He might be the staunchest proponent of the theatrical business this side of Christopher Nolan and boast an almost uninterrupted 40-year run as one of the biggest names in the business, but Tom Cruise wants you to know that he isn’t a movie star.
While the evidence to the contrary is nigh-on insurmountable at this point, longtime regular collaborator and BFF Christopher McQuarrie shared with The Times that when he worked with Cruise for the very first time on Bryan Singer’s World War II epic Valkyrie – which marked the beginning of an incredibly fruitful partnership – the Mission: Impossible figurehead told him in no uncertain terms that “I make mass entertainment.”
Cruise is no mere thespian, then, nor is he simply an A-list entity unto himself; he’s an entertainer first and foremost, one who happily throws himself headlong into danger for the sole purpose of providing audiences with something they’ve more than likely never seen before.
Of course, given that he’s got no interest in either lending his talents to a TV series or streaming exclusive, he’s pretty much the only genuine movie star left who you can guarantee will never be seen on a screen smaller than the one at your local multiplex.
That’s besides the point, but it does offer an insight into what motivates Cruise to continuing doing what he does at the level he does it so long into a career that’s already seen him do pretty much everything there is to do… at least until he finally jets off into outer space to shoot that long-gestating cosmic blockbuster of his.