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In the 1980s,
Tom Cruise emerged
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fresh-faced as
the brightest star in Hollywood.
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Everything was there,
the smile, the charm,
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00:00:31,988 --> 00:00:34,425
the physicality.
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00:00:34,512 --> 00:00:37,472
There is an intensity,
a drive,
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00:00:37,559 --> 00:00:39,474
and that drive
and that determination
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manifested itself on screen.
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More often than not,
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you went to see
a Tom Cruise movie,
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it would be a good movie.
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Yet,
after a staggering run
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00:00:48,439 --> 00:00:51,529
of box office hits,
at the height of his success,
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00:00:51,660 --> 00:00:54,793
he suffered
an unexpected fall from grace.
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00:00:54,837 --> 00:00:57,492
In 2005, 2006,
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00:00:57,579 --> 00:01:00,408
he basically has kind of
a public image meltdown.
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00:01:00,538 --> 00:01:03,324
In terms of whether
anyone could have foreseen
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00:01:03,454 --> 00:01:06,588
that Tom Cruise would manage
to rebuild his career,
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00:01:06,675 --> 00:01:09,243
I think maybe the only
person who potentially saw it
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00:01:09,330 --> 00:01:11,158
was Tom Cruise himself.
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With his career in jeopardy,
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00:01:13,029 --> 00:01:15,727
he refined
his onscreen persona
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and risked life and limb
to get back to the top.
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I think there is an element
of him wanting to
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excel at everything he does,
being the consummate,
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complete entertainer,
wanting to do it all.
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That's what makes him so
interesting as an action star.
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00:01:32,396 --> 00:01:34,224
The fact
that he's doing something
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that's just outrageously
dangerous becomes
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part of the appeal
of the films.
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00:01:38,446 --> 00:01:40,361
There's another layer
of excitement to it,
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and there's a certain
morbid fascination
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with the fact
that he keeps doing this
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and how far
is he going to take it?
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This film looks
at Tom Cruise's
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00:01:49,239 --> 00:01:51,763
unlikely and remarkable
career revival,
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00:01:51,850 --> 00:01:54,592
one that has seen him regain
his crown
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at the pinnacle
of the film industry.
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People look at Cruise
and see him as
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00:01:59,815 --> 00:02:01,730
a movie star
in the classic mold.
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00:02:01,817 --> 00:02:03,340
There's not a lot of people
out there who
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00:02:03,427 --> 00:02:04,950
Hollywood
is still building movies
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00:02:05,037 --> 00:02:06,735
around their persona.
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00:02:06,778 --> 00:02:08,432
He's Tom Cruise.
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00:02:08,519 --> 00:02:10,086
He's not just
a big star still.
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00:02:10,130 --> 00:02:11,870
He's the biggest star,
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00:02:11,957 --> 00:02:13,785
and I don't know if
anybody's had
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00:02:13,872 --> 00:02:16,397
that long of a stretch
where they were
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00:02:16,484 --> 00:02:17,746
the biggest star in
the world when they were 25
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00:02:17,833 --> 00:02:18,877
and they were the biggest
star in the world
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00:02:18,964 --> 00:02:20,575
when they were 60.
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May, 2022.
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00:02:38,375 --> 00:02:41,465
Having been delayed
for nearly two years,
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00:02:41,552 --> 00:02:43,598
"Top Gun: Maverick"
is finally released
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00:02:43,685 --> 00:02:45,687
into cinemas worldwide.
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00:02:45,774 --> 00:02:50,474
And all eyes are on its star
and producer, Tom Cruise,
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00:02:50,561 --> 00:02:52,607
who was launched
into Hollywood's top tier
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00:02:52,694 --> 00:02:55,436
by the original film,
back in the 1980s.
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00:02:56,437 --> 00:03:00,005
This sequel brings his
remarkable journey full circle,
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00:03:00,049 --> 00:03:01,920
and it quickly becomes
a phenomenon.
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00:03:02,921 --> 00:03:05,010
Audiences starved of entertainment
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00:03:05,054 --> 00:03:07,143
and spectacle
by the COVID pandemic
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00:03:07,230 --> 00:03:09,580
now flood back
into theaters,
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00:03:09,667 --> 00:03:11,365
and within a month,
the film becomes
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00:03:11,452 --> 00:03:14,411
the highest grossing release
of Cruise's entire career.
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00:03:16,892 --> 00:03:19,808
Yet, his return to the role
of Pete "Maverick" Mitchell,
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after a 35-year break,
was no surefire success.
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00:03:25,117 --> 00:03:27,816
If I told you
three years ago
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that "Top Gun Two"
would not only be
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00:03:31,036 --> 00:03:32,603
one of
the biggest money makers
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00:03:32,690 --> 00:03:35,519
of all time, but that
it would be nominated
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for Best Picture at
the Oscars,
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you'd think I was crazy.
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I don't think Maverick's
success was guaranteed
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00:03:41,612 --> 00:03:43,875
and I don't think that
everyone thought it was going
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00:03:43,962 --> 00:03:46,051
to be this giant hit.
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00:03:46,138 --> 00:03:47,618
You have to go back to
"Titanic" to see a movie
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00:03:47,705 --> 00:03:50,317
that was this big
of a hit
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00:03:50,404 --> 00:03:51,927
and also endured
as long as it did,
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00:03:52,057 --> 00:03:53,755
that stayed in theaters,
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00:03:53,842 --> 00:03:56,975
that was in the top five
consistently for months on end.
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00:03:57,976 --> 00:03:59,500
People really,
really liked this thing.
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I think it hit the right
buttons for a lot of people.
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00:04:02,720 --> 00:04:04,200
There's sort of
a perfect storm
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00:04:04,244 --> 00:04:06,289
surrounding
"Top Gun: Maverick".
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00:04:06,376 --> 00:04:08,073
By now, Top Gun had been seen
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00:04:08,204 --> 00:04:11,512
by generations
of movie lovers
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and had become
just more and more popular,
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00:04:14,079 --> 00:04:15,951
and there had been talk
of a sequel for years.
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And again, I think
Tom Cruise is very smart.
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This was the perfect time
for that.
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00:04:20,303 --> 00:04:22,349
People were celebrating
going back to theaters.
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00:04:22,436 --> 00:04:25,743
They were celebrating big,
giant, well-made action movies,
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00:04:25,787 --> 00:04:28,006
and there's Tom Cruise
right at the center of it.
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00:04:29,007 --> 00:04:30,531
And
perhaps more surprising
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00:04:30,574 --> 00:04:32,228
than "Top Gun: Maverick"'s
triumph
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00:04:32,272 --> 00:04:34,099
at the global box office
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00:04:34,186 --> 00:04:37,102
was the fact that,
only 15 years beforehand,
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Tom Cruise's future
as a headline star
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had looked in doubt.
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Los Angeles, 2005.
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00:04:45,241 --> 00:04:47,461
Hitting the red carpet
with new romantic partner,
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Katie Holmes, by his side,
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Cruise is in town
to promote his latest film,
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Steven Spielberg's adaptation
of "War of the Worlds."
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He is riding high at
the top of Hollywood's A-list,
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00:04:59,211 --> 00:05:02,432
but this is simply the calm
before the storm.
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00:05:02,563 --> 00:05:04,478
He's been one
of the biggest stars
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00:05:04,565 --> 00:05:07,916
in the planet
between 1992 and 2005, 2006.
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00:05:08,003 --> 00:05:10,222
He has an incredible run,
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00:05:10,353 --> 00:05:11,659
where almost every movie
he does
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00:05:11,789 --> 00:05:14,488
makes around a hundred
million or more, at least,
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00:05:14,575 --> 00:05:16,446
back when that was
actually a lot of money.
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00:05:16,577 --> 00:05:21,146
So he's incredibly consistent,
box office-wise.
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Having established his career
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with a string of dramatic roles,
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00:05:24,802 --> 00:05:27,936
in the new millennium, he's
reinventing his star persona
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00:05:27,979 --> 00:05:29,938
and transforming from
a heartthrob
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to an action hero.
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00:05:32,201 --> 00:05:34,986
But while the promotional tour
is in full swing,
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00:05:35,073 --> 00:05:38,163
a series of PR blunders
risk permanently damaging
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00:05:38,207 --> 00:05:40,992
his previously impeccable
public image.
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00:05:41,079 --> 00:05:44,300
He becomes action
over anything else.
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00:05:44,387 --> 00:05:46,650
He's going full tilt at
this point, really, isn't he?
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00:05:46,737 --> 00:05:50,393
But then, he also kind
of does that off-screen too,
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00:05:50,437 --> 00:05:51,960
unfortunately,
which culminates
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00:05:52,003 --> 00:05:56,181
in the terrible year of 2005.
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He had the incident
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where he's on
"The Oprah Winfrey Show"
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00:05:59,837 --> 00:06:01,448
and he's jumping
on the couch.
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00:06:01,535 --> 00:06:03,145
You know Katie once
told "Seventeen" magazine-
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00:06:03,232 --> 00:06:04,625
Yes!
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00:06:04,712 --> 00:06:07,323
Which became one of
the first viral moments,
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00:06:07,410 --> 00:06:08,759
you know,
early kind of YouTube,
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00:06:08,846 --> 00:06:11,458
and people just having
so much fun making fun of that.
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00:06:11,545 --> 00:06:13,547
But then,
it was all the stuff where
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00:06:13,634 --> 00:06:15,766
where he started talking
really for the first time
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about his beliefs.
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Also kind of doing it
in quite an aggressive way
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00:06:19,901 --> 00:06:22,207
and attacking Brooke Shields
for using antidepressants
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00:06:22,251 --> 00:06:24,645
to deal with her postnatal
depression and all of that.
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00:06:24,732 --> 00:06:28,257
For the first time, kind of
the public view of him soured.
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He was a figure of ridicule
to a certain extent.
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He had a huge female fan base.
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00:06:34,002 --> 00:06:37,222
What happens
after 2005, 2006 is
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00:06:37,266 --> 00:06:39,007
female audiences start
to turn on him.
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00:06:39,050 --> 00:06:40,443
And right around this time,
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00:06:40,487 --> 00:06:43,272
he basically
loses his production deal
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00:06:43,359 --> 00:06:45,230
with his studio, Paramount.
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This was
a serious career crisis.
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All of a sudden,
Tom Cruise, who had had nothing
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00:06:50,105 --> 00:06:52,237
but really positive PR
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00:06:52,281 --> 00:06:55,937
for the first, what,
20 years of his career,
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00:06:56,024 --> 00:06:57,939
was becoming a punchline.
That's a problem.
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00:07:01,682 --> 00:07:03,074
The actor's
fall from grace
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00:07:03,161 --> 00:07:06,164
was as unexpected
as it was rapid.
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00:07:06,251 --> 00:07:10,908
Hollywood's most bankable star
had tarnished his reputation,
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00:07:10,995 --> 00:07:13,084
and many doubted that he would
ever find his way back
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00:07:13,171 --> 00:07:14,477
to the top again.
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00:07:16,479 --> 00:07:18,699
And his remarkable
career revival
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00:07:18,829 --> 00:07:20,483
would be an uphill battle,
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00:07:20,570 --> 00:07:22,485
compared to his initial
journey to the peak
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of the movie industry
in the 1980s,
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which had seemed
so swift and steady.
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Tom Cruise was 18 years old
when he headed
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for the bright lights
of New York City,
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determined to become an actor.
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The teenager from Syracuse,
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born Thomas Cruise Mapother,
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00:07:51,862 --> 00:07:54,996
quickly signed with an agent
and, within two years,
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00:07:55,083 --> 00:07:58,129
landed his first
feature film roles.
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And although
he received high billing
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00:08:00,305 --> 00:08:02,351
on romantic drama
"Endless Love"
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00:08:02,438 --> 00:08:04,309
and comedy "Losin' It",
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00:08:04,396 --> 00:08:06,877
it was his work on
two ensemble pictures,
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00:08:06,921 --> 00:08:09,097
"Taps" and "The Outsiders",
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00:08:09,184 --> 00:08:11,316
that brought him
to wider attention.
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I think it was
pretty clear early on
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that he had something,
maybe this intangible quality
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that's hard to define,
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00:08:18,193 --> 00:08:20,151
but I think there's
a kind of angry energy
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00:08:20,238 --> 00:08:22,719
to some of his work,
that's really key to his appeal.
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"Taps", he was part
of a group,
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and his character
was quite a dark character.
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He was an aggressive character,
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and it is interesting,
from those early days,
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early Cruise,
a lot of people thought
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00:08:33,774 --> 00:08:35,689
he was kind of like--
he'd be a bad guy,
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he'd be the psycho in things.
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00:08:38,561 --> 00:08:39,910
Shawn!
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It's beautiful, man. Beautiful.
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00:08:43,131 --> 00:08:46,090
But then, that kind of
intense psycho energy
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00:08:46,221 --> 00:08:50,399
got channeled towards the light,
towards the good side.
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00:08:50,486 --> 00:08:54,534
Well, I think he was pretty
relentless in his ambition,
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00:08:54,621 --> 00:08:57,275
his desire,
to sort of get ahead.
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It's interesting to see Cruise
in Coppola's "The Outsiders",
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00:09:01,366 --> 00:09:03,194
because he's not
the Cruise that we know.
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00:09:03,281 --> 00:09:06,110
But there is a scene,
prior to a fight scene,
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00:09:06,241 --> 00:09:11,115
where he suddenly does this
sort of back flip off a car.
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00:09:11,246 --> 00:09:15,467
Apparently, he improvised it,
reminding the director,
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00:09:15,598 --> 00:09:17,600
the audience, everybody else,
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00:09:17,687 --> 00:09:20,734
"I may be just one of the
characters in the background.
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00:09:20,821 --> 00:09:23,606
I'm not the lead,
I'm not Matt Dillon,
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00:09:23,693 --> 00:09:25,608
but you're going to
look at me."
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00:09:25,652 --> 00:09:28,393
And with
this desire to be center stage,
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00:09:28,524 --> 00:09:31,832
in 1983,
he headed to Hollywood.
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00:09:31,919 --> 00:09:35,096
With producers
recognizing his star potential,
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00:09:35,183 --> 00:09:37,228
he bagged the lead role
in college football drama,
208
00:09:37,315 --> 00:09:38,839
"All the Right Moves,"
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00:09:38,882 --> 00:09:42,103
which brought him his first
million dollar paycheck.
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00:09:42,190 --> 00:09:44,671
Yet, it was the commercial
and critical hit satire,
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00:09:44,758 --> 00:09:48,065
"Risky Business",
that propelled him to stardom.
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00:09:48,109 --> 00:09:49,632
It was Cruise's
presence in "Risky Business".
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00:09:49,763 --> 00:09:53,201
It was his big lead
breakthrough role,
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00:09:53,244 --> 00:09:56,291
and everything was there,
the smile,
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00:09:56,421 --> 00:09:58,423
the charm, the physicality.
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00:10:03,559 --> 00:10:05,909
♪ Just take those old
records off the shelf ♪
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00:10:05,996 --> 00:10:08,129
It plays on
his image of a hunk,
218
00:10:08,216 --> 00:10:09,783
but there's also something
kind of ridiculous
219
00:10:09,870 --> 00:10:11,567
and adorable about him.
220
00:10:11,654 --> 00:10:15,266
That iconic scene where he's
dancing in his tighty-whities,
221
00:10:15,353 --> 00:10:16,790
it's funny.
222
00:10:16,877 --> 00:10:19,053
He looks ridiculous
and that's kind of
223
00:10:19,140 --> 00:10:20,924
always been Tom Cruise's
appeal.
224
00:10:21,011 --> 00:10:22,447
He's a little too
good-looking,
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00:10:22,578 --> 00:10:24,449
but he's also able
to kind of
226
00:10:24,493 --> 00:10:26,843
slightly
poke fun at his image.
227
00:10:26,930 --> 00:10:30,107
So how we doing?
228
00:10:30,238 --> 00:10:31,935
Looks like
University of Illinois.
229
00:10:32,022 --> 00:10:34,721
In his early films
in particular,
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00:10:34,808 --> 00:10:37,680
Cruise had this brashness,
this cockiness,
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00:10:37,767 --> 00:10:41,466
and I think he just had
that mix of
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00:10:41,510 --> 00:10:45,035
charm and physicality.
233
00:10:45,122 --> 00:10:49,823
Even though he did make actually
a real variety of films,
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00:10:49,910 --> 00:10:53,609
he always seemed
quite similar in all of them,
235
00:10:53,696 --> 00:10:58,048
but he was so likable
and so good at doing that
236
00:10:58,092 --> 00:11:00,616
that it didn't really matter.
237
00:11:00,703 --> 00:11:04,489
With all the great Hollywood
stars of the studio period,
238
00:11:04,533 --> 00:11:07,101
the roles are
variations of themselves.
239
00:11:08,319 --> 00:11:09,973
They're not character actors.
240
00:11:10,060 --> 00:11:13,629
They're stars, and Cruise,
from the earliest days,
241
00:11:13,673 --> 00:11:15,196
was a star.
242
00:11:16,197 --> 00:11:18,286
And he was
just waiting for the right time
243
00:11:18,329 --> 00:11:20,941
for that star power
to be unleashed.
244
00:11:21,028 --> 00:11:23,639
Although hopes were high
that his next feature,
245
00:11:23,726 --> 00:11:26,294
Ridley Scott's dark
fantasy epic "Legend"
246
00:11:26,337 --> 00:11:28,513
would propel him
into the A-List,
247
00:11:28,600 --> 00:11:31,516
it was a surprising
box office disappointment.
248
00:11:31,603 --> 00:11:34,128
Yet, the director suggested
him for the lead role
249
00:11:34,215 --> 00:11:37,174
in his brother
Tony Scott's new film.
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00:11:37,261 --> 00:11:40,177
Produced by the duo behind
breakout hits "Flashdance"
251
00:11:40,221 --> 00:11:43,746
and "Beverly Hills Cop", Don
Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer,
252
00:11:43,790 --> 00:11:46,662
"Top Gun" was looking
for a charismatic actor
253
00:11:46,749 --> 00:11:48,751
to play
Pete "Maverick" Mitchell.
254
00:11:48,838 --> 00:11:51,232
And with
John Travolta, Matthew Modine,
255
00:11:51,319 --> 00:11:54,104
and Rob Lowe having already
passed on the opportunity,
256
00:11:54,191 --> 00:11:55,758
Cruise stepped in.
257
00:11:55,802 --> 00:11:58,587
His presence would prove vital,
both for the film
258
00:11:58,674 --> 00:12:01,242
and his own career,
and "Top Gun"
259
00:12:01,329 --> 00:12:03,461
would become the
highest-grossing blockbuster
260
00:12:03,548 --> 00:12:05,768
of 1986.
261
00:12:05,812 --> 00:12:07,901
I think that
you can really play down
262
00:12:07,944 --> 00:12:11,165
too much
the importance of Cruise
263
00:12:11,252 --> 00:12:13,167
to the success of "Top Gun".
264
00:12:13,254 --> 00:12:15,343
Simpson and Bruckheimer,
when they were prepping,
265
00:12:15,430 --> 00:12:20,914
they wanted someone for Maverick
who would be aggressive,
266
00:12:20,957 --> 00:12:22,785
but in a positive way.
267
00:12:22,829 --> 00:12:24,265
What's your problem,
Kazansky?
268
00:12:26,833 --> 00:12:29,009
You're everyone's problem.
269
00:12:29,096 --> 00:12:30,271
That's because every time
you go up in the air,
270
00:12:30,358 --> 00:12:32,099
you're unsafe.
271
00:12:32,229 --> 00:12:33,491
I don't like you,
because you're dangerous.
272
00:12:33,578 --> 00:12:38,148
That's right, Iceman.
273
00:12:38,279 --> 00:12:40,150
I am dangerous.
274
00:12:40,237 --> 00:12:41,282
If there's one thing
Cruise knows how to do,
275
00:12:41,369 --> 00:12:43,937
it's command a movie,
276
00:12:44,024 --> 00:12:45,939
and he certainly commanded
"Top Gun".
277
00:12:46,026 --> 00:12:47,723
I feel the need.
278
00:12:49,072 --> 00:12:51,379
The need for speed.
279
00:12:51,422 --> 00:12:53,642
Even at that young age,
280
00:12:53,729 --> 00:12:56,471
where he only had
a limited star persona,
281
00:12:56,601 --> 00:13:00,301
the notion of Tom Cruise
playing that character,
282
00:13:00,388 --> 00:13:04,435
that way,
in a uniquely Tom Cruise way,
283
00:13:04,522 --> 00:13:07,699
was a huge reason
of why "Top Gun"
284
00:13:07,830 --> 00:13:10,180
was as big of a hit
as it was.
285
00:13:10,267 --> 00:13:15,838
It very much captures the vibe
of the MTV 1980s generation,
286
00:13:15,925 --> 00:13:19,276
and in terms of
its aerial adventure,
287
00:13:19,363 --> 00:13:22,540
it was on a scale
that had never been seen before.
288
00:13:22,627 --> 00:13:24,804
It played as,
and was received as,
289
00:13:24,891 --> 00:13:26,675
an earthbound "Star Wars".
290
00:13:31,419 --> 00:13:32,072
Whoo!
291
00:13:32,202 --> 00:13:33,334
Splash four!
292
00:13:33,421 --> 00:13:34,770
It wasn't made for critics.
293
00:13:34,857 --> 00:13:36,641
It was made for
the mass audience.
294
00:13:36,685 --> 00:13:38,426
It's entertaining as hell,
295
00:13:38,513 --> 00:13:41,821
but it's also really cheesy
and really corny.
296
00:13:41,908 --> 00:13:46,303
But Tom Cruise
fit the role perfectly.
297
00:13:46,347 --> 00:13:49,741
"Top Gun" was the beginning
of Tom Cruise as a movie star.
298
00:13:49,872 --> 00:13:51,221
And as a movie star,
299
00:13:52,135 --> 00:13:54,224
Cruise chose to tread
a very different path
300
00:13:54,311 --> 00:13:57,097
than many
of his contemporaries.
301
00:13:57,184 --> 00:14:00,535
Rather than follow "Top Gun"
with another action blockbuster,
302
00:14:00,665 --> 00:14:03,581
he instead looked to develop
as a dramatic actor,
303
00:14:03,668 --> 00:14:05,322
and he set his sights
on working
304
00:14:05,366 --> 00:14:08,369
with the most talented
professionals in the business.
305
00:14:08,456 --> 00:14:10,501
Even very early in his career,
306
00:14:10,588 --> 00:14:12,155
he made a point to work
with the best directors
307
00:14:12,242 --> 00:14:13,504
he could possibly get.
308
00:14:13,591 --> 00:14:15,202
Even before "Top Gun",
309
00:14:15,332 --> 00:14:17,073
he was working with
Ridley Scott in "Legend",
310
00:14:17,160 --> 00:14:19,249
and then, after "Top Gun",
he would work with
311
00:14:19,336 --> 00:14:22,383
people like Martin Scorsese
in "The Color of Money",
312
00:14:22,470 --> 00:14:24,037
Barry Levinson in "Rain Man",
313
00:14:24,124 --> 00:14:26,256
which was a Best Picture winner
314
00:14:26,343 --> 00:14:28,693
and the biggest grossing
movie of 1988,
315
00:14:28,780 --> 00:14:30,913
which is unthinkable
in this day and age.
316
00:14:31,000 --> 00:14:33,263
Today, that'd be like
a 10-hour streaming miniseries,
317
00:14:33,350 --> 00:14:34,699
and nobody would watch it.
318
00:14:34,743 --> 00:14:36,701
It was Cruise
deliberately putting himself
319
00:14:36,788 --> 00:14:38,921
onto projects or
putting himself into things
320
00:14:38,965 --> 00:14:43,621
that paired him with,
either or both, great actors,
321
00:14:43,708 --> 00:14:45,885
like Paul Newman
and Jack Nicholson later
322
00:14:45,972 --> 00:14:46,886
in "A Few Good Men",
323
00:14:46,973 --> 00:14:48,757
and just great directors.
324
00:14:48,844 --> 00:14:51,934
This is a pattern where
he would absolutely just think,
325
00:14:51,978 --> 00:14:54,937
"Who will bring
the best out of me?
326
00:14:55,024 --> 00:14:57,853
And who can I really,
really learn from?"
327
00:14:57,940 --> 00:15:00,377
Despite this ambition,
328
00:15:00,421 --> 00:15:03,728
he was being viewed with
skepticism by many observers.
329
00:15:04,729 --> 00:15:07,210
In America, under
President Ronald Reagan,
330
00:15:07,297 --> 00:15:11,214
the 1980s was a decade of
excess, materialism,
331
00:15:11,301 --> 00:15:13,390
and conservatism.
332
00:15:13,434 --> 00:15:16,959
And as Cruise continued to play
variations of the same role,
333
00:15:17,046 --> 00:15:20,310
he was seen to be embodying
the yuppie ideal.
334
00:15:21,398 --> 00:15:25,663
The Young Cruise is
the quintessential '80s actor,
335
00:15:25,750 --> 00:15:29,406
that very individualistic
'80s zeitgeist feeling,
336
00:15:29,537 --> 00:15:32,235
that came in Reagan era,
337
00:15:32,322 --> 00:15:35,238
he embodied on screen definitely.
338
00:15:35,325 --> 00:15:37,545
I think, while a number
of Tom Cruise characters
339
00:15:37,588 --> 00:15:39,982
could be described as
stereotypically cocky
340
00:15:40,069 --> 00:15:42,985
in an '80s way,
I do think one thing
341
00:15:43,072 --> 00:15:45,988
that set him apart
from some of his peers
342
00:15:46,032 --> 00:15:49,644
is that his characters
were intelligent enough
343
00:15:49,774 --> 00:15:51,559
to know that they were
mortal and fallible
344
00:15:51,689 --> 00:15:54,388
and they might not win.
345
00:15:54,475 --> 00:15:56,912
Most of those characters
end the film
346
00:15:56,999 --> 00:15:59,436
by being taken down a peg.
347
00:15:59,523 --> 00:16:03,701
If they do start the film as
a stereotypical '80s asshole,
348
00:16:03,788 --> 00:16:05,355
they don't end
the film that way.
349
00:16:06,878 --> 00:16:09,142
And Cruise's
final role of the decade
350
00:16:09,229 --> 00:16:11,057
was a departure from this trend.
351
00:16:12,275 --> 00:16:14,016
He was taken back
to a darker time
352
00:16:14,060 --> 00:16:16,149
in the country's recent past,
353
00:16:16,236 --> 00:16:19,587
one which still haunted
America in the Reagan era.
354
00:16:20,675 --> 00:16:23,112
Again, working with one of
Hollywood's leading directors,
355
00:16:23,243 --> 00:16:26,594
Oliver Stone,
in "Born on the Fourth of July",
356
00:16:26,681 --> 00:16:28,813
he played real-life
Vietnam veteran
357
00:16:28,857 --> 00:16:31,120
turned campaigner Ron Kovic,
358
00:16:31,251 --> 00:16:32,817
who had been confined
to a wheelchair
359
00:16:32,904 --> 00:16:35,168
during the conflict.
360
00:16:35,255 --> 00:16:37,257
With no heavyweight co-stars
361
00:16:37,300 --> 00:16:39,476
from Hollywood's past
alongside him,
362
00:16:39,607 --> 00:16:41,087
for the first time,
363
00:16:41,174 --> 00:16:43,567
Cruise carried
a dramatic picture by himself.
364
00:16:45,395 --> 00:16:48,050
"Born on the Fourth
of July" was very essential,
365
00:16:48,094 --> 00:16:52,098
in terms of, where
even some doubters, not all,
366
00:16:52,185 --> 00:16:55,188
began to see him as
more than just a matinee idol.
367
00:16:55,275 --> 00:16:59,279
"Born on the Fourth of July"
is a huge role for him,
368
00:16:59,366 --> 00:17:02,238
both for his career,
for his critical appreciation,
369
00:17:02,325 --> 00:17:04,675
and for the country in a way.
370
00:17:04,762 --> 00:17:07,069
The beautiful thing about
"Born on the Fourth of July"
371
00:17:07,113 --> 00:17:10,159
is he's still
playing Tom Cruise.
372
00:17:10,290 --> 00:17:13,075
The early scenes of that film,
he's running, he's wrestling,
373
00:17:13,206 --> 00:17:15,251
he's a high school star,
374
00:17:15,338 --> 00:17:17,079
he's confident, he's driven,
375
00:17:17,210 --> 00:17:19,081
he knows what he wants to do.
376
00:17:19,125 --> 00:17:21,692
This is like Tom Cruise,
the Tom Cruise persona
377
00:17:21,779 --> 00:17:23,303
in a nutshell.
378
00:17:23,346 --> 00:17:26,306
And then, he goes to war
and is broken.
379
00:17:29,265 --> 00:17:31,137
Goddamn it.
380
00:17:31,224 --> 00:17:34,314
It's taking that very
Tom Cruise image and then,
381
00:17:34,401 --> 00:17:37,273
just shattering it,
turning it on its head,
382
00:17:37,360 --> 00:17:39,928
and putting that character
through the journey
383
00:17:40,015 --> 00:17:43,105
that Ron Kovic went through,
to become protestor of war.
384
00:17:43,192 --> 00:17:44,889
Cruise goes to
some very dark places
385
00:17:44,933 --> 00:17:46,543
in that film emotionally,
386
00:17:46,674 --> 00:17:49,024
that we've really
never seen him do before.
387
00:17:49,111 --> 00:17:50,591
You tell them all,
388
00:17:50,678 --> 00:17:53,333
tell them all
what they did to me,
389
00:17:53,420 --> 00:17:55,683
what they did to this
whole block, this whole country.
390
00:17:55,770 --> 00:17:57,206
They're going to
call the police this time.
391
00:17:57,337 --> 00:17:59,687
We went to
Vietnam to stop communism.
392
00:17:59,774 --> 00:18:02,168
We shot women and children.
393
00:18:02,255 --> 00:18:03,560
You didn't
shoot women and children.
394
00:18:03,691 --> 00:18:04,953
What are you saying?
395
00:18:05,040 --> 00:18:05,910
The church blessed the war, communism,
396
00:18:05,997 --> 00:18:07,390
the insidious evil.
397
00:18:07,477 --> 00:18:10,176
They told us to go.
398
00:18:10,263 --> 00:18:11,829
Yes, that's what
they told us.
399
00:18:11,916 --> 00:18:13,701
It was
surprising to a lot of people.
400
00:18:13,788 --> 00:18:15,137
A lot of people didn't think
he had it in him,
401
00:18:15,181 --> 00:18:18,140
including Ron Kovic,
who was like,
402
00:18:18,184 --> 00:18:19,359
"Why is this guy
going to play me?
403
00:18:19,489 --> 00:18:20,403
What are you talking about?"
404
00:18:20,490 --> 00:18:22,666
What turned Kovic around
405
00:18:22,797 --> 00:18:26,017
was he was waiting to have
his first meeting with Cruise,
406
00:18:26,148 --> 00:18:28,411
and he looked out the window,
car door opens,
407
00:18:28,498 --> 00:18:30,370
Cruise gets out,
gets straight into a wheelchair,
408
00:18:30,500 --> 00:18:31,936
and that impressed Kovic.
409
00:18:32,023 --> 00:18:33,547
And that's so Cruise.
410
00:18:33,634 --> 00:18:39,074
He's known for commitment,
his absolute 100% commitment.
411
00:18:39,161 --> 00:18:42,947
And the results were
absolutely spectacular.
412
00:18:42,991 --> 00:18:46,429
His wheelchair,
our wheelchairs, this steel,
413
00:18:46,516 --> 00:18:48,431
our steel is
your Memorial Day on wheels.
414
00:18:48,518 --> 00:18:50,738
We are your Yankee Doodle Dandy
come home.
415
00:18:50,781 --> 00:18:53,001
It's an incredible performance.
416
00:18:53,088 --> 00:18:54,611
He got a ton of acclaim for it.
417
00:18:54,655 --> 00:18:56,744
Obviously, he was nominated
for a ton of awards.
418
00:18:56,787 --> 00:19:00,095
I think, today,
it's aged incredibly well.
419
00:19:00,182 --> 00:19:02,228
It's one of
the great films of the 1980s.
420
00:19:04,012 --> 00:19:05,753
Despite an Oscar nomination,
421
00:19:05,796 --> 00:19:07,320
rather than
follow the obvious route,
422
00:19:07,363 --> 00:19:09,191
with more highbrow roles,
423
00:19:09,235 --> 00:19:11,541
Cruise re-teamed
with director Tony Scott
424
00:19:11,628 --> 00:19:13,804
for action drama
"Days of Thunder".
425
00:19:13,891 --> 00:19:16,024
And although
the film was dismissed by many
426
00:19:16,111 --> 00:19:18,287
as "Top Gun with cars,"
427
00:19:18,418 --> 00:19:20,376
on set, he began
a romantic relationship
428
00:19:20,463 --> 00:19:23,118
with co-star Nicole Kidman.
429
00:19:23,205 --> 00:19:26,252
And when the pair married
at the end of 1990,
430
00:19:26,339 --> 00:19:30,560
Cruise was transformed from
a movie star into a celebrity.
431
00:19:30,647 --> 00:19:32,214
There's always
been this fascination
432
00:19:32,345 --> 00:19:34,825
with Hollywood power couples.
433
00:19:34,912 --> 00:19:37,524
For better or worse,
there's this renewed interest,
434
00:19:37,654 --> 00:19:40,614
this combined star power,
so Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman.
435
00:19:40,701 --> 00:19:43,138
And of course, they kind of
looked a little mismatched.
436
00:19:43,225 --> 00:19:45,488
She's Australian,
she's taller than him.
437
00:19:45,575 --> 00:19:47,925
So yeah, it's just
going to increase both
438
00:19:48,012 --> 00:19:50,972
of their star wattage,
when you have two huge stars
439
00:19:51,059 --> 00:19:52,539
who are together.
440
00:19:52,669 --> 00:19:54,193
And although
their first film together
441
00:19:54,280 --> 00:19:56,282
as a couple, "Far and Away",
442
00:19:56,369 --> 00:19:58,458
failed to ignite the box office,
443
00:19:58,501 --> 00:20:02,244
Cruise followed this
with a string of hits.
444
00:20:02,288 --> 00:20:05,073
Legal thrillers
"A Few Good Men" and "The Firm"
445
00:20:05,160 --> 00:20:08,337
further cemented his reputation
as a dramatic leading man,
446
00:20:08,468 --> 00:20:10,861
while his performance
as Lestat
447
00:20:10,948 --> 00:20:12,602
in
"Interview with the Vampire"
448
00:20:12,689 --> 00:20:15,518
gave him the opportunity
to show greater range.
449
00:20:16,563 --> 00:20:20,044
A new challenge was on
the horizon for Cruise, however,
450
00:20:20,131 --> 00:20:22,873
and it was one that would
involve his longtime associate,
451
00:20:22,960 --> 00:20:24,614
Paula Wagner.
452
00:20:24,701 --> 00:20:26,703
Paula Wagner started off
as a stage actress and then,
453
00:20:26,790 --> 00:20:29,880
became an agent with CAA,
Creative Artists Agency,
454
00:20:29,967 --> 00:20:31,752
one of the biggest
agencies in the world,
455
00:20:31,839 --> 00:20:33,971
and became Tom Cruise's agent.
456
00:20:34,058 --> 00:20:35,799
She started working
with him
457
00:20:35,930 --> 00:20:39,803
when he was relatively unknown
and he just had a presence,
458
00:20:39,934 --> 00:20:43,111
a sort of a charisma, that sort
of struck her immediately.
459
00:20:43,198 --> 00:20:45,069
He was always a great actor,
460
00:20:45,156 --> 00:20:48,290
from the time he did
a picture called "Taps",
461
00:20:48,377 --> 00:20:51,511
and which was the first film
really that he did.
462
00:20:51,554 --> 00:20:54,340
And you could see that he had
amazing talent as an actor.
463
00:20:54,427 --> 00:20:55,689
Great potential.
464
00:20:55,776 --> 00:20:58,344
So Paula Wagner,
he trusted implicitly.
465
00:20:58,431 --> 00:20:59,997
She was his manager
for 12 years,
466
00:21:00,084 --> 00:21:01,477
obviously had guided him
467
00:21:01,564 --> 00:21:03,697
and helped him pick out
some great projects.
468
00:21:03,784 --> 00:21:05,655
Now, they form
a production company,
469
00:21:05,742 --> 00:21:07,309
and this is the first time
470
00:21:07,353 --> 00:21:09,746
where Tom Cruise
gets a lot more freedom.
471
00:21:09,833 --> 00:21:13,228
And in May, 1996,
Cruise/Wagner Production's
472
00:21:13,315 --> 00:21:14,490
first feature film
473
00:21:14,577 --> 00:21:17,754
made its star-studded premier
in Los Angeles.
474
00:21:17,798 --> 00:21:21,367
"Mission: Impossible"
was handpicked by Cruise
475
00:21:21,454 --> 00:21:23,369
as the company's
inaugural project,
476
00:21:23,456 --> 00:21:26,241
reviving a classic TV series,
477
00:21:26,328 --> 00:21:29,157
and reworking it
for the big screen.
478
00:21:29,244 --> 00:21:31,768
With veteran director
Brian De Palma on board
479
00:21:31,899 --> 00:21:34,118
to bring his own
unique style to the film,
480
00:21:34,162 --> 00:21:36,773
it was nevertheless
a Tom Cruise vehicle,
481
00:21:36,817 --> 00:21:39,733
both as its star and, for
the first time in his career,
482
00:21:39,820 --> 00:21:42,039
its very hands-on producer.
483
00:21:43,040 --> 00:21:46,609
And as his first
action film, it was a risk.
484
00:21:46,696 --> 00:21:48,350
This is
actually the biggest movie
485
00:21:48,394 --> 00:21:51,179
I've ever been involved
in, in terms of production.
486
00:21:51,266 --> 00:21:53,007
It's very satisfying.
487
00:21:53,137 --> 00:21:55,705
You come up with an idea,
you bring everyone together,
488
00:21:55,792 --> 00:21:58,969
and you start seeing it
come to life, and, uh...
489
00:21:59,056 --> 00:22:02,930
that level of creativity
was exciting.
490
00:22:02,973 --> 00:22:04,932
"Mission: Impossible"
is really
491
00:22:04,975 --> 00:22:06,629
very surprising to people.
492
00:22:06,716 --> 00:22:08,239
Tom Cruise is
the producer on the project,
493
00:22:08,370 --> 00:22:10,329
and we've heard a ton by
this point
494
00:22:10,416 --> 00:22:13,506
about how Tom Cruise
is the engine
495
00:22:13,593 --> 00:22:16,944
behind this production
and this whole idea
496
00:22:17,031 --> 00:22:19,294
of reviving the "Mission:
Impossible" series.
497
00:22:19,381 --> 00:22:22,079
But Tom Cruise hadn't really
done a ton of action movies.
498
00:22:22,166 --> 00:22:25,953
"Top Gun" is an action movie,
but it's a fighter jet movie.
499
00:22:26,040 --> 00:22:28,434
"Days of Thunder" is
kind of an action movie,
500
00:22:28,521 --> 00:22:30,871
but it's about car racing.
501
00:22:30,958 --> 00:22:34,396
Tom Cruise was not an action
star in a typical sense,
502
00:22:34,483 --> 00:22:35,876
and in fact,
a lot of people wondered
503
00:22:35,963 --> 00:22:37,921
whether this would work.
504
00:22:38,052 --> 00:22:42,056
I am going to venture
that pre-"Mission: Impossible",
505
00:22:42,186 --> 00:22:46,582
of all the major stars
in Hollywood,
506
00:22:46,669 --> 00:22:49,846
he was responsible
for the lowest body count.
507
00:22:49,890 --> 00:22:51,892
But I think the timing
was absolutely right,
508
00:22:51,979 --> 00:22:54,242
in terms of where
action cinema was going,
509
00:22:54,329 --> 00:22:56,766
because we were coming out
of this period
510
00:22:56,853 --> 00:23:00,553
of the one-man-army,
muscle men movies
511
00:23:00,640 --> 00:23:03,207
typified by Schwarzenegger
or Chuck Norris
512
00:23:03,251 --> 00:23:05,079
or Sylvester Stallone,
of course,
513
00:23:05,209 --> 00:23:09,692
and coming into an era
of sort of more...
514
00:23:09,779 --> 00:23:12,086
lithe and wily
action heroes,
515
00:23:12,216 --> 00:23:17,004
and it just felt like
a very natural evolution.
516
00:23:28,276 --> 00:23:29,712
The first
"Mission: Impossible"
517
00:23:29,799 --> 00:23:32,019
is not the best
"Mission: Impossible".
518
00:23:32,106 --> 00:23:34,587
It's a good solid
big budget action film
519
00:23:34,674 --> 00:23:36,589
but it's interesting,
because Hollywood was trying
520
00:23:36,676 --> 00:23:38,460
to make a movie out
of "Mission: Impossible",
521
00:23:38,504 --> 00:23:40,462
the television series,
for decades.
522
00:23:46,163 --> 00:23:47,600
"Mission: Impossible" was about
523
00:23:47,643 --> 00:23:49,732
the Impossible Mission Force,
524
00:23:49,819 --> 00:23:51,604
so it was really
an ensemble piece.
525
00:23:51,647 --> 00:23:53,519
And the first
"Mission: Impossible" movie,
526
00:23:53,606 --> 00:23:55,956
at least they kept
the same names of a lot
527
00:23:56,043 --> 00:23:57,740
of the characters
from the original,
528
00:23:57,827 --> 00:24:00,177
and it was about
the Impossible Mission Force.
529
00:24:00,264 --> 00:24:03,398
But it became clear about
halfway through the film
530
00:24:03,485 --> 00:24:06,401
that this was going to be
the Ethan Hunt storyline.
531
00:24:06,488 --> 00:24:08,708
This is Ethan Hunt.
532
00:24:08,751 --> 00:24:12,538
- They're dead.
- Wait, who's dead?
533
00:24:12,625 --> 00:24:14,975
My team.
My team is dead.
534
00:24:15,062 --> 00:24:18,108
- Jesus.
- The list is gone.
535
00:24:18,195 --> 00:24:19,849
They knew we were coming, man.
536
00:24:19,936 --> 00:24:22,591
They knew we were coming,
and the disk is gone.
537
00:24:22,722 --> 00:24:25,725
I do think it was
unusually savvy of Cruise
538
00:24:25,812 --> 00:24:27,770
to make that play
with "Mission: Impossible".
539
00:24:27,857 --> 00:24:29,206
If you watch "Mission:
Impossible" on TV,
540
00:24:29,293 --> 00:24:31,165
it was a sort
of an ensemble show.
541
00:24:31,295 --> 00:24:33,297
It wasn't about
the glorification of one person
542
00:24:33,384 --> 00:24:35,735
at its center, and
Cruise says, "I can take this,
543
00:24:35,778 --> 00:24:38,085
I can use this
intellectual property
544
00:24:38,172 --> 00:24:41,523
that people are aware of,
and we can sell that.
545
00:24:41,610 --> 00:24:45,005
But at the center of it, it's
really going to be about me."
546
00:24:45,092 --> 00:24:47,964
It gave Tom Cruise the
opportunity to play James Bond,
547
00:24:48,095 --> 00:24:49,618
which he was
never going to play,
548
00:24:49,749 --> 00:24:50,880
because he wasn't right
to play James Bond.
549
00:24:50,967 --> 00:24:53,143
But this was
his James Bond franchise.
550
00:24:53,230 --> 00:24:56,103
And the role
of Ethan Hunt allowed Cruise
551
00:24:56,190 --> 00:24:58,540
to bring his physicality
to the foreground.
552
00:24:58,627 --> 00:25:01,456
Always a part of
his acting arsenal,
553
00:25:01,543 --> 00:25:04,111
from his strutting performance
in "The Color of Money"
554
00:25:04,198 --> 00:25:06,940
to the kinetic chase sequences
of "The Firm",
555
00:25:07,027 --> 00:25:09,333
it was crucial in
"Mission: Impossible",
556
00:25:09,377 --> 00:25:11,466
that he convince
as an action star.
557
00:25:12,598 --> 00:25:14,774
And unlike the majority
of his contemporaries,
558
00:25:14,904 --> 00:25:16,558
he took this to another level
559
00:25:16,602 --> 00:25:19,909
by performing several of
the film's key stunts himself,
560
00:25:19,996 --> 00:25:22,825
including
its most iconic set piece,
561
00:25:22,912 --> 00:25:24,827
the break in at Langley.
562
00:25:26,046 --> 00:25:27,613
You don't really appreciate it
563
00:25:27,700 --> 00:25:28,918
when you're
watching it at the time.
564
00:25:29,005 --> 00:25:31,181
It's only in retrospect,
knowing what we know now,
565
00:25:31,268 --> 00:25:33,706
that you are looking at
what he's doing there,
566
00:25:33,793 --> 00:25:36,839
holding his entire body
inches off the ground
567
00:25:36,926 --> 00:25:39,233
for a long time, really,
568
00:25:39,363 --> 00:25:41,148
and it's really him doing it.
569
00:25:41,235 --> 00:25:43,367
You have to really kind of stop
and think about it and go,
570
00:25:43,498 --> 00:25:45,239
"No, wait a minute.
571
00:25:45,369 --> 00:25:47,894
That's really difficult.
572
00:25:48,024 --> 00:25:50,810
As a physical exertion,
that's really intense."
573
00:25:50,940 --> 00:25:54,727
That's not really something
that was baked into
574
00:25:54,814 --> 00:25:56,859
the first "Mission: Impossible"
film really.
575
00:25:56,946 --> 00:26:00,515
Even though actually
it was Cruise getting drenched
576
00:26:00,602 --> 00:26:03,692
by the aquarium
and he did insist
577
00:26:03,823 --> 00:26:05,607
on the scene where
he is blasted backwards,
578
00:26:05,694 --> 00:26:07,043
even though obviously
it's not a real explosion,
579
00:26:07,087 --> 00:26:08,958
everything, he did it.
"That's got to be me.
580
00:26:09,002 --> 00:26:10,656
You got to see that that's me."
581
00:26:10,743 --> 00:26:14,181
But I just think it was so new,
it was, at the time,
582
00:26:14,268 --> 00:26:16,226
it wasn't really dwelt upon.
583
00:26:16,313 --> 00:26:18,489
It wasn't really
highlighted that much.
584
00:26:18,620 --> 00:26:20,970
Soon,
this would become a major part
585
00:26:21,014 --> 00:26:22,711
of the Cruise brand.
586
00:26:22,842 --> 00:26:26,628
But in 1996, the main focus
was seeing whether audiences
587
00:26:26,672 --> 00:26:29,283
would accept him
in an action role,
588
00:26:29,413 --> 00:26:31,807
and "Mission: Impossible"
proved a towering success
589
00:26:31,894 --> 00:26:33,461
at the box office,
590
00:26:33,548 --> 00:26:36,246
Cruise's highest grossing
release to date.
591
00:26:36,333 --> 00:26:38,031
I think it's kind of
amazing that Tom Cruise
592
00:26:38,118 --> 00:26:39,641
was able to transition
from being
593
00:26:39,685 --> 00:26:40,947
sort of a Hollywood
pretty boy
594
00:26:41,077 --> 00:26:42,688
was how he was seen by
a lot of people and
595
00:26:42,775 --> 00:26:45,255
to kind of
seamlessly transition
596
00:26:45,342 --> 00:26:49,216
into being an action star
is kind of remarkable.
597
00:26:49,259 --> 00:26:50,347
Honestly,
I think it just helped
598
00:26:50,434 --> 00:26:52,001
that "Mission: Impossible"
was good
599
00:26:52,088 --> 00:26:53,481
and that people liked it.
600
00:26:53,568 --> 00:26:56,092
His continual pursuit of
action roles
601
00:26:56,223 --> 00:26:59,443
that allowed him to put his
physicality front and center,
602
00:26:59,530 --> 00:27:01,358
made that transition possible.
603
00:27:01,445 --> 00:27:03,143
And while he continued
604
00:27:03,230 --> 00:27:06,189
carving his own unique path
in the movie industry,
605
00:27:06,320 --> 00:27:10,759
Hollywood began frantically
looking for the next Tom Cruise.
606
00:27:10,890 --> 00:27:13,240
Talented young actors
from Matthew McConaughey
607
00:27:13,283 --> 00:27:15,242
to Matt Damon were
being hailed
608
00:27:15,285 --> 00:27:17,548
as the future heirs
to his crown.
609
00:27:17,679 --> 00:27:19,681
Yet, audiences
were clearly happy
610
00:27:19,768 --> 00:27:21,814
with the Tom Cruise
they already had.
611
00:27:23,032 --> 00:27:24,686
His purple patch continued
612
00:27:24,730 --> 00:27:28,255
with romantic comedy
"Jerry Maguire" in 1997,
613
00:27:28,342 --> 00:27:30,692
but then Cruise suddenly disappeared
614
00:27:30,779 --> 00:27:32,738
from both Hollywood
and the limelight
615
00:27:32,825 --> 00:27:34,783
for over two years.
616
00:27:34,914 --> 00:27:37,481
The filming of
Stanley Kubrick's final project,
617
00:27:37,525 --> 00:27:39,483
"Eyes Wide Shut",
opposite his wife,
618
00:27:39,527 --> 00:27:41,616
would take the star
out of the game
619
00:27:41,703 --> 00:27:44,097
at the very height
of his success.
620
00:27:44,184 --> 00:27:46,142
And when it was
eventually released,
621
00:27:46,229 --> 00:27:49,015
it was quickly followed
by another offbeat performance,
622
00:27:49,145 --> 00:27:52,322
as part of an ensemble cast
in "Magnolia"
623
00:27:52,409 --> 00:27:55,499
by up and coming director
Paul Thomas Anderson.
624
00:27:55,543 --> 00:27:57,806
With these
fascinating roles,
625
00:27:57,937 --> 00:28:01,549
Cruise was expanding his range
further than ever before.
626
00:28:02,724 --> 00:28:04,770
Just in those four years
between "Mission: Impossible"
627
00:28:04,857 --> 00:28:06,293
and "Mission: Impossible 2",
628
00:28:06,336 --> 00:28:09,209
he almost completely redefines
himself again as an actor,
629
00:28:09,296 --> 00:28:11,602
just with those three pictures,
630
00:28:11,733 --> 00:28:14,867
"Jerry McGuire", "Eyes
Wide Shut", and "Magnolia".
631
00:28:14,954 --> 00:28:18,348
By 1999, he is known enough
as a guy
632
00:28:18,435 --> 00:28:19,959
that works
with great directors
633
00:28:20,089 --> 00:28:22,178
and makes interesting movies
634
00:28:22,309 --> 00:28:25,312
and only occasionally will make
a stereotypical blockbuster,
635
00:28:25,355 --> 00:28:28,358
like "Days of Thunder"
or "Mission: Impossible",
636
00:28:28,445 --> 00:28:30,665
that I think him working
with Stanley Kubrick
637
00:28:30,752 --> 00:28:32,841
almost feels like,
"Oh, that makes sense."
638
00:28:32,972 --> 00:28:34,147
"Magnolia" is
a little different,
639
00:28:34,234 --> 00:28:36,540
because this is Tom Cruise
640
00:28:36,627 --> 00:28:39,761
not working with
a veteran legendary director.
641
00:28:39,805 --> 00:28:42,155
This is Tom Cruise
calling up some kid
642
00:28:42,242 --> 00:28:44,548
who made one really
well-liked movie,
643
00:28:44,635 --> 00:28:46,246
that got a lot of raves,
and is like,
644
00:28:46,333 --> 00:28:50,293
"Hey, help me help you."
645
00:28:50,424 --> 00:28:55,037
And it's such a wonderful,
generous thing for him to do,
646
00:28:55,124 --> 00:28:56,473
knowing that it wasn't
going to be a big hit.
647
00:28:57,953 --> 00:28:59,694
But in May, 2000,
648
00:28:59,781 --> 00:29:02,566
having disappeared from
the public eye for so long,
649
00:29:02,610 --> 00:29:04,612
Cruise was back
in front of an audience
650
00:29:04,699 --> 00:29:07,397
eager to see him return
to mainstream cinema.
651
00:29:08,659 --> 00:29:12,054
"Mission: Impossible 2"
was a landmark in his career,
652
00:29:12,141 --> 00:29:14,927
as he had previously
resisted making sequels.
653
00:29:15,014 --> 00:29:17,277
Yet, as both star and producer,
654
00:29:17,364 --> 00:29:19,018
he embraced the opportunity
655
00:29:19,061 --> 00:29:21,281
to develop the franchise
as a series.
656
00:29:21,368 --> 00:29:25,372
And for this film, from
the opening sequence onwards,
657
00:29:25,459 --> 00:29:28,418
his remarkable stunt work
took center stage.
658
00:29:29,419 --> 00:29:31,595
"Mission: Impossible 2"
is marketed
659
00:29:31,682 --> 00:29:34,729
with that opening scene
of him free climbing,
660
00:29:34,816 --> 00:29:36,165
and everybody talks about
661
00:29:36,252 --> 00:29:37,514
how he's
doing his own stunts.
662
00:29:37,601 --> 00:29:39,038
This is,
I think, the first time
663
00:29:39,168 --> 00:29:41,170
that this
becomes a thing for him.
664
00:29:41,214 --> 00:29:42,955
It's Cruise clinging to,
665
00:29:43,042 --> 00:29:46,045
I think,
Dead Horse Rock in Utah,
666
00:29:46,088 --> 00:29:48,612
and there's a moment
during that sequence
667
00:29:48,699 --> 00:29:51,833
where he literally
looks directly into the camera.
668
00:29:51,877 --> 00:29:55,184
He's looking directly at
the audience as if to just say,
669
00:29:55,271 --> 00:29:56,969
"Yeah, it's me,
it's Tom Cruise,
670
00:29:57,012 --> 00:29:58,187
I am on the side of a mountain.
671
00:29:58,274 --> 00:30:00,059
I am doing this."
672
00:30:00,102 --> 00:30:02,061
I do think that "Mission:
Impossible 2" is the moment
673
00:30:02,191 --> 00:30:05,194
where the idea that Cruise
was doing his own stunts
674
00:30:05,281 --> 00:30:08,284
in these movies became
part of the press cycle,
675
00:30:08,415 --> 00:30:10,330
became part of
the chatter around them,
676
00:30:10,417 --> 00:30:12,854
and the fact
that he's doing something
677
00:30:12,941 --> 00:30:15,335
that's just outrageously
dangerous becomes part
678
00:30:15,422 --> 00:30:16,945
of the appeal of the films.
679
00:30:17,076 --> 00:30:18,686
Some of the stunts
in that are insane.
680
00:30:18,773 --> 00:30:20,993
In the climax when he almost
gets stabbed in the eye,
681
00:30:21,036 --> 00:30:22,081
they did that.
682
00:30:27,695 --> 00:30:29,523
They tied a rope to
the end of the knife.
683
00:30:29,653 --> 00:30:31,699
They didn't do that digitally.
684
00:30:31,786 --> 00:30:34,006
He was, at
that point in his life, saying,
685
00:30:34,093 --> 00:30:36,530
"I have to do
this stuff myself."
686
00:30:36,573 --> 00:30:40,316
But with Hong Kong
director John Woo on board,
687
00:30:40,360 --> 00:30:42,536
this sequel was
a very different proposition
688
00:30:42,666 --> 00:30:44,233
than Brian De Palma's
first outing.
689
00:30:45,887 --> 00:30:48,324
And not only have
the tone of the film changed,
690
00:30:48,455 --> 00:30:51,719
so too had
Cruise's action persona.
691
00:30:51,806 --> 00:30:54,591
Tom Cruise, prior to
"Mission: Impossible 2",
692
00:30:54,678 --> 00:30:58,030
he not only was not primarily
known as an action hero,
693
00:30:58,117 --> 00:31:01,381
even when he did make films
with action in them,
694
00:31:01,468 --> 00:31:03,600
he wasn't running around
killing people.
695
00:31:03,687 --> 00:31:06,125
This was the first time
we saw Tom Cruise not just
696
00:31:06,168 --> 00:31:09,389
as an action hero,
but as a gun-toting action hero.
697
00:31:09,476 --> 00:31:11,695
He was making something
that you might have seen
698
00:31:11,782 --> 00:31:14,263
from Arnold Schwarzenegger
or Sylvester Stallone.
699
00:31:14,307 --> 00:31:15,917
When you're eight years old
700
00:31:16,048 --> 00:31:17,701
and you're
wearing your leather jacket
701
00:31:17,788 --> 00:31:19,834
and you have sunglasses
and you're pretending
702
00:31:19,921 --> 00:31:22,141
to be an action hero
in your backyard,
703
00:31:22,184 --> 00:31:24,970
"Mission: Impossible 2"
is that movie to a T.
704
00:31:25,057 --> 00:31:28,277
Although its
critical reception was mixed,
705
00:31:28,364 --> 00:31:32,064
the film was a smash hit
with audiences worldwide,
706
00:31:32,151 --> 00:31:35,067
quickly overtaking the original
"Mission: Impossible",
707
00:31:35,154 --> 00:31:38,244
to become Cruise's biggest
success at the box office.
708
00:31:39,506 --> 00:31:43,075
Having returned from three
years away from the limelight
709
00:31:43,162 --> 00:31:45,729
and buoyed by
the film's reception,
710
00:31:45,816 --> 00:31:49,168
now he began planning a string
of blockbuster releases,
711
00:31:49,298 --> 00:31:52,736
keen to cement his reputation
as an action star.
712
00:31:53,868 --> 00:31:56,088
After "Eyes Wide Shut",
713
00:31:56,175 --> 00:32:00,396
he's Hollywood's number one
sort of box office draw,
714
00:32:00,527 --> 00:32:04,444
and he doesn't want
to let his crown slip.
715
00:32:04,531 --> 00:32:06,533
How do you prove you're back?
716
00:32:06,620 --> 00:32:10,232
By making blockbuster after
blockbuster after blockbuster.
717
00:32:10,319 --> 00:32:12,104
You are compensating.
718
00:32:12,191 --> 00:32:14,976
So you've gone off on sabbatical,
719
00:32:15,063 --> 00:32:18,458
you've done your odd thing
in England with Stanley.
720
00:32:18,545 --> 00:32:21,983
Now, it's time to
sort of pay back Hollywood.
721
00:32:22,070 --> 00:32:24,986
Once the "Mission: Impossible"
franchise takes off,
722
00:32:25,073 --> 00:32:26,901
Tom Cruise, I think,
understands to some extent
723
00:32:26,988 --> 00:32:29,904
the limitations of
doing the smaller movies.
724
00:32:29,991 --> 00:32:32,602
Remember,
he's now a producer as well.
725
00:32:32,689 --> 00:32:36,955
He needs to make films that will
kind of continue to sort
726
00:32:37,042 --> 00:32:38,826
of sustain his star power.
727
00:32:40,219 --> 00:32:41,568
Following one final fling
728
00:32:41,655 --> 00:32:42,917
with more left-field material
729
00:32:43,004 --> 00:32:45,615
in Cameron Crowe's
"Vanilla Sky",
730
00:32:45,702 --> 00:32:48,792
Cruise now launched himself
into action roles,
731
00:32:48,879 --> 00:32:52,579
beginning with
2002's "Minority Report".
732
00:32:52,666 --> 00:32:54,015
The following year,
he would be back
733
00:32:54,102 --> 00:32:57,932
with "The Last Samurai",
while the summer of 2004
734
00:32:58,019 --> 00:33:00,674
saw him play his first villain
since "Taps",
735
00:33:00,804 --> 00:33:04,025
in Michael Mann's propulsive
thriller, "Collateral".
736
00:33:04,069 --> 00:33:07,420
All of these films pushed
his intensely physical presence
737
00:33:07,507 --> 00:33:11,641
to the fore, and his journey
as a serious dramatic actor,
738
00:33:11,728 --> 00:33:14,470
from "Born on the Fourth
of July" to "Magnolia",
739
00:33:14,601 --> 00:33:16,690
was now put on hold.
740
00:33:16,820 --> 00:33:19,171
Certain aspects of
his star persona
741
00:33:19,258 --> 00:33:21,216
kind of fell to the wayside.
742
00:33:21,303 --> 00:33:23,044
He realized that,
as a movie star,
743
00:33:23,088 --> 00:33:25,351
the thing that people
liked from him the most
744
00:33:25,481 --> 00:33:29,485
was this kind of determination,
this kind of steeliness,
745
00:33:29,616 --> 00:33:31,226
this kind of hyper-competence.
746
00:33:31,313 --> 00:33:33,098
"As a movie star,
what my thing is
747
00:33:33,185 --> 00:33:36,144
is I'm just
constantly pressing forward."
748
00:33:36,275 --> 00:33:38,842
It's determination made flesh, basically.
749
00:33:38,929 --> 00:33:41,976
I think Cruise's age
is starting to play into this.
750
00:33:42,063 --> 00:33:43,847
I'm not saying
it's a midlife crisis,
751
00:33:43,934 --> 00:33:45,893
but is a little bit
of "I'm getting older,
752
00:33:45,980 --> 00:33:47,155
but why should I get older?"
753
00:33:47,286 --> 00:33:48,852
And it's almost like
the roles he did
754
00:33:48,939 --> 00:33:50,854
when he was younger
were the kind of roles
755
00:33:50,898 --> 00:33:52,856
you'd expect someone
to do later in their life
756
00:33:52,900 --> 00:33:54,945
and the roles he's doing
later in his life
757
00:33:55,076 --> 00:33:55,990
are the kind of roles
you'd expect people
758
00:33:56,077 --> 00:33:57,687
to do earlier in their life.
759
00:33:57,774 --> 00:33:59,341
Perhaps
a significant factor
760
00:33:59,428 --> 00:34:01,430
in this change of gear
was his divorce
761
00:34:01,517 --> 00:34:04,651
from Nicole Kidman
back in 2001.
762
00:34:04,738 --> 00:34:07,088
Although it was
a very public split,
763
00:34:07,132 --> 00:34:09,308
Cruise took solace
in his fans,
764
00:34:09,351 --> 00:34:11,701
making headlines
when he spent over an hour
765
00:34:11,788 --> 00:34:14,182
signing autographs
and posing for photos
766
00:34:14,313 --> 00:34:16,315
at the premier
of "Minority Report",
767
00:34:16,402 --> 00:34:19,883
and again, when dedicating
over two hours to the crowd
768
00:34:19,970 --> 00:34:22,147
for the release
of "The Last Samurai".
769
00:34:22,234 --> 00:34:23,539
It's fun.
770
00:34:23,670 --> 00:34:25,672
You get out and
have a chat and sign.
771
00:34:25,715 --> 00:34:27,717
It's really nice.
It's nice that they show up,
772
00:34:27,804 --> 00:34:30,677
and I want to let them
know that I appreciate it.
773
00:34:30,764 --> 00:34:32,418
Yet,
although he was happy
774
00:34:32,548 --> 00:34:35,377
to get up close
and personal with his audience,
775
00:34:35,464 --> 00:34:38,685
they knew very little
about the man himself.
776
00:34:38,772 --> 00:34:41,253
Cruise wasn't somebody
who a lot of people
777
00:34:41,296 --> 00:34:43,342
knew a lot about
his private life.
778
00:34:43,385 --> 00:34:45,170
He was somebody
who they knew mostly
779
00:34:45,257 --> 00:34:47,520
through the flash bulbs
and they saw on magazine covers.
780
00:34:47,607 --> 00:34:49,913
He doesn't do
a ton of interviews.
781
00:34:49,957 --> 00:34:52,046
He'll do appearances,
he'll do premieres,
782
00:34:52,133 --> 00:34:54,831
he'll do red carpets
and things like that,
783
00:34:54,918 --> 00:34:58,618
but there's a very controlled
quality to his public image,
784
00:34:58,705 --> 00:35:01,055
up until this point.
785
00:35:01,142 --> 00:35:04,711
Yet, in 2003,
he began to speak more openly
786
00:35:04,798 --> 00:35:06,582
about his involvement
with the secretive
787
00:35:06,713 --> 00:35:10,020
and controversial
Church of Scientology.
788
00:35:10,151 --> 00:35:11,848
After his publicist,
Pat Kingsley,
789
00:35:11,935 --> 00:35:15,287
who had been by his side
since the early '90s,
790
00:35:15,374 --> 00:35:17,593
tried to dissuade him
from discussing his beliefs
791
00:35:17,724 --> 00:35:19,073
on promotional tours,
792
00:35:19,117 --> 00:35:21,380
he replaced her.
793
00:35:21,423 --> 00:35:23,860
His sister Lee Ann
took over the role,
794
00:35:23,947 --> 00:35:27,168
but without Kingsley's
guiding hand, very quickly,
795
00:35:27,255 --> 00:35:30,389
Cruise's public image
was in free fall.
796
00:35:30,519 --> 00:35:33,653
Pat Kingsley was
the publicist for Tom Cruise
797
00:35:33,740 --> 00:35:35,959
for I think about 14 years.
798
00:35:36,046 --> 00:35:41,487
You think of publicists
as people who get stars
799
00:35:41,617 --> 00:35:46,405
onto TV shows,
into newspapers, onto websites.
800
00:35:46,448 --> 00:35:51,323
Her significance was as much
for keeping him out of trouble.
801
00:35:51,410 --> 00:35:53,194
For two decades,
she was at the center
802
00:35:53,238 --> 00:35:56,806
of Cruise control, famed
for her red carpet tactics,
803
00:35:56,893 --> 00:35:59,679
guiding him round
with military precision.
804
00:35:59,766 --> 00:36:01,637
On her watch,
his interviews were paragons
805
00:36:01,768 --> 00:36:06,207
of marketing virtue, avoiding
the subject of Scientology.
806
00:36:06,251 --> 00:36:09,341
As his sister becomes
his publicist,
807
00:36:09,428 --> 00:36:12,692
I think the fact
that he is a Scientologist
808
00:36:12,779 --> 00:36:16,478
becomes a much bigger part
of who he is on the outside,
809
00:36:16,565 --> 00:36:18,654
as well as who he is
on the inside.
810
00:36:18,698 --> 00:36:23,355
And that does manifest itself
in some media-unfriendly ways.
811
00:36:23,442 --> 00:36:26,140
The reception to
the promotional campaign
812
00:36:26,227 --> 00:36:28,098
in and around
"War of the Worlds",
813
00:36:28,229 --> 00:36:31,667
it wasn't just that he was
associated with Scientology,
814
00:36:31,798 --> 00:36:33,582
it's that some of those interviews
815
00:36:33,626 --> 00:36:35,236
came off as judgmental,
816
00:36:35,280 --> 00:36:37,891
in a negative and
almost hurtful way.
817
00:36:38,021 --> 00:36:40,459
With
his unprovoked on-air criticism
818
00:36:40,589 --> 00:36:42,548
of his friend Brooke Shields,
819
00:36:42,678 --> 00:36:45,246
his argumentative interviews
with Matt Lauer in the US
820
00:36:45,333 --> 00:36:47,509
and Peter Overton in Australia
821
00:36:47,596 --> 00:36:51,078
and his widely mocked
appearance on Oprah Winfrey,
822
00:36:51,165 --> 00:36:54,473
the wheels had come off
the Cruise machine.
823
00:36:54,560 --> 00:36:58,477
In August, 2005, summing up
the wider public's reaction
824
00:36:58,607 --> 00:37:02,350
to these events, "Vanity Fair"
ran the cover story,
825
00:37:02,481 --> 00:37:05,179
"Has Tom Cruise
lost his marbles?"
826
00:37:05,266 --> 00:37:08,748
For the first time, the kind
of public view of him soured.
827
00:37:08,835 --> 00:37:11,098
I don't think he was able
to really process that.
828
00:37:11,185 --> 00:37:15,058
Like "Why have people got
a problem with what I'm saying?
829
00:37:15,102 --> 00:37:16,886
Usually, everything's fine."
830
00:37:16,973 --> 00:37:20,107
He was a figure of ridicule
to a certain extent,
831
00:37:20,194 --> 00:37:24,546
and suddenly, he's this weirdo
jumping on couches
832
00:37:24,633 --> 00:37:27,245
and attacking Brooke Shields,
833
00:37:27,332 --> 00:37:30,117
and yeah,
people start to turn on him,
834
00:37:30,204 --> 00:37:31,988
and this is
his audience turning on him.
835
00:37:32,075 --> 00:37:33,729
This isn't just like people
who never liked him
836
00:37:33,860 --> 00:37:34,774
turning on him.
This is the people
837
00:37:34,861 --> 00:37:36,515
who liked him turning on him,
838
00:37:36,645 --> 00:37:38,299
and it puts him in a tough spot.
839
00:37:38,343 --> 00:37:40,519
And this is a huge thing
for all huge stars.
840
00:37:40,649 --> 00:37:43,348
If you don't have somebody
around you to say "no"
841
00:37:43,435 --> 00:37:45,088
or to take you aside and say
842
00:37:45,132 --> 00:37:47,569
"You're going
down the wrong path,"
843
00:37:47,656 --> 00:37:50,442
left to their own devices,
like any of the rest of us,
844
00:37:50,529 --> 00:37:51,530
you're going to make
a lot of big mistakes
845
00:37:51,660 --> 00:37:53,445
and he made huge mistakes.
846
00:37:53,532 --> 00:37:55,969
And although
this crisis erupted
847
00:37:56,099 --> 00:37:58,885
just as he was promoting
his new Spielberg blockbuster,
848
00:37:58,928 --> 00:38:00,321
"War of the Worlds",
849
00:38:00,408 --> 00:38:01,714
it didn't affect that film's
commercial fortunes.
850
00:38:01,801 --> 00:38:03,411
The following year however,
851
00:38:03,542 --> 00:38:07,372
with the shockwaves having
spread across popular culture,
852
00:38:07,459 --> 00:38:08,982
Cruise returned to the big screen
853
00:38:09,112 --> 00:38:11,680
with "Mission: Impossible 3".
854
00:38:11,767 --> 00:38:13,552
And although
it turned a profit,
855
00:38:13,595 --> 00:38:16,903
it was the least successful
film in the franchise so far
856
00:38:16,946 --> 00:38:18,470
and was considered
a disappointment
857
00:38:18,513 --> 00:38:21,124
by its studio, Paramount.
858
00:38:21,211 --> 00:38:23,475
I don't think you
can discount this kind of
859
00:38:23,562 --> 00:38:25,477
souring of opinion on Cruise
860
00:38:25,564 --> 00:38:28,480
having an impact
on "Mission: Impossible 3".
861
00:38:28,567 --> 00:38:30,569
The reviews were strong,
862
00:38:30,612 --> 00:38:32,614
but for whatever reason,
the buzz was muted.
863
00:38:32,701 --> 00:38:35,269
There was certainly
a real world impact
864
00:38:35,356 --> 00:38:37,793
in terms
of Tom Cruise's reception.
865
00:38:37,880 --> 00:38:41,362
Was "Mission: Impossible 3"
an underperformer
866
00:38:41,406 --> 00:38:45,279
because of how it was
associated with the PR stuff?
867
00:38:45,366 --> 00:38:47,716
Maybe. Do I think it killed
the film? No.
868
00:38:48,804 --> 00:38:51,198
But even if
it didn't kill the film itself,
869
00:38:51,285 --> 00:38:55,985
the backlash did kill Cruise's
deal with Paramount Pictures.
870
00:38:56,072 --> 00:38:58,553
The studio had signed an
exclusive distribution agreement
871
00:38:58,640 --> 00:39:02,252
with Cruise/Wagner Productions
back in 1992,
872
00:39:02,383 --> 00:39:04,516
and as the scandal escalated,
873
00:39:04,603 --> 00:39:07,257
this crucial partnership
was terminated.
874
00:39:07,388 --> 00:39:09,999
Sumner Redstone,
who was the head of the company
875
00:39:10,086 --> 00:39:11,610
that owned
Paramount Pictures, saying
876
00:39:11,740 --> 00:39:14,090
"This guy
is hurting our brand."
877
00:39:14,177 --> 00:39:17,224
Amazingly,
the number one brand in movies,
878
00:39:17,311 --> 00:39:19,531
all of a sudden,
is considered to be a liability.
879
00:39:19,618 --> 00:39:21,663
So he was in a real
career crisis at the time.
880
00:39:23,535 --> 00:39:26,407
The fall from grace
was complete.
881
00:39:26,494 --> 00:39:29,192
Immediately firing
his sister Lee Ann,
882
00:39:29,279 --> 00:39:31,151
the star was in
crisis management mode.
883
00:39:32,848 --> 00:39:35,416
Looking for a new deal,
Cruise/Wagner Productions
884
00:39:35,503 --> 00:39:38,767
was thrown a lifeline by MGM,
who approached them
885
00:39:38,854 --> 00:39:42,641
to revive the floundering
studio, United Artists.
886
00:39:42,684 --> 00:39:45,208
Yet, their first film
of this new arrangement,
887
00:39:45,252 --> 00:39:47,559
Robert Redford's
"Lions for Lambs",
888
00:39:47,646 --> 00:39:50,692
with Cruise on board as
both producer and co-star,
889
00:39:50,779 --> 00:39:53,565
met with a tepid critical
and commercial response.
890
00:39:55,218 --> 00:39:58,265
And then, in late 2006,
891
00:39:58,352 --> 00:40:00,746
when he appeared
to be running on empty,
892
00:40:00,876 --> 00:40:03,444
he was contacted by
Christopher McQuarrie,
893
00:40:03,531 --> 00:40:07,666
an award-winning writer-director
at a similar low ebb.
894
00:40:07,709 --> 00:40:10,712
It's interesting, you see
these stories in Hollywood,
895
00:40:10,799 --> 00:40:12,235
where people
who have been through the mill
896
00:40:12,322 --> 00:40:14,586
and had a great success
and then,
897
00:40:14,673 --> 00:40:17,110
are kind of on tougher times,
will turn to each other.
898
00:40:17,240 --> 00:40:19,242
Because Christopher McQuarrie
wins the Academy Award
899
00:40:19,329 --> 00:40:21,027
for "The Usual Suspects",
900
00:40:21,070 --> 00:40:23,029
one of the greatest screenplays
of all time.
901
00:40:23,072 --> 00:40:24,378
And now, here's somebody,
902
00:40:24,465 --> 00:40:26,598
it's only 10 years
after he won the Oscar,
903
00:40:26,685 --> 00:40:28,687
and he can't get arrested
in Hollywood.
904
00:40:28,817 --> 00:40:31,472
He had a big success
with "The Usual Suspects",
905
00:40:31,516 --> 00:40:36,303
which he wrote, and
then tried directing himself.
906
00:40:36,390 --> 00:40:38,392
And he made a film,
which I think is brilliant,
907
00:40:38,479 --> 00:40:39,915
called "The Way of the Gun".
908
00:40:40,046 --> 00:40:42,091
It wasn't a hit
for any number of reasons.
909
00:40:42,178 --> 00:40:45,573
It was a very dark picture,
it was very grimy,
910
00:40:45,704 --> 00:40:47,967
but for whatever reason,
he ended up in director's jail.
911
00:40:48,054 --> 00:40:51,710
And it was a very long time
before he made another picture.
912
00:40:51,753 --> 00:40:54,495
The project
McQuarrie brought to Cruise
913
00:40:54,539 --> 00:40:57,585
was "Valkyrie",
an historical thriller
914
00:40:57,716 --> 00:41:00,632
focused on a real-life plot
to assassinate Adolf Hitler
915
00:41:00,719 --> 00:41:03,635
by a group of
rebel Nazi officers.
916
00:41:03,722 --> 00:41:06,768
Cruise agreed to finance
the film through United Artists
917
00:41:06,855 --> 00:41:08,727
and took the lead role
918
00:41:08,814 --> 00:41:11,730
with McQuarrie's "Usual
Suspects" partner, Bryan Singer,
919
00:41:11,860 --> 00:41:13,601
on board as director.
920
00:41:13,732 --> 00:41:16,299
And although early reports
were negative,
921
00:41:16,386 --> 00:41:18,911
upon its release,
"Valkyrie" proved
922
00:41:18,998 --> 00:41:22,218
a minor critical
and commercial success.
923
00:41:22,305 --> 00:41:25,526
I think "Valkyrie" is just
a rock solid studio programmer,
924
00:41:25,613 --> 00:41:29,225
and it kind of reminded people
that, "Oh wait, that's right.
925
00:41:29,312 --> 00:41:31,097
Most Tom Cruise
movies are good."
926
00:41:31,140 --> 00:41:33,534
I think, in a lot of ways,
"Valkyrie" may prove
927
00:41:33,578 --> 00:41:35,667
to be one
of the last gasps, for now,
928
00:41:35,710 --> 00:41:37,016
of Tom Cruise, actor,
929
00:41:37,103 --> 00:41:39,409
as opposed to
Tom Cruise, action star.
930
00:41:39,540 --> 00:41:41,716
- They will wipe you out.
- It doesn't matter.
931
00:41:44,327 --> 00:41:47,505
It only matters
that we act now
932
00:41:47,592 --> 00:41:49,768
before we lose the war.
933
00:41:49,855 --> 00:41:53,032
Otherwise, this will
always be Hitler's Germany.
934
00:41:56,209 --> 00:41:58,690
And we have to show the world
935
00:41:58,777 --> 00:42:00,605
that not all of us
were like him.
936
00:42:00,692 --> 00:42:02,476
That is not enough for me.
937
00:42:04,609 --> 00:42:06,915
There has to be
a chance of success.
938
00:42:08,395 --> 00:42:10,876
Then find a way.
939
00:42:11,006 --> 00:42:13,052
Even though
it didn't do huge business,
940
00:42:13,139 --> 00:42:15,533
it wasn't a complete bomb,
and I think that, in a way,
941
00:42:15,620 --> 00:42:17,796
that was almost good enough,
942
00:42:17,839 --> 00:42:21,582
that it wasn't a complete--
it got mostly good reviews.
943
00:42:21,626 --> 00:42:23,715
It did fairly well.
It did okay,
944
00:42:23,802 --> 00:42:26,456
so I think, because
expectations were so low,
945
00:42:26,587 --> 00:42:28,197
it might have
worked in his favor.
946
00:42:28,284 --> 00:42:31,505
I think the arrival
of Christopher McQuarrie
947
00:42:31,592 --> 00:42:34,421
in the Cruise story
is absolutely huge.
948
00:42:34,508 --> 00:42:37,598
I think Cruise and McQuarrie
is just an amazing partnership.
949
00:42:37,685 --> 00:42:43,038
It really made Cruise turn
a corner from that bad period.
950
00:42:43,169 --> 00:42:46,738
So while "Valkyrie", which
actually is a pretty good film,
951
00:42:46,825 --> 00:42:49,828
while that film wasn't
a particular success, and again,
952
00:42:49,871 --> 00:42:53,266
has been kind of forgotten about
in the Cruise story,
953
00:42:53,396 --> 00:42:56,182
however that film turned out,
954
00:42:56,269 --> 00:43:00,142
I think that that relationship
was established.
955
00:43:00,273 --> 00:43:03,842
And although Cruise
had a key new creative ally,
956
00:43:03,885 --> 00:43:07,193
the road to recovery
would not be simple.
957
00:43:07,280 --> 00:43:09,021
Following the release of
"Valkyrie",
958
00:43:09,108 --> 00:43:11,545
the United Artists deal
fell apart,
959
00:43:11,632 --> 00:43:13,765
and Cruise split
with his long-term partner,
960
00:43:13,808 --> 00:43:15,462
Paula Wagner.
961
00:43:15,549 --> 00:43:17,116
Without his own production company
962
00:43:17,203 --> 00:43:18,987
to launch films
that he could control,
963
00:43:19,074 --> 00:43:22,774
he was now thrown back into
the uncertain acting world,
964
00:43:22,817 --> 00:43:25,211
auditioning for roles
in studio projects,
965
00:43:25,254 --> 00:43:27,126
like "Salt" and "The Tourist".
966
00:43:29,128 --> 00:43:31,217
He eventually took the lead
in "Knight and Day",
967
00:43:31,260 --> 00:43:33,480
alongside Cameron Diaz,
968
00:43:33,567 --> 00:43:35,438
before entering discussions
with Paramount
969
00:43:35,525 --> 00:43:38,050
to return to the "Mission:
Impossible" franchise.
970
00:43:38,137 --> 00:43:40,226
But when the film was released,
971
00:43:40,269 --> 00:43:43,708
it was a commercial
and critical disaster,
972
00:43:43,795 --> 00:43:45,884
and many questioned
whether Cruise would ever
973
00:43:45,927 --> 00:43:48,582
be able to headline
a blockbuster again.
974
00:43:48,669 --> 00:43:50,105
It's interesting
with "Knight and Day",
975
00:43:50,149 --> 00:43:53,108
because on paper, you'd think
this is a surefire hit.
976
00:43:53,152 --> 00:43:56,372
He's reunited with
Cameron Diaz from "Vanilla Sky"
977
00:43:56,459 --> 00:43:57,896
in a very
different kind of movie.
978
00:43:57,983 --> 00:44:01,029
She's so likable and has
done all these great comedies
979
00:44:01,116 --> 00:44:03,597
that were huge hits,
but for some reason--
980
00:44:03,684 --> 00:44:04,903
and it's not a good film--
981
00:44:05,033 --> 00:44:07,514
I think Tom Cruise found out
people either wanted
982
00:44:07,601 --> 00:44:11,823
to see him playing in
a romantic comedy or a drama
983
00:44:11,910 --> 00:44:15,130
or in an action film
with real consequences.
984
00:44:15,261 --> 00:44:17,611
I think the failure
of "Knight and Day",
985
00:44:17,698 --> 00:44:19,918
it certainly upped the ante
in terms
986
00:44:20,005 --> 00:44:22,529
of what he needed to achieve
with "Ghost Protocol",
987
00:44:22,616 --> 00:44:23,835
the fourth "Mission:
Impossible" film,
988
00:44:23,878 --> 00:44:25,967
bearing also in mind
989
00:44:26,054 --> 00:44:27,403
that it's the
"Mission: Impossible" film
990
00:44:27,490 --> 00:44:29,101
that follows
the least successful
991
00:44:29,188 --> 00:44:31,233
"Mission: Impossible"
film as well.
992
00:44:32,539 --> 00:44:36,499
In that sense,
he had to go back
993
00:44:36,543 --> 00:44:40,068
to the series
that he'd set up himself,
994
00:44:40,112 --> 00:44:43,028
had now come to define him.
995
00:44:43,158 --> 00:44:45,073
He has returned to that,
but he had to make it better
996
00:44:45,117 --> 00:44:46,771
than it had ever been before.
997
00:44:48,294 --> 00:44:50,078
And in December, 2011,
998
00:44:50,165 --> 00:44:53,821
"Mission: Impossible -
Ghost Protocol" was released.
999
00:44:53,952 --> 00:44:56,128
At the premier and in
its promotion,
1000
00:44:56,215 --> 00:44:58,652
Cruise was front
and center once again.
1001
00:44:58,739 --> 00:45:01,307
Yet, ongoing doubts
at Paramount
1002
00:45:01,350 --> 00:45:03,657
over its star's popular appeal
1003
00:45:03,744 --> 00:45:05,833
had seen initial versions
of the script
1004
00:45:05,964 --> 00:45:08,967
sideline his character,
Ethan Hunt,
1005
00:45:09,010 --> 00:45:11,621
and the final cut
was a very different film
1006
00:45:11,752 --> 00:45:14,102
than the original concept.
1007
00:45:14,146 --> 00:45:15,625
It was supposed to
originally be
1008
00:45:15,756 --> 00:45:17,323
Ethan Hunt's last appearance
1009
00:45:17,410 --> 00:45:19,020
in a "Mission:
Impossible" movie.
1010
00:45:19,107 --> 00:45:22,458
So they brought in
Jeremy Renner as somebody
1011
00:45:22,545 --> 00:45:26,375
who would step up and
become a new team leader.
1012
00:45:26,462 --> 00:45:27,986
If you look back
on that idea now,
1013
00:45:28,116 --> 00:45:30,336
it seems completely absurd.
1014
00:45:30,423 --> 00:45:32,338
Renner is a terrific actor,
1015
00:45:32,425 --> 00:45:34,340
but he doesn't have
the kind of charisma
1016
00:45:34,427 --> 00:45:36,037
that Tom Cruise does.
1017
00:45:36,124 --> 00:45:37,952
That's what you need in
a "Mission: Impossible" movie.
1018
00:45:38,039 --> 00:45:39,214
You need charisma.
1019
00:45:39,345 --> 00:45:41,477
You need him to be Ethan Hunt.
1020
00:45:41,564 --> 00:45:44,176
Having
repaired his relationship
1021
00:45:44,263 --> 00:45:46,787
with Paramount kingpin,
Sumner Redstone,
1022
00:45:46,918 --> 00:45:49,094
during the production
Cruise drafted in
1023
00:45:49,224 --> 00:45:52,140
his new creative partner,
Christopher McQuarrie,
1024
00:45:52,227 --> 00:45:56,275
to rework the script and
shift the focus back onto Hunt.
1025
00:45:56,362 --> 00:45:57,580
Yet, after five years of
1026
00:45:57,624 --> 00:46:00,018
underwhelming
box office returns,
1027
00:46:00,061 --> 00:46:04,022
"Ghost Protocol" was still
a pressure project for its star.
1028
00:46:04,065 --> 00:46:06,285
But when it opened,
it became the biggest hit
1029
00:46:06,372 --> 00:46:08,330
of Cruise's entire career.
1030
00:46:09,679 --> 00:46:11,290
"Ghost Protocol" is
incredible,
1031
00:46:11,377 --> 00:46:13,727
because it's the fourth
installment of a franchise.
1032
00:46:13,814 --> 00:46:15,424
Usually it's by three
1033
00:46:15,511 --> 00:46:17,296
that things really
fall off the edge
1034
00:46:17,383 --> 00:46:19,646
with most great franchises.
1035
00:46:19,733 --> 00:46:22,301
And here's "Ghost Protocol",
the fourth entry
1036
00:46:22,388 --> 00:46:25,608
in the franchise,
and it's the best by far.
1037
00:46:25,652 --> 00:46:27,393
If none of the other movies
had been made
1038
00:46:27,436 --> 00:46:29,395
and it was just
a standalone film,
1039
00:46:29,482 --> 00:46:32,180
it would be considered one
of the great action thrillers
1040
00:46:32,224 --> 00:46:33,138
of all time.
1041
00:46:48,849 --> 00:46:50,198
If you argue
1042
00:46:50,242 --> 00:46:51,504
that "Mission: Impossible 3"
1043
00:46:51,634 --> 00:46:52,853
marked the end of Tom Cruise
1044
00:46:52,940 --> 00:46:56,117
as an unimpeachable,
matinee idol movie star,
1045
00:46:56,204 --> 00:46:57,423
"Mission: Impossible -
Ghost Protocol"
1046
00:46:57,510 --> 00:46:59,164
basically saved his career.
1047
00:46:59,294 --> 00:47:01,644
And with
"Incredibles" director Brad Bird
1048
00:47:01,731 --> 00:47:04,560
at the helm, the focus
of this fourth installment
1049
00:47:04,647 --> 00:47:06,432
was action.
1050
00:47:06,519 --> 00:47:09,304
And where "Mission: Impossible
3"' had been light on stunts,
1051
00:47:09,435 --> 00:47:11,567
with his return
to the franchise,
1052
00:47:11,654 --> 00:47:13,700
Cruise pulled out all the stops.
1053
00:47:13,787 --> 00:47:16,007
Brad Bird kind of
conceived "Ghost Protocol"
1054
00:47:16,094 --> 00:47:18,661
as this set piece machine.
1055
00:47:18,705 --> 00:47:20,663
In the series,
I think that is the one
1056
00:47:20,707 --> 00:47:23,231
that most acknowledges
that what people love
1057
00:47:23,318 --> 00:47:26,800
about these movies is seeing
Cruise and company squirm
1058
00:47:26,887 --> 00:47:29,542
out of really
difficult situations.
1059
00:47:29,629 --> 00:47:31,370
I think it has some of the
best stunts in the whole series.
1060
00:47:31,457 --> 00:47:33,894
I think him climbing
the Burj Khalifa is
1061
00:47:34,025 --> 00:47:35,461
really hard to top, actually.
1062
00:47:35,548 --> 00:47:36,984
I think he's been
trying to top it since,
1063
00:47:37,115 --> 00:47:38,246
and I don't think
there's been a sequence
1064
00:47:38,333 --> 00:47:41,467
in the franchise that's
as exciting as that sequence.
1065
00:47:43,164 --> 00:47:45,906
Okay, now remember,
it's a rolling off motion
1066
00:47:46,037 --> 00:47:47,516
that disengages the bond.
1067
00:47:47,603 --> 00:47:49,867
When the meter is blue,
that's full adhesion.
1068
00:47:49,954 --> 00:47:52,130
Easy way to remember--
Blue is glue.
1069
00:47:52,260 --> 00:47:53,827
- And when it's red?
- Dead.
1070
00:47:53,914 --> 00:47:55,568
Here's your cutter, okay?
1071
00:47:55,698 --> 00:47:57,831
And your server interface
both going back here.
1072
00:47:57,875 --> 00:47:59,398
One, two.
1073
00:47:59,485 --> 00:48:00,790
Okay, Ethan,
1074
00:48:00,921 --> 00:48:02,488
the hotel server's
11 stories up
1075
00:48:02,575 --> 00:48:05,795
and seven units over.
Okay?
1076
00:48:05,926 --> 00:48:08,537
- Com check?
- Yeah, copy.
1077
00:48:10,278 --> 00:48:12,846
So...
1078
00:48:14,065 --> 00:48:17,807
"Ghost Protocol"
gave Tom Cruise his mojo back
1079
00:48:17,938 --> 00:48:23,161
by letting audiences see his
fear and laugh with him again.
1080
00:48:35,651 --> 00:48:39,220
None of the gadgets work,
none of their plans work.
1081
00:48:39,307 --> 00:48:41,962
They're constantly perplexed
and flustered
1082
00:48:42,093 --> 00:48:43,442
and on the brink of death,
1083
00:48:43,529 --> 00:48:45,748
because nothing around them
goes right.
1084
00:48:45,792 --> 00:48:47,315
He's relatable again.
1085
00:48:47,402 --> 00:48:51,624
And I think he transitions
from Tom Cruise
1086
00:48:51,754 --> 00:48:54,105
to being almost like
an American Jackie Chan.
1087
00:48:55,062 --> 00:48:57,325
Yet,
at almost 50 years old,
1088
00:48:57,412 --> 00:49:00,154
Cruise was still determined
to provide the audience
1089
00:49:00,241 --> 00:49:03,592
with a performance of
remarkable physicality.
1090
00:49:03,679 --> 00:49:06,334
What's amazing about
"Ghost Protocol" is,
1091
00:49:06,421 --> 00:49:08,597
at this point, it is probably
1092
00:49:08,684 --> 00:49:11,078
the most physical performance
he's ever given.
1093
00:49:11,209 --> 00:49:13,080
It's interesting,
because we don't say,
1094
00:49:13,211 --> 00:49:15,256
"You know, that Tom Cruise,
he's got a lot of star power
1095
00:49:15,343 --> 00:49:17,258
and energy for his age."
1096
00:49:17,345 --> 00:49:19,217
He just does,
and I guarantee
1097
00:49:19,304 --> 00:49:21,828
a lot of 30-year old actors
are sitting around going,
1098
00:49:21,915 --> 00:49:24,613
"What is it with this guy,
that Energizer Bunny thing?"
1099
00:49:31,229 --> 00:49:33,361
We actually believe
he could chase down
1100
00:49:33,448 --> 00:49:37,713
the 26-year old bad guy
from behind, because he can.
1101
00:49:37,800 --> 00:49:40,847
I think it's absolutely
astonishing that Cruise,
1102
00:49:40,934 --> 00:49:43,850
at the age that he was
when he made "Ghost Protocol",
1103
00:49:43,937 --> 00:49:46,679
was doing the kind
of things that you would
1104
00:49:46,809 --> 00:49:49,464
only expect an actor
in their 30s to do,
1105
00:49:49,508 --> 00:49:53,033
that even he wasn't
doing himself in his 30s.
1106
00:49:53,077 --> 00:49:57,081
So it just adds to this idea
of him being ageless.
1107
00:49:57,168 --> 00:49:59,300
The character of
James Bond is ageless
1108
00:49:59,387 --> 00:50:01,607
because they keep recasting
new people as it.
1109
00:50:01,650 --> 00:50:03,174
The character of
Ethan Hunt is ageless
1110
00:50:03,261 --> 00:50:04,523
because he's Tom Cruise.
1111
00:50:06,046 --> 00:50:07,265
With some
of the best reviews
1112
00:50:07,352 --> 00:50:09,832
he had ever received
and a worldwide gross
1113
00:50:09,919 --> 00:50:12,705
of nearly 700 million dollars,
1114
00:50:12,835 --> 00:50:15,142
"Ghost Protocol" provided
Cruise's career
1115
00:50:15,273 --> 00:50:18,319
with the shot in the arm
it so desperately needed.
1116
00:50:18,406 --> 00:50:21,540
The reaction to his
adrenaline-fueled performance
1117
00:50:21,627 --> 00:50:25,979
also provided him with
a roadmap for future success.
1118
00:50:26,066 --> 00:50:30,723
Yet, when 2012's "Jack Reacher"
and 2013's "Oblivion"
1119
00:50:30,766 --> 00:50:34,335
divided critics and failed
to attract large audiences,
1120
00:50:34,422 --> 00:50:37,164
it suggested
that Cruise's career revival
1121
00:50:37,295 --> 00:50:40,863
was a work in progress,
rather than a certainty.
1122
00:50:40,950 --> 00:50:43,997
In 2014, however,
he returned to the big screen
1123
00:50:44,084 --> 00:50:46,217
with the high-concept
science fiction thriller
1124
00:50:46,260 --> 00:50:48,001
"Edge of Tomorrow",
1125
00:50:48,088 --> 00:50:50,351
and critics instantly
hailed it
1126
00:50:50,438 --> 00:50:53,572
as one of the strongest films
he had ever made.
1127
00:50:53,659 --> 00:50:55,052
"Edge of Tomorrow"'s
a terrific film,
1128
00:50:55,139 --> 00:50:57,489
based on some
great source material.
1129
00:50:57,576 --> 00:50:59,534
It's kind of
a "Groundhog Day",
1130
00:50:59,665 --> 00:51:02,015
except with much higher stakes.
1131
00:51:02,102 --> 00:51:03,930
Adapted
from the Japanese novel,
1132
00:51:04,017 --> 00:51:06,802
"All You Need is Kill",
Christopher McQuarrie
1133
00:51:06,889 --> 00:51:10,545
was once again drafted
into the script writing team.
1134
00:51:10,632 --> 00:51:13,896
And the film's narrative,
of a cowardly military officer
1135
00:51:13,983 --> 00:51:15,550
caught in a time loop
1136
00:51:15,637 --> 00:51:19,119
after dying on the battlefield
during an alien invasion,
1137
00:51:19,163 --> 00:51:23,341
allowed Cruise to probe
his own onscreen persona.
1138
00:51:23,428 --> 00:51:24,951
"Edge of Tomorrow"
in some ways, I think,
1139
00:51:25,038 --> 00:51:27,562
is sort of a culmination
of Cruise's career.
1140
00:51:27,606 --> 00:51:29,956
That movie is Tom Cruise,
I think, acknowledging
1141
00:51:30,043 --> 00:51:31,697
and even playing with
the audience's
1142
00:51:31,740 --> 00:51:33,177
love-hate relationship
with him.
1143
00:51:33,264 --> 00:51:35,048
At the beginning of the movie,
he's playing this kind of
1144
00:51:35,092 --> 00:51:37,442
slimy military big wig
1145
00:51:37,572 --> 00:51:39,922
who has been sort of
thoughtlessly propagandizing
1146
00:51:40,009 --> 00:51:42,186
for this war that's
causing the death of
1147
00:51:42,273 --> 00:51:43,622
thousands of people
every day,
1148
00:51:43,709 --> 00:51:48,496
and he is drafted into the war
and dies on the battlefield.
1149
00:51:48,583 --> 00:51:51,456
And I think those
early scenes very much play
1150
00:51:51,586 --> 00:51:53,719
with the idea
that there probably is a portion
1151
00:51:53,806 --> 00:51:55,547
of the audience
that doesn't like Cruise,
1152
00:51:55,634 --> 00:51:57,505
that would really
relate to being allowed
1153
00:51:57,549 --> 00:51:59,420
to dislike a Cruise character.
1154
00:51:59,507 --> 00:52:04,077
The film plays to
multiple aspects of his career
1155
00:52:04,164 --> 00:52:07,385
and elements of
his versatility as an actor.
1156
00:52:08,429 --> 00:52:11,084
Come on!
The ship is going to explode!
1157
00:52:12,303 --> 00:52:14,131
What are you doing?
1158
00:52:14,218 --> 00:52:15,958
Find me when you wake up.
1159
00:52:16,045 --> 00:52:17,743
What?
1160
00:52:17,786 --> 00:52:19,092
Come find me
when you wake up.
1161
00:52:22,182 --> 00:52:23,966
It is an interesting way
to do it,
1162
00:52:24,010 --> 00:52:25,403
because he's doing it
within the context
1163
00:52:25,446 --> 00:52:27,840
of this surreal,
fantastical situation,
1164
00:52:27,970 --> 00:52:29,842
where he's
just constantly dying
1165
00:52:29,885 --> 00:52:32,671
and having to repeat this day
over and over and over again.
1166
00:52:32,758 --> 00:52:37,023
And through that,
he builds up his expertise,
1167
00:52:37,110 --> 00:52:39,547
which is also such
a Tom Cruise thing to do.
1168
00:52:51,646 --> 00:52:55,215
It is totally like
the young cocky Tom Cruise,
1169
00:52:55,302 --> 00:52:59,001
him going from that to the sort
of man-of-action Tom Cruise.
1170
00:52:59,045 --> 00:53:00,873
It's all about him sort of
1171
00:53:01,003 --> 00:53:02,788
redeeming himself
in a way, that, I think,
1172
00:53:02,875 --> 00:53:05,573
as a movie star,
he kind of has over the years,
1173
00:53:05,660 --> 00:53:07,009
at least in some people's eyes.
1174
00:53:07,096 --> 00:53:09,403
But despite rave reviews
1175
00:53:09,490 --> 00:53:11,231
and positive word of mouth,
1176
00:53:11,318 --> 00:53:13,364
"Edge of Tomorrow"
was yet another disappointment
1177
00:53:13,407 --> 00:53:15,583
at the box office.
1178
00:53:15,670 --> 00:53:17,803
"Edge of Tomorrow"
continues to confound me,
1179
00:53:17,890 --> 00:53:20,588
in terms of why
it was not more successful.
1180
00:53:20,675 --> 00:53:22,373
It's one of his strongest films.
1181
00:53:22,460 --> 00:53:24,375
It's a great performance.
1182
00:53:24,462 --> 00:53:26,028
It's one of
his funniest performances.
1183
00:53:26,115 --> 00:53:27,639
The film's really smart.
1184
00:53:27,726 --> 00:53:30,468
It's a great sort of sci-fi
setup, alien invasion film.
1185
00:53:30,511 --> 00:53:32,948
And again, Christopher McQuarrie
was involved
1186
00:53:33,035 --> 00:53:34,863
in working on the script.
1187
00:53:34,950 --> 00:53:36,604
So they've taken it
and spun it and twisted it
1188
00:53:36,691 --> 00:53:39,346
and done everything interesting
they can do with it.
1189
00:53:39,477 --> 00:53:41,653
He had a great co-star
in Emily Blunt.
1190
00:53:41,740 --> 00:53:43,481
So there's all these things,
and yet,
1191
00:53:43,611 --> 00:53:46,701
for some reason,
it doesn't add up
1192
00:53:46,832 --> 00:53:49,051
to a box office success.
1193
00:53:49,138 --> 00:53:51,750
But obviously,
it's become, over time,
1194
00:53:51,837 --> 00:53:53,534
appreciated and recognized.
1195
00:53:53,621 --> 00:53:57,756
And I guess it's one
of those weird things.
1196
00:53:57,843 --> 00:54:00,062
It's a Tom Cruise cult hit.
1197
00:54:00,149 --> 00:54:03,109
And although
the film did gain in stature,
1198
00:54:03,196 --> 00:54:05,764
its initial struggle
to attract an audience
1199
00:54:05,851 --> 00:54:09,158
demonstrated how
the landscape was changing.
1200
00:54:09,289 --> 00:54:11,857
When Cruise's career was
revived by "Ghost Protocol",
1201
00:54:11,900 --> 00:54:13,554
back in 2011,
1202
00:54:13,641 --> 00:54:16,905
the Marvel Cinematic Universe
was only five films
1203
00:54:16,992 --> 00:54:20,300
into its unprecedented run
of releases.
1204
00:54:20,387 --> 00:54:23,999
By 2015, it was king
of the box office
1205
00:54:24,086 --> 00:54:27,829
and soon to be joined by
a raft of remakes, revivals,
1206
00:54:27,960 --> 00:54:32,660
rival superhero universes,
and the return of "Star Wars".
1207
00:54:32,704 --> 00:54:35,097
Refreshing original
star vehicles
1208
00:54:35,141 --> 00:54:36,534
like "Edge of Tomorrow"
1209
00:54:36,577 --> 00:54:38,492
stood little chance
of getting noticed
1210
00:54:38,579 --> 00:54:40,712
amidst the appeal
of the familiar.
1211
00:54:43,889 --> 00:54:45,325
The studios are
trying to find things
1212
00:54:45,412 --> 00:54:47,022
that people are
familiar with and then,
1213
00:54:47,109 --> 00:54:49,329
just making more and
more and more of them.
1214
00:54:49,373 --> 00:54:52,550
This does also
change the star system.
1215
00:54:52,680 --> 00:54:55,727
Stardom is defined not
so much as
1216
00:54:55,814 --> 00:55:00,471
this actor making
whatever they want,
1217
00:55:00,558 --> 00:55:03,256
but it becomes this actor
playing this character.
1218
00:55:03,343 --> 00:55:06,694
Mr. Robert Downey Jr.!
1219
00:55:08,827 --> 00:55:11,873
The paradigm has shifted
in a really big way,
1220
00:55:12,004 --> 00:55:14,659
in terms of Hollywood's
relationship to movie stars.
1221
00:55:14,789 --> 00:55:17,575
I do think that audiences
don't necessarily require it
1222
00:55:17,705 --> 00:55:18,924
in the same way
they used to,
1223
00:55:19,011 --> 00:55:20,708
and it is about
the intellectual property,
1224
00:55:20,752 --> 00:55:23,145
it's about the characters.
1225
00:55:23,232 --> 00:55:24,408
Now, some of the films
are good,
1226
00:55:24,495 --> 00:55:25,278
some of the films are bad,
1227
00:55:25,365 --> 00:55:26,801
some of the films
are middling,
1228
00:55:26,932 --> 00:55:28,586
but it's almost like
it doesn't matter.
1229
00:55:28,629 --> 00:55:31,197
The best Avengers movie
and the worst Avengers movie
1230
00:55:31,284 --> 00:55:33,939
both make a ton of money,
1231
00:55:34,026 --> 00:55:36,594
and it doesn't seem to matter
if one is better than the other.
1232
00:55:36,637 --> 00:55:39,771
Marvel's success
also happened to coincide
1233
00:55:39,858 --> 00:55:41,294
with people no
longer going to the movies
1234
00:55:41,381 --> 00:55:42,556
to see regular movies.
1235
00:55:42,643 --> 00:55:45,167
So it wasn't just that Marvel
was taking over
1236
00:55:45,254 --> 00:55:48,736
the blockbuster ecosystem,
which fine, whatever,
1237
00:55:48,823 --> 00:55:50,825
but they were basically
taking over cinema in general,
1238
00:55:50,912 --> 00:55:53,741
because the people that
would've seen everything else
1239
00:55:53,828 --> 00:55:55,395
stopped going
to the movies.
1240
00:55:56,396 --> 00:56:00,269
Now, within this world,
Tom Cruise, I think,
1241
00:56:00,400 --> 00:56:04,622
understands that people like
to see him playing Ethan Hunt.
1242
00:56:04,752 --> 00:56:06,841
And Cruise returned
1243
00:56:06,885 --> 00:56:09,191
in the "Mission: Impossible"
franchise once again,
1244
00:56:09,278 --> 00:56:12,369
in the summer of 2015,
with "Rogue Nation".
1245
00:56:13,631 --> 00:56:15,241
Upon its release,
it was surrounded
1246
00:56:15,328 --> 00:56:18,113
by high-profile
comic book blockbusters.
1247
00:56:18,200 --> 00:56:20,028
But unlike
"Edge of Tomorrow",
1248
00:56:20,115 --> 00:56:22,857
it didn't struggle
to find an audience.
1249
00:56:22,944 --> 00:56:25,904
"Mission: Impossible" had
become one of the most popular
1250
00:56:25,991 --> 00:56:28,559
and lucrative franchises
in the entire film industry.
1251
00:56:28,646 --> 00:56:31,779
And Cruise's nearly
20-year tenure as Ethan Hunt
1252
00:56:31,823 --> 00:56:34,434
was unprecedented.
1253
00:56:34,478 --> 00:56:36,349
It took some amount
of foresight
1254
00:56:36,436 --> 00:56:37,872
to put himself
in this position,
1255
00:56:37,916 --> 00:56:40,571
because he made his first
"Mission: Impossible" movie
1256
00:56:40,614 --> 00:56:43,008
in 1996,
and he sticks to it.
1257
00:56:43,051 --> 00:56:45,793
Through thick and thin,
he sticks to it, and now,
1258
00:56:45,880 --> 00:56:50,798
suddenly, he is essentially
kind of a superhero.
1259
00:56:50,885 --> 00:56:53,497
With Christopher
McQuarrie not only scripting,
1260
00:56:53,584 --> 00:56:56,804
but also taking the reins
as the film's director,
1261
00:56:56,891 --> 00:57:00,155
it proved another critical
and commercial smash hit.
1262
00:57:00,242 --> 00:57:02,941
And "Mission: Impossible"
was now more popular
1263
00:57:03,028 --> 00:57:05,291
than it had ever been before.
1264
00:57:05,378 --> 00:57:09,600
"Rogue Nation" absolutely
built on "Ghost Protocol", 100%.
1265
00:57:09,687 --> 00:57:11,384
To be honest,
it's been escalation ever since
1266
00:57:11,471 --> 00:57:12,907
with those films.
1267
00:57:13,038 --> 00:57:16,084
"Ghost Protocol" was the best
"Mission: Impossible" movie
1268
00:57:16,171 --> 00:57:17,912
up to that point, then
"Rogue Nation" comes along,
1269
00:57:17,999 --> 00:57:19,610
and it's the best
"Mission: Impossible" movie
1270
00:57:19,653 --> 00:57:20,959
up to that point.
1271
00:57:21,046 --> 00:57:23,265
That is the film
when you realize that
1272
00:57:23,352 --> 00:57:26,573
this franchise has
become an ensemble franchise.
1273
00:57:26,704 --> 00:57:29,184
They take this ensemble cast
and turn them
1274
00:57:29,271 --> 00:57:31,491
into a surrogate family,
and you want to spend time
1275
00:57:31,622 --> 00:57:32,666
with all of them.
1276
00:57:32,753 --> 00:57:34,146
It's interesting,
because the first film
1277
00:57:34,276 --> 00:57:35,626
is about sort of
killing off the idea
1278
00:57:35,713 --> 00:57:38,716
of "Mission: Impossible"
as a group franchise.
1279
00:57:38,846 --> 00:57:40,152
It's all about Tom Cruise.
1280
00:57:40,282 --> 00:57:42,981
It felt to me like
a process of figuring out
1281
00:57:43,068 --> 00:57:45,200
which characters people liked
1282
00:57:45,287 --> 00:57:48,116
and kind of getting that perfect
configuration over the years.
1283
00:57:48,203 --> 00:57:49,640
And then, at a certain point,
you get a core team
1284
00:57:49,683 --> 00:57:51,642
that people really like.
1285
00:57:51,729 --> 00:57:53,861
And "Rogue Nation"
wasted no time
1286
00:57:53,905 --> 00:57:56,864
in introducing this core team.
1287
00:57:56,951 --> 00:57:58,866
The opening scene,
when they're
1288
00:57:58,953 --> 00:58:00,651
waiting for the big plane
to take off,
1289
00:58:00,738 --> 00:58:02,783
first, you see Simon Pegg.
1290
00:58:02,870 --> 00:58:04,219
You're like, "Ah,
I remember that character.
1291
00:58:04,306 --> 00:58:05,351
I like him."
1292
00:58:05,438 --> 00:58:06,657
Then you see Jeremy Renner,
1293
00:58:06,744 --> 00:58:08,441
"Ah, I liked him
in 'Ghost Protocol'.
1294
00:58:08,528 --> 00:58:10,661
I'm glad he's back."
1295
00:58:10,748 --> 00:58:12,750
And then you see Ving Rhames.
1296
00:58:12,837 --> 00:58:14,882
"Ah, Ving,
always happy to see you."
1297
00:58:14,926 --> 00:58:16,710
And then, you see Ethan Hunt.
1298
00:58:19,583 --> 00:58:21,759
Can you open the door?
1299
00:58:21,802 --> 00:58:24,196
- Ethan, where are you?
- I'm by the plane.
1300
00:58:24,326 --> 00:58:25,719
Benji, can you open the door?"
1301
00:58:25,806 --> 00:58:28,679
And it's a perfect
introduction to the movie.
1302
00:58:28,766 --> 00:58:30,768
And then, you have
this crazy ass stunt.
1303
00:58:30,855 --> 00:58:31,986
Benji, you open
that door right now!
1304
00:58:32,117 --> 00:58:33,292
Yeah, I'm trying.
1305
00:58:41,256 --> 00:58:43,911
There's a collaborative
quality to these films,
1306
00:58:43,955 --> 00:58:46,479
and really, Tom Cruise is there
1307
00:58:46,566 --> 00:58:49,351
to provide some emotional throughline
1308
00:58:49,395 --> 00:58:53,007
and also to do like two
or three big stunts.
1309
00:58:53,138 --> 00:58:55,619
And
into this ensemble,
1310
00:58:55,706 --> 00:58:59,492
"Rogue Nation" added both
charismatic veteran Alec Baldwin
1311
00:58:59,579 --> 00:59:02,756
and an electrifying newcomer,
Rebecca Ferguson,
1312
00:59:02,843 --> 00:59:06,020
as British agent Ilsa Faust.
1313
00:59:06,064 --> 00:59:08,806
That's probably the first
"Mission: Impossible" movie
1314
00:59:08,849 --> 00:59:11,591
where the most interesting
character isn't Ethan Hunt.
1315
00:59:11,678 --> 00:59:13,158
Pretty much everybody's
favorite character
1316
00:59:13,245 --> 00:59:14,768
in that film
was Rebecca Ferguson.
1317
00:59:16,814 --> 00:59:19,207
She's a brilliant character.
1318
00:59:19,294 --> 00:59:21,862
She leapt off the screen,
she looked great,
1319
00:59:21,949 --> 00:59:24,604
and she was very sexy, but she
wasn't there as a sex object.
1320
00:59:24,691 --> 00:59:28,042
She was there because
she was a really capable agent,
1321
00:59:28,173 --> 00:59:30,958
almost as impressive as Ethan
Hunt himself, one might say.
1322
00:59:34,396 --> 00:59:35,833
Cruise is
smart enough to know,
1323
00:59:35,876 --> 00:59:37,661
he's always been
smart enough to know,
1324
00:59:37,748 --> 00:59:42,187
if the whole movie is good,
if everyone else in it is good,
1325
00:59:42,274 --> 00:59:45,973
it will raise your profile,
it will raise your ship as well.
1326
00:59:46,060 --> 00:59:49,673
These films have
helped regain some of his mojo,
1327
00:59:49,760 --> 00:59:52,066
by being, again,
willing to step back
1328
00:59:52,110 --> 00:59:54,286
and let somebody else
be your favorite character.
1329
00:59:54,416 --> 00:59:56,854
But although
"Mission: Impossible"
1330
00:59:56,897 --> 01:00:00,553
had now firmly reestablished
its blockbuster credentials,
1331
01:00:00,640 --> 01:00:03,643
Cruise's appeal away from the
franchise still looked shaky.
1332
01:00:04,905 --> 01:00:07,125
A 2016 sequel to "Jack Reacher"
1333
01:00:07,212 --> 01:00:09,431
performed even more poorly
at the box office
1334
01:00:09,562 --> 01:00:11,869
and killed off
the franchise,
1335
01:00:11,912 --> 01:00:14,349
while the following year's
"The Mummy" opened
1336
01:00:14,436 --> 01:00:17,222
to the worst reviews of
the actor's entire career.
1337
01:00:18,353 --> 01:00:21,792
So, following a well-received
starring role in the smaller,
1338
01:00:21,879 --> 01:00:24,795
more mature feature,
"American Made",
1339
01:00:24,882 --> 01:00:27,580
in 2018, it was announced
that Cruise was
1340
01:00:27,667 --> 01:00:31,105
due back at movie theaters
once again
1341
01:00:31,192 --> 01:00:33,717
as Ethan Hunt in
"Mission: Impossible: Fallout".
1342
01:00:33,804 --> 01:00:37,764
And this time, during
the film's promotional campaign,
1343
01:00:37,895 --> 01:00:40,462
an injury he sustained
during the production
1344
01:00:40,506 --> 01:00:42,682
became a key selling point,
1345
01:00:42,769 --> 01:00:45,816
highlighting more than ever
his unique daredevil appeal.
1346
01:00:47,121 --> 01:00:48,514
The world we live in now,
I think,
1347
01:00:48,601 --> 01:00:51,125
where all of this pre-release
information is out there,
1348
01:00:51,169 --> 01:00:53,127
it doesn't surprise me
that they would weaponize
1349
01:00:53,258 --> 01:00:54,694
the fact that he hurt himself.
1350
01:00:54,738 --> 01:00:56,478
There's a certain morbid
fascination with the fact
1351
01:00:56,565 --> 01:00:57,654
that he keeps doing this,
1352
01:00:57,741 --> 01:00:59,699
and how far is he going
to take it?
1353
01:00:59,786 --> 01:01:03,268
The stunt itself
wasn't that remarkable, really.
1354
01:01:03,355 --> 01:01:07,707
It was Cruise jumping from
one rooftop to another rooftop,
1355
01:01:07,751 --> 01:01:09,622
but compared with
hanging off the Burj Khalifa
1356
01:01:09,709 --> 01:01:12,146
or clinging to
the side of a plane,
1357
01:01:12,233 --> 01:01:15,759
it seemed pretty mundane,
relatively speaking.
1358
01:01:15,846 --> 01:01:18,196
He did the jump,
1359
01:01:18,283 --> 01:01:20,154
and it went a little bit wrong.
1360
01:01:20,285 --> 01:01:21,982
He broke his ankle,
1361
01:01:22,069 --> 01:01:25,290
and then,
and this is the amazing thing,
1362
01:01:25,333 --> 01:01:28,380
pulls himself up,
and ever the pro, he doesn't go,
1363
01:01:28,510 --> 01:01:30,425
"Oh, God, I've broken
my ankle, guys. Stop rolling."
1364
01:01:30,512 --> 01:01:32,645
He carries on.
He gets up and runs,
1365
01:01:32,732 --> 01:01:35,604
so that
they can complete the shot.
1366
01:01:35,735 --> 01:01:37,824
And that to me is sort of
the defining attribute
1367
01:01:37,955 --> 01:01:39,870
of Tom Cruise's
career in a nutshell,
1368
01:01:39,957 --> 01:01:42,220
is that he will break
his leg to entertain you.
1369
01:01:42,307 --> 01:01:45,571
Cruise was willing
to go further than that.
1370
01:01:45,658 --> 01:01:47,529
With the key ensemble returning
1371
01:01:47,616 --> 01:01:50,358
and Christopher McQuarrie
at the helm once again,
1372
01:01:50,445 --> 01:01:53,231
"Fallout" featured
a blistering array of stunts
1373
01:01:53,318 --> 01:01:56,408
and set pieces, including
a high speed motorbike chase,
1374
01:01:56,538 --> 01:01:58,540
a helicopter battle,
1375
01:01:58,584 --> 01:02:00,673
and a dangerous
halo parachute jump,
1376
01:02:00,760 --> 01:02:03,545
all performed
by Cruise himself.
1377
01:02:03,632 --> 01:02:06,331
"Fallout",
just for the record, I think,
1378
01:02:06,374 --> 01:02:08,202
is an absolutely
astonishing film.
1379
01:02:08,246 --> 01:02:10,552
It's almost up there with
"Mad Max: Fury Road" in my mind
1380
01:02:10,639 --> 01:02:12,990
as just being
a masterpiece of action cinema.
1381
01:02:27,569 --> 01:02:28,919
The film is terrific.
1382
01:02:29,006 --> 01:02:31,878
The action sequences
are incredibly creative,
1383
01:02:32,009 --> 01:02:35,969
and because they're doing
a lot of this stuff for real,
1384
01:02:36,056 --> 01:02:38,145
it has a kind of immediacy
1385
01:02:38,189 --> 01:02:40,800
that really translates
to the audience.
1386
01:02:40,887 --> 01:02:44,717
When you're watching the film,
you feel the danger.
1387
01:02:44,804 --> 01:02:47,459
You feel the danger
for these characters.
1388
01:02:47,502 --> 01:02:51,506
I watched "Fallout" convinced
Tom Cruise was going to die.
1389
01:02:51,593 --> 01:02:54,509
The idea that he's
this kamikaze daredevil
1390
01:02:54,596 --> 01:02:56,860
who's just like you,
but he's willing to do
1391
01:02:56,947 --> 01:02:59,166
these crazy things
that you won't do
1392
01:02:59,210 --> 01:03:01,386
to make the best movie possible,
1393
01:03:01,473 --> 01:03:03,388
that plays very well.
1394
01:03:03,431 --> 01:03:05,607
And "Fallout"
did play very well,
1395
01:03:05,651 --> 01:03:07,958
both the highest-grossing film
in the franchise,
1396
01:03:08,045 --> 01:03:10,699
and in 2018,
the highest-grossing film
1397
01:03:10,830 --> 01:03:12,527
of Cruise's entire career.
1398
01:03:13,485 --> 01:03:15,052
And when he hit the publicity circuit
1399
01:03:15,182 --> 01:03:16,967
with his co-stars
to promote it,
1400
01:03:17,054 --> 01:03:20,274
he was already in production
on another blockbuster,
1401
01:03:20,405 --> 01:03:23,190
the long awaited sequel
to "Top Gun".
1402
01:03:23,234 --> 01:03:25,192
Having resisted a follow up
1403
01:03:25,236 --> 01:03:27,978
to the iconic '80s hit
for 30 years,
1404
01:03:28,065 --> 01:03:30,502
Cruise had finally signed on
to return
1405
01:03:30,632 --> 01:03:32,330
as Pete "Maverick" Mitchell.
1406
01:03:35,768 --> 01:03:38,118
But in February, 2020,
1407
01:03:38,205 --> 01:03:40,207
the COVID pandemic hit
1408
01:03:40,294 --> 01:03:42,644
and everything
ground to a halt.
1409
01:03:44,342 --> 01:03:46,779
There are much
huger problems with COVID,
1410
01:03:46,866 --> 01:03:49,434
real-life tragedies,
but for the industry,
1411
01:03:49,521 --> 01:03:51,697
it was a crisis
that the movie industry
1412
01:03:51,784 --> 01:03:54,569
had probably never seen ever.
1413
01:03:54,656 --> 01:03:57,442
Productions
were paused and theaters closed,
1414
01:03:57,485 --> 01:04:01,228
leaving a huge backlog
of unreleased films.
1415
01:04:01,315 --> 01:04:03,883
A lot of major studios
and a lot of big films,
1416
01:04:03,927 --> 01:04:05,711
they were saying, "Well,
it's better to get it out.
1417
01:04:05,798 --> 01:04:07,365
Let's put it on Disney Plus.
1418
01:04:07,452 --> 01:04:08,845
Let's put it on Hulu.
1419
01:04:08,932 --> 01:04:11,456
Yeah, it was shot
for the big screen,
1420
01:04:11,543 --> 01:04:13,980
but we can't just sit
on these movies."
1421
01:04:14,111 --> 01:04:16,026
With streaming
services thriving
1422
01:04:16,113 --> 01:04:18,332
due to a captive audience,
1423
01:04:18,376 --> 01:04:21,335
the fate of the cinema industry
hung in the balance.
1424
01:04:21,466 --> 01:04:23,685
In the summer of 2020,
1425
01:04:23,772 --> 01:04:26,340
when restrictions were being
tentatively lifted,
1426
01:04:26,471 --> 01:04:28,255
the release
of Christopher Nolan's "Tenet"
1427
01:04:28,299 --> 01:04:30,344
was the first real test
1428
01:04:30,475 --> 01:04:33,695
of whether audiences
would return to theaters.
1429
01:04:33,782 --> 01:04:36,307
And Cruise,
keen to show his support
1430
01:04:36,394 --> 01:04:38,613
for the big screen experience,
1431
01:04:38,700 --> 01:04:40,964
issued a video
on his social media.
1432
01:04:47,971 --> 01:04:51,104
It's hugely heartening
to have seen Cruise
1433
01:04:51,191 --> 01:04:53,498
go out there
and bang the drum.
1434
01:04:58,155 --> 01:05:00,287
There was an element
of that kind of caution,
1435
01:05:00,374 --> 01:05:01,549
but at the same time,
it's like,
1436
01:05:01,636 --> 01:05:05,162
"Well, we can't let
this entertainment form,
1437
01:05:05,292 --> 01:05:07,425
this art form, die, can we?"
1438
01:05:07,512 --> 01:05:11,168
He's a champion of cinema,
of movie making,
1439
01:05:11,255 --> 01:05:13,953
and of the thousands of jobs
behind the scenes
1440
01:05:14,084 --> 01:05:16,390
that go with making movies.
1441
01:05:16,434 --> 01:05:19,263
And as a producer,
Cruise was acutely aware
1442
01:05:19,393 --> 01:05:22,396
of his responsibility to
those working on his films.
1443
01:05:22,527 --> 01:05:24,877
He had been keen
to restart shooting
1444
01:05:24,964 --> 01:05:26,618
on the next
"Mission: Impossible" film,
1445
01:05:26,748 --> 01:05:29,012
in an effort
to keep the industry going,
1446
01:05:29,099 --> 01:05:30,187
with the production governed
1447
01:05:30,317 --> 01:05:31,797
by strict health guidelines.
1448
01:05:32,667 --> 01:05:34,582
But in December that year,
1449
01:05:34,669 --> 01:05:36,410
audio was leaked from the set
1450
01:05:36,541 --> 01:05:38,369
of Cruise berating crew members
1451
01:05:38,456 --> 01:05:41,459
for not
following COVID protocols.
1452
01:05:41,546 --> 01:05:43,461
The clip quickly went viral.
1453
01:05:57,823 --> 01:06:00,652
You would've
thought, certainly, whatever,
1454
01:06:00,782 --> 01:06:04,786
looking back on what
happened in 2005
1455
01:06:04,830 --> 01:06:06,353
or looking back
on other incidents, like,
1456
01:06:06,397 --> 01:06:07,789
for example, Christian Bale.
1457
01:06:07,876 --> 01:06:10,270
Again, he was someone
that got caught ranting
1458
01:06:10,357 --> 01:06:11,619
at a crew member.
1459
01:06:11,706 --> 01:06:14,057
Those things,
they don't really come out well.
1460
01:06:14,144 --> 01:06:16,407
People quite rightly say
"You shouldn't be like that.",
1461
01:06:16,494 --> 01:06:17,756
But what's really
interesting with Cruise
1462
01:06:17,843 --> 01:06:20,019
in this instance,
1463
01:06:20,106 --> 01:06:22,195
he came out of it pretty well.
1464
01:06:26,460 --> 01:06:29,115
I think the vast majority
of people out there were like,
1465
01:06:29,246 --> 01:06:31,117
"He's looking out
for the safety of people.
1466
01:06:31,248 --> 01:06:32,466
He's trying to keep this production
1467
01:06:32,597 --> 01:06:33,815
from being shut down,"
1468
01:06:33,902 --> 01:06:35,948
which happened with
a lot of major movies.
1469
01:06:36,035 --> 01:06:37,471
He's saying what other people
probably wanted to say
1470
01:06:37,602 --> 01:06:38,995
on that set and couldn't say,
1471
01:06:39,082 --> 01:06:41,171
because
he could get away with it.
1472
01:06:41,258 --> 01:06:43,347
So I think it actually
worked in his favor.
1473
01:06:43,477 --> 01:06:46,002
After his
reputation had been so damaged
1474
01:06:46,089 --> 01:06:47,090
in the early 2000s,
1475
01:06:47,177 --> 01:06:50,180
this response was evidence
that Cruise
1476
01:06:50,223 --> 01:06:52,660
had turned a corner and
that public opinion
1477
01:06:52,747 --> 01:06:54,749
was back on his side.
1478
01:06:54,836 --> 01:06:57,622
And his standing
was further enhanced
1479
01:06:57,709 --> 01:06:59,189
when he continued to
resist the opportunity
1480
01:06:59,232 --> 01:07:02,148
to sell "Top Gun: Maverick"
to streaming,
1481
01:07:02,279 --> 01:07:04,846
holding out for
a theatrical release.
1482
01:07:04,933 --> 01:07:07,501
As the producer
and the star that he is,
1483
01:07:07,632 --> 01:07:08,981
he had the heft
1484
01:07:09,068 --> 01:07:11,679
to prevent
that from coming out
1485
01:07:11,766 --> 01:07:13,725
and just going straight
to streaming.
1486
01:07:13,855 --> 01:07:16,075
Cruise knows that his
particular kind of entertainment
1487
01:07:16,119 --> 01:07:18,556
that he offers plays better
on the big screen.
1488
01:07:18,643 --> 01:07:21,298
The Burj Khalifa scene
in "Ghost Protocol",
1489
01:07:21,428 --> 01:07:24,692
that's not going to play
the same on your TV at home.
1490
01:07:24,779 --> 01:07:27,434
At a time that cinema
is endangered,
1491
01:07:27,478 --> 01:07:30,481
when the streamers have
1492
01:07:30,568 --> 01:07:32,657
eaten away so significantly
1493
01:07:32,700 --> 01:07:35,094
into global cinema box office,
1494
01:07:35,181 --> 01:07:39,185
Cruise's insistence
on keeping "Top Gun"
1495
01:07:39,316 --> 01:07:42,319
and not releasing it
until there was
1496
01:07:42,406 --> 01:07:44,582
an opportune moment,
it was sort of a case
1497
01:07:44,669 --> 01:07:46,584
of Cruise to the rescue.
1498
01:07:50,631 --> 01:07:53,808
And Cruise's
instincts were right.
1499
01:07:53,895 --> 01:07:56,246
Having held back for two years,
1500
01:07:56,333 --> 01:07:58,117
when "Top Gun: Maverick"
was released
1501
01:07:58,161 --> 01:08:01,294
exclusively to cinemas
in May, 2022,
1502
01:08:01,381 --> 01:08:03,253
it went ballistic.
1503
01:08:03,340 --> 01:08:06,038
I was absolutely
blown away by it
1504
01:08:06,125 --> 01:08:08,040
as a theatrical experience.
1505
01:08:08,127 --> 01:08:09,607
It's spectacular.
1506
01:08:09,694 --> 01:08:11,087
Visually, it's spectacular.
1507
01:08:11,174 --> 01:08:13,176
It's also a very good movie.
1508
01:08:13,263 --> 01:08:14,568
It made perfect financial sense.
1509
01:08:14,699 --> 01:08:16,483
It made perfect artistic sense.
1510
01:08:16,570 --> 01:08:18,529
It made perfect
showmanship sense
1511
01:08:18,616 --> 01:08:21,923
to hold off on the release
of that film
1512
01:08:22,010 --> 01:08:25,492
until you knew people
could go into theaters safely.
1513
01:08:26,580 --> 01:08:28,843
"Maverick" is a really slick
legacy sequel
1514
01:08:28,930 --> 01:08:31,933
that's trading on people's
affection for an old movie,
1515
01:08:32,020 --> 01:08:34,806
but it's doing it with
this kind of romantic sincerity
1516
01:08:34,936 --> 01:08:36,155
that a lot of them don't have.
1517
01:08:36,242 --> 01:08:38,114
It's a very canny
piece of nostalgia.
1518
01:08:41,595 --> 01:08:43,510
When you see him first
in the beginning of the movie,
1519
01:08:43,597 --> 01:08:45,947
this really rousing
main theme that comes up
1520
01:08:45,991 --> 01:08:49,777
and whips off that tarp
and the old motorcycle is there
1521
01:08:49,864 --> 01:08:52,040
and he's zipping around,
and it got to me.
1522
01:09:01,224 --> 01:09:05,967
He took the IP and
the nostalgia as a challenge
1523
01:09:06,011 --> 01:09:08,883
to say, "Okay,
we already have this.
1524
01:09:08,970 --> 01:09:10,972
Can we still
make a good movie?"
1525
01:09:11,059 --> 01:09:13,584
And for
the first time in his career,
1526
01:09:13,671 --> 01:09:15,673
Cruise's return to
the role of Maverick
1527
01:09:15,760 --> 01:09:19,807
in his late 50s would
specifically focus on his age.
1528
01:09:19,894 --> 01:09:22,984
We're definitely
getting a more mature Cruise.
1529
01:09:23,115 --> 01:09:25,204
In "Maverick", he's gone
1530
01:09:25,291 --> 01:09:30,557
from being the cocky upstart
character to being the mentor.
1531
01:09:30,644 --> 01:09:32,342
What the enemy
doesn't know
1532
01:09:32,429 --> 01:09:34,648
is your limits.
1533
01:09:34,779 --> 01:09:36,563
I intend to find them,
1534
01:09:36,607 --> 01:09:39,740
test them, push beyond.
1535
01:09:41,481 --> 01:09:43,440
Today, we'll start
1536
01:09:43,570 --> 01:09:45,311
with what
you only think you know.
1537
01:09:47,357 --> 01:09:49,010
Show me what you're made of.
1538
01:09:49,097 --> 01:09:51,274
One of the things
that it does with Tom Cruise,
1539
01:09:51,361 --> 01:09:52,927
it acknowledges that he's
an older man
1540
01:09:53,014 --> 01:09:54,146
than he was in the '80s,
1541
01:09:54,233 --> 01:09:56,148
while at the same time
defying that.
1542
01:09:58,063 --> 01:09:59,847
- Break right!
- Breaking right!
1543
01:10:01,675 --> 01:10:03,590
Rooster
just saved your life, fellas,
1544
01:10:03,677 --> 01:10:05,157
but it's going to cost him.
1545
01:10:05,244 --> 01:10:07,812
Not this time, old man.
1546
01:10:07,899 --> 01:10:10,249
"Top Gun: Maverick", everybody
knew was going to do well.
1547
01:10:10,336 --> 01:10:12,338
Everybody figured would probably
get fairly good reviews,
1548
01:10:12,469 --> 01:10:14,514
but it exceeded
all expectations.
1549
01:10:14,601 --> 01:10:15,820
Now, here's this guy.
First of all, he looks--
1550
01:10:15,907 --> 01:10:17,648
people see him and go,
"Jesus Christ.
1551
01:10:17,735 --> 01:10:19,302
How does he look like that?"
1552
01:10:19,389 --> 01:10:21,391
We believe him
on the motorcycle.
1553
01:10:21,478 --> 01:10:23,393
We believe him in the cockpit.
1554
01:10:28,876 --> 01:10:30,269
Even though we had
already known
1555
01:10:30,313 --> 01:10:32,140
that this guy
is a huge movie star,
1556
01:10:32,271 --> 01:10:34,099
it's like, "Wait a minute,
he's not just a big star still.
1557
01:10:34,186 --> 01:10:35,970
He's the biggest star."
1558
01:10:36,928 --> 01:10:38,059
And that was confirmed
1559
01:10:38,146 --> 01:10:39,191
when "Maverick" pulled in
1560
01:10:39,278 --> 01:10:43,108
a staggering $1.5 billion worldwide,
1561
01:10:43,195 --> 01:10:47,243
becoming one of the highest
grossing films of all time.
1562
01:10:47,330 --> 01:10:49,549
At 59 years old,
1563
01:10:49,636 --> 01:10:52,378
Cruise had achieved
his biggest hit to date,
1564
01:10:52,509 --> 01:10:54,946
but the shockwaves
of the film's success
1565
01:10:55,076 --> 01:10:58,210
sent ripples across
the entire industry itself.
1566
01:11:00,430 --> 01:11:02,214
The figure who had stood
through COVID
1567
01:11:02,301 --> 01:11:05,086
as an ambassador
for the cinematic experience
1568
01:11:05,173 --> 01:11:08,742
now stood at the forefront
of its revival.
1569
01:11:08,786 --> 01:11:12,311
While other franchises
appeared to be running on empty,
1570
01:11:12,398 --> 01:11:15,967
Cruise's relentless work
ethic was the driving force
1571
01:11:16,097 --> 01:11:19,449
behind his film's
remarkable popularity.
1572
01:11:19,536 --> 01:11:21,320
One of the reasons
I think the Marvel movies have,
1573
01:11:21,407 --> 01:11:23,366
the more recent ones, have been
a little bit less successful
1574
01:11:23,453 --> 01:11:25,455
is that they've
operated under the assumption
1575
01:11:25,542 --> 01:11:26,804
that they don't
need to be as good,
1576
01:11:26,891 --> 01:11:29,372
that people will show up
no matter what they are,
1577
01:11:29,459 --> 01:11:32,157
and that's kind of
the anti-Tom Cruise perspective.
1578
01:11:32,244 --> 01:11:33,941
Cruise is,
whatever you think of him,
1579
01:11:34,028 --> 01:11:36,117
Cruise is very much like
1580
01:11:36,161 --> 01:11:38,381
"We have to give
110% to everything."
1581
01:11:38,468 --> 01:11:40,121
The whole, "I have to
be up there in the jet,"
1582
01:11:40,208 --> 01:11:42,210
I think, is
an extension of that idea,
1583
01:11:42,341 --> 01:11:44,212
is that truly entertaining
people is about
1584
01:11:44,343 --> 01:11:46,780
giving all that you have
to give to them.
1585
01:11:47,781 --> 01:11:50,001
And as
the industry tried to process
1586
01:11:50,044 --> 01:11:53,265
just how "Maverick" had managed
to become such a phenomenon,
1587
01:11:53,352 --> 01:11:56,268
Cruise himself was reevaluated.
1588
01:11:57,443 --> 01:12:00,968
Having been written off by
many only a decade beforehand,
1589
01:12:01,055 --> 01:12:04,972
he had won back his audience
and risen to new heights.
1590
01:12:05,059 --> 01:12:07,366
Headlines and
articles were emphatic,
1591
01:12:07,410 --> 01:12:10,587
declaring that not only
had Tom Cruise saved cinema,
1592
01:12:10,630 --> 01:12:14,286
but that he was
also the last movie star.
1593
01:12:14,373 --> 01:12:16,201
And as he embarked
on completing
1594
01:12:16,288 --> 01:12:18,595
the next two
"Mission: Impossible" films,
1595
01:12:18,638 --> 01:12:20,510
it was announced that, afterwards,
1596
01:12:20,597 --> 01:12:23,077
he would be retiring
from the role of Ethan Hunt.
1597
01:12:24,340 --> 01:12:26,342
It'll bring his historic involvement
1598
01:12:26,429 --> 01:12:28,213
in the franchise to a close,
1599
01:12:28,300 --> 01:12:30,389
the longest consecutive run
1600
01:12:30,433 --> 01:12:33,610
that any actor has played
a single character on screen,
1601
01:12:33,740 --> 01:12:37,527
and complete another stage
of his remarkable career.
1602
01:12:37,614 --> 01:12:41,052
And whatever Cruise does next,
despite his age,
1603
01:12:41,182 --> 01:12:44,011
he is certain to bring
the same dedication and daring
1604
01:12:44,098 --> 01:12:46,536
that has made him
the most distinctive movie star
1605
01:12:46,579 --> 01:12:48,712
in the world.
1606
01:12:48,842 --> 01:12:50,540
Part of me thinks
that Cruise won't stop.
1607
01:12:50,627 --> 01:12:52,193
He does not seem like
a person who is capable
1608
01:12:52,324 --> 01:12:53,891
of turning this off.
1609
01:12:53,978 --> 01:12:57,677
A part of his appeal as
a star is a mania about him.
1610
01:12:57,764 --> 01:12:59,200
It's why I've always said
that the Tom Cruise
1611
01:12:59,287 --> 01:13:00,854
jumping on the couch,
1612
01:13:00,985 --> 01:13:02,378
that Tom Cruise
is not that different
1613
01:13:02,465 --> 01:13:03,640
than the Tom Cruise we see
1614
01:13:03,770 --> 01:13:04,989
in the "Mission:
Impossible" films.
1615
01:13:05,032 --> 01:13:07,818
That level of enthusiasm
and that mania
1616
01:13:07,905 --> 01:13:10,298
exists
in his performances too.
1617
01:13:10,429 --> 01:13:12,213
He's been going for five decades,
1618
01:13:12,300 --> 01:13:16,479
but what's remarkable
is the level of success
1619
01:13:16,566 --> 01:13:18,655
that he's had during that time.
1620
01:13:18,785 --> 01:13:20,831
There's been a lot
of talk through the years,
1621
01:13:20,918 --> 01:13:23,442
like,
who's the last movie star?
1622
01:13:23,529 --> 01:13:27,098
I think, with Tom Cruise,
it's a much more apt label,
1623
01:13:27,228 --> 01:13:30,449
because of the way
the business has changed.
1624
01:13:30,536 --> 01:13:34,235
Even though there are tons
of great young actors
1625
01:13:34,279 --> 01:13:35,933
and actresses in
their 20s and 30s,
1626
01:13:36,020 --> 01:13:38,239
there's almost no way
they're going to have the career
1627
01:13:38,326 --> 01:13:39,937
Tom Cruise has had.
1628
01:13:41,155 --> 01:13:43,810
There's so much emphasis
on these huge franchise movies
1629
01:13:43,897 --> 01:13:45,899
that there's not that much
room for the star system.
1630
01:13:46,030 --> 01:13:48,249
So in a lot of ways,
Tom Cruise probably
1631
01:13:48,293 --> 01:13:50,077
is the last movie star.
1632
01:13:51,949 --> 01:13:54,778
I don't think Tom Cruise
is the last movie star,
1633
01:13:54,908 --> 01:13:59,347
but I do think that Tom Cruise
is the last of his kind.
1634
01:13:59,478 --> 01:14:02,133
And I think a lot of the big
stars that came in his wake,
1635
01:14:02,263 --> 01:14:04,265
like Matt Damon and DiCaprio,
1636
01:14:04,352 --> 01:14:06,529
followed the Tom Cruise playbook
1637
01:14:06,616 --> 01:14:09,314
of being an actor first
and a movie star second.
1638
01:14:09,401 --> 01:14:12,099
And I think, once he retires,
1639
01:14:12,186 --> 01:14:14,841
I don't think we're ever going
to see another like him.
1640
01:14:15,842 --> 01:14:18,932
He's such a unique
and singular figure
1641
01:14:18,976 --> 01:14:23,284
in the industry that I don't
think he's replaceable.
131137
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