnant women and the babies and going through it, so just now Bella and Connor, they’re going to know how to change the diapers. I’ve got babysitters, you know (laughing). 

What has Katie brought io your life?

You know, she has a great sense of adventure. I think living life, you’ve got to have a bit of a sense of adventure. She’s all those things. I taught her how to ride a motorcycle in an hour and a half. She’s just fearless. And she enjoys .. I taught her how to scuba dive, so she just brings that whole dynamic … I wanted this relationship with her. I wanted to be in a relationship and have that, that relationship is a beautiful adventure. Any way you cut it, that dynamic  – man, woman – you look at that relationship that you have, it’s an adventure in itself. And look, look at the adventure of us having a baby together.

You seem like opposites?

No, we have so many things in common. She’s a joyful person. She’s kind, always cares about other people. She’s very much a woman  and if you meet her you’d say, ‘Here is a person that I can talk to.’ You know, a person that I can talk to, and that’s Kate. She’s just … What more can you say about a person than,’ Ah, there’s a person I can sit down and have a conversation with.’ Actually listens and is interested. Like she is interested in other people. Do you know what I mean?

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