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Tom Cruise missed Best Actor, but still got his first Oscar nomination in 23 years for Top Gun: Maverick

The global superstar landed major recognition for his work in the action sequel.

The Academy didn't recognize Tom Cruise with a Best Actor nod, but the global superstar still landed a major Oscar nomination for Top Gun: Maverick anyway.

For his work as a producer on the blockbuster sequel that has grossed nearly $1.5 billion to date , the 60-year-old scored his fourth career Oscar nomination as the film appeared Tuesday morning among the Academy's 10 Best Picture nominees.

Tuesday's nomination marks the fourth time the Academy has recognized Cruise throughout his lengthy career. He was previously nominated for his work as an actor for 1989's Born on the Fourth of July , 1996's Jerry Maguire , and 1999's Magnolia .

Top Gun: Maverick , which follows Cruise as the returning Pete "Maverick" Mitchell, a U.S. Navy captain and test pilot who faces his conflicting past as he leads a new team of Top Gun graduates into the air, also earned 2023 Oscar nominations for Best Writing (Adapted Screenplay), Original Song (Lady Gaga's "Hold My Hand"), Best Sound, and Best Visual Effects.

Cruise made the Joseph Kosinski -directed movie — Paramount's long-awaited continuation of the original 1986 Top Gun film — alongside veteran Hollywood producers Jerry Bruckheimer , David Ellison, and Christopher McQuarrie, who also co-wrote the movie with Ehren Kruger and Eric Warren Singer.

The 95th Academy Awards will air Sunday, March 12, at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on ABC. See the full list of 2023 Oscar nominations here .

Check out more from EW's The Awardis t , featuring exclusive interviews, analysis, and our podcast diving into all the highlights from the year's best films.

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The Projectionist

At the Oscar Nominees Luncheon, a Crowd in Cruise Control

The “Top Gun: Maverick” star and producer is mobbed as Austin Butler, Angela Bassett, Ke Huy Quan and others angle to chat with him.

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By Kyle Buchanan

For the privileged few embarking on an Oscar campaign, the path to a nomination asks you to hobnob with so many of the same people that over the course of many months, your competitors can begin to feel like classmates.

But on Monday afternoon, at a luncheon held in Beverly Hills for this year’s Oscar nominees, the arrival of a new student caused quite a stir.

That would be Tom Cruise, nominated this year as a producer of the megahit best-picture contender “ Top Gun: Maverick .” He was among the first notable names to walk into the ballroom of the Beverly Hilton. The 60-year-old star had sat out both the Golden Globes and the Critics Choice Awards this season, so many of his fellow nominees were encountering him for the first time. Before long, the ballroom had turned into a massive meet-and-greet.

“I love you, I love you, oh my God!” said the “Everything Everywhere All at Once” star Ke Huy Quan , who hopped in place, exclaiming, “I want a picture with this man!” before seizing a selfie with Cruise. Director Guillermo del Toro went over for an embrace, as did the nominated actors Brendan Fraser, Angela Bassett and Michelle Williams . Cruise even posed for pictures with Steven Spielberg , a once-frequent collaborator whom the star has not been publicly photographed with in over a decade.

The nominees luncheon is supposed to be an egalitarian affair where big stars and behind-the-scenes technicians are on equal footing, but there was no mistaking Cruise as the ballroom’s top dog: He had the gravitational pull of the sun and its burnt-orange countenance, too. Any of the nominees who might have pulled focus from Cruise had declined to attend: Original-song contenders Lady Gaga and Rihanna were busy with other obligations (including, for the latter, a just-concluded Super Bowl stint ), and even surprise best-actress nominee Andrea Riseborough was missing in action.

Still, simply making it to Cruise took some time: In the schmoozy hour before lunch was served, he was so mobbed by his fellow nominees that he was hardly able to move more than a few feet. I watched for a while as “Elvis” star Austin Butler drifted with slow, inexorable determination toward Cruise, who finally pulled the younger man toward him by clamping a hand on his shoulder like a stapler. For several minutes, they were locked in such a tight bro-embrace that it was impossible to discern what they were talking about (or, more important, whether Butler was still speaking in his “Elvis” drawl ).

So instead, I made my way to “Top Gun: Maverick” producer Jerry Bruckheimer, who observed the scene serenely just a few feet away. “It’s my first time at the luncheon,” said the newly nominated producer, who’s better known for making explosive action movies than Oscar fare. “After 50 years in the business, I finally get here.”

It was not the first time at the luncheon for songwriter Diane Warren, who has been nominated for an Oscar 13 times before and is back in contention this year for the song “Applause,” from the film “Tell It Like a Woman.”

“It’s my favorite day,” Warren said. “No one’s a loser yet, everybody’s a winner.” I noted that Warren had received an honorary Oscar in November, and asked whether it had dimmed her desire to win a competitive statuette. “No, I still want to win,” she said, grinning. “He wants a friend!”

As the nominees and their guests took their seats to nosh on mushroom risotto, the academy president, Janet Yang, came to the stage and addressed the fallout from the organization’s handling of the Will Smith slap at last year’s ceremony.

“It was inadequate,” Yang said. “We learned from this that the academy must be fully transparent and accountable in our actions, and particularly in times of crisis, we must act swiftly, compassionately and decisively.”

One unrelated tweak has already been made: Unlike last year, when eight below-the-line Oscars were presented just before the telecast began, Yang promised that each category would be aired live during the March 12 telecast. Because of that, Yang pleaded with the nominees to keep their speeches short: “We need to be sensitive to our running time,” she said. “This is live television, after all.”

With that settled, the nominees were called one by one to the front of the stage, where they would pose together for one massive “class photo.” The first name announced was Jamie Lee Curtis , who had earned her first Oscar nomination this year for “Everything Everywhere All at Once.”

“I’ve been acting since I was 19 and I’m 64 — do the math,” Curtis told me. “That’s many years of watching this photograph being taken.” Her late parents, the actors Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh, had both been Oscar nominees. “To be connected through this legacy of their work and my work and now being included here, it’s very powerful,” she said.

Eventually, with all the nominees assembled,   the producer and academy governor DeVon Franklin counted down to a flashbulb — pop! — then counted down again as the academy photographer took another picture. “All right, three more,” Franklin said.

“I’ve got one more expression,” shouted best-actor nominee Colin Farrell (“The Banshees of Inisherin”).

Moments earlier, Farrell had been in an animated conversation with Warren, who was standing on the riser behind him. When the pictures were finished and the attendees started to make their way out of the ballroom, I asked Warren what they had discussed.

“We talked about how we both did very badly at school,” she said, “and now here we are, at the coolest graduation picture ever.”

Kyle Buchanan is a pop culture reporter and serves as The Projectionist , the awards season columnist for The Times. He is the author of “Blood, Sweat & Chrome: The Wild and True Story of Mad Max: Fury Road.” More about Kyle Buchanan

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Oscars 2023: It's a travesty that Tom Cruise wasn't nominated for Top Gun: Maverick

By Jack King

$1.489 billion at the global box office. Dozens upon dozens of actual flights in actual planes . Yet no Best Actor nomination for Tom Cruise at the Oscars. How come, Chief Willoughby?

Look, we're being a teensy bit facetious. It's difficult to spot a true dud in this year's line-up of male acting nominees: Austin Butler was transformative as Elvis Presley (to the point that the bloke is finding it difficult to return to Austin Butler mode), Brendan Fraser ripped out our hearts in The Whale (and during the subsequent awards campaign), Colin Farrell's Banshees of Inisherin performance is variously laugh-a-minute and reflective of soulful male tragedy (plus: those eyebrows ). Bill Nighy… no, he probably couldn't fly an actual jet, but he's this year's celebrate-the-career pick, and it's not exactly unearned. We've said our bit about Paul Mescal in Aftersun (the best performance of the year ).

But even with this bumper crop of talent, the question remains: are we sure we couldn't have found a spot of Tom Cruise , the actor who most acted his actorly arse off last year? Yes, performance comes in various registers — plaudits are earned not just for physicality and commitment but emotional fluency, or the ability to hold six emotions at once in the whites of one's eyes, or, indeed, do a really bloody good Elvis impression. But no other actor on that list has literally faced oblivion for his craft. He flew a plane, for fuck's sake. He's driven off the side of a mountain on a dirtbike. If we're to champion big-scale, say-it-from-yer-chest, capitalise-the-A Hollywood Acting, as the Oscars arguably should, Cruise is this year's most sorry miss.

It also seems strange not to statedly celebrate the guy who, y'know, has been championed as one of the key figures to resuscitate the ailing multiplex in the wake of COVID — the fella who stuck a mask on for Tenet , lurgy be damned, and said “back to the movies!” He is, after all, synonymous with the movies. As some have argued, perhaps our last living movie star, in an age where the names at the top of posters are increasingly superseded by the familiarity of their characters or the IP to which they're contracted.

Alas, it wasn't to be. His name would be on the Best Picture statuette for Top Gun: Maverick if it wins the top prize, mind you, being one of four named producers on the film, so perhaps he'll be tided over until his hands are placed on that elusive acting award. We wouldn't hate it.

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“Tom Cruise Showed Us That Moviegoing Was Back” With ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ Says Paramount Vet Sherry Lansing As Actor Receives PGA’s David O. Selznick Honor

By Anthony D'Alessandro , Antonia Blyth

UPDATED with video: After a 2022 that saw the biggest movie of his career at the box office and the top-grossing movie of the year with Top Gun: Maverick ($718.7M, $1.49 billion worldwide), Tom Cruise accepted the David O. Selznick honor tonight at the PGA awards.

After a glowing introduction by former Paramount Pictures boss Sherry Lansing, Cruise teared up as the exec said, “Quite simply every day is better because of you.”

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Lansing shared her early days with the actor in 20th Century Fox’s Taps (1981) and also how he wanted to take his first stab at producing with 1996’s Mission: Impossible . The studio boss had her doubts about Cruise in an ensemble, but better a little Cruise than none at all, she thought at the time. But then Lansing read the script, which had the whole Mission: Impossible team dying in the beginning and Cruise’s Ethan Hunt surviving to avenge their death.

What impressed her the most, though, was that Cruise understood the studio side of the business.

“He didn’t see us as his enemy. When the budget came in high, Tom worked to bring it down without damaging the movie,” said Lansing.

“Tom Cruise showed us that moviegoing was back,” she said about the actor-producer’s determination to keep Top Gun: Maverick as a theatrical release. And its release held during the pandemic, despite inner-studio politics that wanted to put the sequel on Paramount+.

“He watched every day of dailies … watched all the previews,” Lansing said about his determination to produce the best movie. The actor would hide in the projection room or the back of the room to catch the audience reaction during test screenings. If only audiences knew that Cruise was watching them.

Taking the stage, Cruise told Lansing, “You’re an exceptional person, and you’ve had a tremendous impact on my career.”

Cruise talked about his childhood, working various jobs so he could go to the movies. “Whenever I didn’t have the money, I’d figure out a way to sneak in,” the actor said.

Then one day, he was 18 years old in Valley Forge, PA. “I wasn’t watching a movie, but on the set making one.” That pic was Taps , which starred and Timothy Hutton, hot off his Oscar win for Ordinary People, and freshman actor Sean Penn. It was there that Cruise further fell in love with moviemaking, becoming a student of the craft on the set of Taps, exploring the production through various departments thanks to director Harold Becker and producer Howard Jaffe with “their decades of wisdom”

“I was overwhelmed by what I didn’t know,” said Cruise. “How do I become competent in this?”

Following Taps, Penn invited Cruise to Los Angeles, where he met Paula Wagner. She’d become his talent rep and, in future years, his producing partner. He gave big thanks to her husband Rick Nicita, Bert Fields and CAA’s Kevin Huvane.

Cruise told the room that he understood if his movies were good, they’d make money and everyone who worked with him would share in that on his productions. He imparted that philosophy to the room, emphasizing as everyone in the motion picture industry does well, it benefits all, the studio, the overall industry ecosystem.  

“You have to create that luck and will it into existence,” said Cruise. “I’m rooting for all of you.”

Cruise largely has been absent on the awards circuit for Top Gun: Maverick, but that’s not a coincidence: He’s popped up at key moments during the post-noms Oscar phase at the Nominees Luncheon and tonight at the PGA awards. It’s just about when Paramount wants to spring its secret weapon. Cruise received an honorary Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival back when Top Gun: Maverick made its overseas premiere there in May in addition to the four-time Oscar nominee receiving a retrospective from the fest .

“I want to thank audiences for allowing me to entertain you,” said the actor.

The Selznick Achievement Award recognizes a producer or producing team for their extraordinary body of work in motion pictures. Past recipients include Steven Spielberg, Barbara Broccoli, Mary Parent, Brian Grazer, David Heyman and Kevin Feige.

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Tom Cruise Admits He ‘Was Crying’ During Val Kilmer Reunion in ‘Top Gun: Maverick’: ‘He Instantly Became Iceman Again’

By Zack Sharf

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It stands with good reason that if any scene made you cry in “ Top Gun: Maverick ,” it was the emotional reunion between Tom Cruise ‘s Maverick and Val Kilmer ‘s Iceman. Kilmer had not acted in years after losing the ability to speak due to undergoing throat cancer treatment in 2014, but the actor returned for an emotional scene in the blockbuster “Top Gun” sequel. Suffice to say, there wasn’t a dry eye in the house when Kilmer reprised the role of Iceman and appeared opposite Tom Cruise, 36 years after the original “Top Gun.” The moment was so powerful that not even Cruise could hold back tears.

Popular on Variety

“Top Gun: Maverick” was the second movie to gross over $1 billion at the worldwide box office amid the pandemic, following “Spider-Man: No Way Home.” With a $1.48 billion gross, “Maverick” ranks as the 11th highest-grossing movie in history worldwide (unadjusted for inflation). The film is the fifth-highest grosser at the domestic box office with $718 million.

Steven Spielberg recently told Cruise at the 2023 Oscars Nominees Luncheon that he saved the theatrical movie business with “Top Gun: Maverick.”

“You saved Hollywood’s ass and you might have saved theatrical distribution,” Spielberg told his “Minority Report” and “War of the Worlds” star. “Seriously, ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ might have saved the entire theatrical industry.”

“Top: Gun Maverick” is nominated for six Oscars, including best picture.

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Kirsten Dunst

Actor Kirsten Dunst has appeared in the Spider-Man movies and received an Oscar nomination for The Power of the Dog .

1982-present

Kirsten Dunst Now: Actor Stars in Thriller Civil War

“I was standing out on the street when I got the call, and I thought, ‘Oh s—. Now, now we’re in trouble,’” Garland said. “And so I went to the rehearsal and said, ‘Bad news, guys, [the other actor] can’t do it.’ And Kirsten said, ‘What? You should ask Jesse.’ It was a stunning bit of good luck.”

Civil War earned more than $25 million in its first weekend, topping the U.S. box office in a record debut among films from distributor A24, and has grossed more than $60 million worldwide.

Quick Facts

Young kirsten dunst, fargo and other tv roles, husband jesse plemons and kids, mental health experience and advocacy, who is kirsten dunst.

Actor Kirsten Dunst is best known for playing Mary Jane Watson in the Spider-Man movie trilogy from the 2000s, as well as starring in Marie Antoinette . The New Jersey–born child model and actor had her breakout role was in the 1994 movie Interview with the Vampire , starring Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt . After appearing in several crowd-pleasing box-office hits over the next decade, she began to excel in more artistic projects. She earned Golden Globe nominations for her TV roles in Fargo and On Becoming a God in Central Florida . In 2022, Dunst received an Academy Award nomination for her supporting role in The Power of the Dog . She is married to fellow actor Jesse Plemons, with whom she shares two children.

FULL NAME: Kirsten Caroline Dunst BORN: April 30, 1982 BIRTHPLACE: Point Pleasant, New Jersey SPOUSE: Jesse Plemons (2022-present) CHILDREN: Ennis and James ASTROLOGICAL SIGN: Taurus

Kirsten Caroline Dunst was born on April 30, 1982, in Point Pleasant, New Jersey. Her father, Klaus, is originally from Germany, while her mother, Inez, is an American of Swedish and German descent. As a result, Kirsten has American and German citizenship. Klaus worked as a medical services executive, and Inez is a former Lufthansa flight attendant.

Raised alongside her younger brother, Christian, Kirsten grew up in Brick Township, New Jersey, and attended the Ranney School, a private preparatory school. A self-described “very extrovert kid,” Dunst said strangers would often compliment her cheery demeanor as a young child. “Every time [my mom and I would] go to the grocery store, everyone would come up to her and say, ‘Your daughter is so animated, she’s such a happy child, she has such a light. You should put her in commercials,’” she said in 2012 .

Sharing the enthusiasm of her fellow shoppers, Inez chauffered 3-year-old Kirsten into New York City and helped her begin a child modeling career with the baby division of the Ford agency. After Kirsten performed well in print campaigns, her family soon booked her first commercial for Kix cereal. The precocious Dunst continued to appear in TV advertisements for products such as the board game Trouble, Pillsbury baked goods, and Crayola crayons.

At age 6, Dunst graduated to dramatic roles, starting with an uncredited part in Woody Allen ’s 1989 anthology film New York Stories . A year later, she played the young daughter of Tom Hanks and Kim Cattrall’s characters in the satirical movie The Bonfire of the Vanities , also starring Bruce Willis and Morgan Freeman .

Following her parents’ separation, an 11-year-old Dunst moved to Los Angeles with her mother, who was determined to cultivate Kirsten’s promising career. Despite her childhood success, Dunst has said she had no dreams of becoming a Hollywood star. Later in her life, the actor admitted she held animosity toward her mother for pushing her into show business so quickly. “I’d never put any daughter of mine through acting because, while I loved acting and was happy working as a child, looking back, my happiness always came from pleasing other people—always,” she told People in 2007 . “It came from satisfying the director, or my mother or my acting coach, not from pleasing myself.” Still, plenty of people were happy with Dunst’s abilities and ready to offer her more demanding parts once she was on the West Coast.

Breakthrough: Interview with the Vampire and Jumanji

After a few smaller roles for television in 1993, including a two-episode appearance on Sisters and a one-time turn on S tar Trek: The Next Generation , the year 1994 kickstarted Dunst’s movie career in earnest. Then 12 years old, she had her breakout role in the gothic horror Interview with the Vampire , based on the novel by Anne Rice . Dunst played Claudia, a young girl raised by vampires played by Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt .

Dunst has since revealed her mixed feelings about the movie. “They treated me like a little sister. It was very sweet,” Dunst said of her co-stars Cruise and Pitt during a 2019 appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert . “I was a very innocent 12-year-old. I was just doing my job, and they were very sweet to me.” However, she has also lamented her onscreen kiss with Pitt, who was 30 at the time, telling Vanity Fair , “it was very weird even though it was a peck. I was just very not into it.”

Even so, Vampire proved crucial for Dunst. She earned a Golden Globe nomination for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role, and another hit movie followed in 1995: the adventure comedy Jumanji starring Robin Williams and Bonnie Hunt.

The Virgin Suicides and Marie Antoinette with Sofia Coppola

Dunst tackled a variety of film genres over the next few years, including the World War II dramas Mother Night (1996) and The Devil’s Arithmetic (1999), the political satire Wag the Dog (1997), and the action comedy Small Soldiers (1998).

Then in 1999, Dunst played Lux Lisbon in Sofia Coppola ’s movie adaptation of the Jeffrey Eugenides novel The Virgin Suicides . Having described herself as “overwhelmed and kind of a young 16-year-old” at the time, Dunst said she began to feel at ease and knew the project, about a group of sisters in suburban Detroit in the 1970s, would be a success because of Coppola’s direction. She was right—although the movie made just over $10 million worldwide , it has since become a cult classic.

The Virgin Suicides also began an enduring friendship and working relationship between Dunst and Coppola. They have since collaborated on Marie Antoinette (2006) and The Beguiled (2017).

Spider-Man Trilogy

Dunst appealed to younger audiences and comic book fans at the start of the aughts, first playing cheerleader Torrance Shipman in the 2000 teen comedy Bring It On . However, the success of that movie paled in comparison to 2002’s Spider-Man , in which she played the titular web-slinger’s neighbor and eventual love interest Mary Jane Watson.

The movie, featuring Tobey Maguire as the Stan Lee –created superhero, became the first in history to make more than $100 million at the box office in its opening weekend. All told, Spider-Man grossed more than $821 million worldwide and marked what many consider the start of the comic book film craze of the new millennium. Dunst reprised her role in the sequels Spider-Man 2 (2004) and Spider-Man 3 (2007).

Dunst was a bona fide star by this time—also appearing in Mona Lisa Smile (2003) and Wimbledon (2004)—and, despite receiving lucrative offers, began to prioritize creative aspects when choosing her next roles. “When I was younger, in my 20s, I didn’t have the best guidance, I would say,” she told Variety . “I get offered the most money on things I don’t want to do. As soon as I took the reins and started to develop my tastes and who I wanted to work with, everything shifted.”

Later Roles: Melancholia , The Power of the Dog , and Civil War

As a result, Dunst moved away from big-budget crowd pleasers and began to appear in more artistic movies. One of those was 2011’s Melancholia , directed by Lars von Trier, in which Dunst played a woman suffering from depression as an apocalyptic event approaches Earth.

Over the next few years, Dunst appeared in movies such as the fantasy romance Upside Down (2012), the thrillers The Two Faces of January (2014) and Midnight Special (2016), and the biopic Hidden Figures (2017) about Black women pioneers at NASA Katherine Johnson , Dorothy Johnson Vaughan , and Mary Jackson .

Dunst then took a four-year break from the big screen, coinciding with the birth of her two children. In 2021, she made a triumphant return in the western drama The Power of the Dog , alongside Benedict Cumberbatch and her now real-life husband Jesse Plemons. Dunst and Plemons each received Academy Award nominations for their supporting roles, and Jane Campion won the Oscar for Best Director.

Most recently, Dunst played photojournalist Lee Smith in the thriller Civil War , which released in theaters in April 2024 and depicts a fictional second American civil war.

Dunst was active on television throughout the early part of her career, appearing in Touched by an Angel , The Outer Limits , Gun , and six episodes of ER during the mid-1990s. Much later, she lent her voice to the 2014 scientific docuseries Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey and made an appearance on the comedy Portlandia that same year.

However, Dunst’s most acclaimed TV role was playing Peggy Blumquist, a small-town beautician with big-city dreams, in Season 2 of the FX crime anthology Fargo in 2015. The actor has called it “one of the best parts” she has ever played. “Some things are meant to be. It came into my life at a time when I was very depressed about the kinds of roles that were out there for me to play,” she told the Los Angeles Times . “I feel very fortunate that I got to be a part of this and that she was such a great character.”

Critics agreed, and Dunst received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Performance by an Actress in a Limited Series, Anthology Series, or a Motion Picture Made for Television in 2016.

She was back at the Globes only a couple years later as a nominee for Best Actress for her 2019 role in the Showtime dark comedy On Becoming a God in Central Florida .

In 2016, Dunst began dating her Fargo co-star Jesse Plemons. Dunst confirmed their engagement in June 2017 during an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon . The couple eventually married in June 2022.

Prior to tying the knot, Dunst and Plemons welcomed their two sons: Ennis, born in May 2018, and James, born in April 2021.

Dunst told Access Hollywood in 2021 she considers Plemons a “creative soulmate” in addition to her life partner. The two have worked together on Fargo Season 2 (2015), as well as the movies The Power of the Dog (2021) and Civil War (2024).

In August 2019, Plemons introduced Dunst when she received her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. “Seeing the kind of mother, wife, daughter, sister, friend, and cohort you are is why I and all of your friends and everyone else are here today and why we all love you. It’s for the incredibly generous and amazing person that you are,” he said .

Dating History

Prior to dating Plemons, Dunst was in a four-year relationship with actor and musician Garrett Hedlund from 2012 to 2016.

Earlier in her career, Dunst dated her Spider-Man co-star Tobey Maguire after meeting him on the movie’s set in 2001. They kept their relationship secret from the rest of the cast and crew, including director Sam Raimi. They broke up a little over a year later, even as their onscreen relationship continued in the other trilogy movies.

Dunst also dated actor Jake Gyllenhaal for about two years and musician Johnny Borrell in 2007.

Dunst has been candid about her past struggles with depression, particularly during her 20s. In May 2008, she revealed she had checked into the Cirque Lodge treatment center earlier that year. The actor went public with her diagnosis to dispel rumors she sought help for chronic drug and alcohol abuse. “I was struggling, and I had the opportunity to go somewhere and take care of myself,” she said . “I was fortunate to have the resources to do it. My friends and family thought it was a good idea, too.”

Dunst has said becoming a mother improved her mental health and helped her feel “really free.” In a 2021 interview with The Sunday Times , she encouraged anyone suffering from depression to be comfortable discussing symptoms and open to medication. “I was afraid to take something, and so I sat in it for too long. I would recommend getting help when you need it,” she said.

According to Celebrity Net Worth , Dunst’s total fortune is estimated around $25 million as of October 2023.

• I saw the power in women very young. I think that’s helped with… not needing male attention in my career.
• You really can’t explain the things you do. I can’t anyway.
• I write myself a note before I go to sleep on what I want to understand about who I’m playing. And if I don’t dream that night, I’ll just rewrite it again the next night until I do get a dream.
• I think a lot of a career is just your own personal taste really and what, as an actor, you want to do next and not fall into some trap of repetition.
• Ultimately, I want my children to grow up and be proud of me and not be embarrassed, you know, that, you know their mom kissed Spider-Man or something like that. I just hope that my career doesn’t embarrass them at all.

Fact Check: We strive for accuracy and fairness. If you see something that doesn’t look right, contact us !

Tyler Piccotti first joined the Biography.com staff as an Associate News Editor in February 2023, and before that worked almost eight years as a newspaper reporter and copy editor. He is a graduate of Syracuse University. When he's not writing and researching his next story, you can find him at the nearest amusement park, catching the latest movie, or cheering on his favorite sports teams.

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Tom Cruise: All New Movies Coming Out in 2023 and 2024

After his breakthrough with leading roles in ‘Risky Business’ and ‘ Top Gun ‘ in the 1980s, Thomas “Tom” Cruise Mapother IV started bagging pivotal roles in several dramas, including ‘ Born on the Fourth of July ,’ for which he even won a Golden Globe Award and got nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor. In the 1990s, he rose to newer heights of stardom by featuring in various commercially successful films, such as ‘ A Few Good Men ,’ ‘ Interview with the Vampire ,’ ‘The Firm,’ and ‘ Jerry Maguire .’

Once he impacted dramas, he started traversing the action and sci-fi genres. By landing some iconic roles in the ‘ Mission: Impossible ‘ film series, ‘ Collateral ,’ ‘ Edge of Tomorrow ,’ and ‘ Top Gun: Maverick ,’ he established himself as an action star, performing most of the risky stunts on his own. The winner of three Golden Globe Awards, four nominations for the Oscars, and an Honorary Palme d’Or, Tom Cruise is known to be one of the world’s highest-paid actors. Given his immense popularity and fandom, most of our readers are looking forward to his future projects. Here is a list of all the upcoming movies and TV shows of Tom Cruise!

1. Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part Two (2024)

Tom Cruise recently jumped off a cliff on a motorbike for ‘ Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One ‘ and he will be in action soon enough in its sequel, ‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part Two.’ Helmed by Christopher McQuarrie, the spy action movie is the eighth installment in the ‘Mission: Impossible’ film series with Cruise reprising his role as Ethan Hunt for the eighth time running.

Although the plot details are kept under wraps, the action-adventure film is most likely to resume Ethan’s hunt for The Entity as he meets some new friends and foes along the way. The production for the sequel began in March 2022 but is yet to be finished due to the delay caused by the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike. Having gone through several postponements due to the COVID-19 pandemic when it comes to its release date, it is now officially set to be released on June 28, 2024. But it is very much possible that it will get postponed again due to the pause in production.

2. Untitled Tom Cruise/SpaceX Project (TBA)

Tom Cruise is set to take his status as an action star to the next level by traveling out of Earth to film the first ever Hollywood motion picture in outer space. In May 2020, it was reported that Elon Musk’s Space X and Cruise were working on an action-adventure project with NASA. Not only is Cruise expected to be blasted into space alongside filmmaker Doug Liman, with whom he has previously worked in ‘ American Made ‘ and ‘Edge of Tomorrow,’ for the upcoming film, but he will also live up to his reputation by attempting to do a space walk outside of the International Space Station. In this movie, Cruise is set to essay the role of a down-on-his-luck man who is the sole person in the position to save Earth. Apart from starring in the film, he is attached to the project as a writer as well as a producer.

3. Live Die Repeat and Repeat (TBA)

A sequel to the 2014 movie ‘Edge of Tomorrow,’ ‘Live Die Repeat and Repeat’ is an upcoming science fiction film that will reportedly reunite Tom Cruise and director Doug Liman, with the former set to reprise his role as Major William Cage. Moreover, Emily Blunt is also rumored to portray Rita again, alongside Cruise. Ever since the release of the hit original film, talks of a sequel have been flying around. However, in 2019, it was finally set in motion when Matthew Robinson was brought on to write the script.

Fast forward to a couple of years later, in a May 2021 interview with Entertainment Weekly , Emily Blunt revealed, “That was an amazing script, but I just don’t know what the future holds for it. I did read a script that was in really great shape, but it’s just a matter of if that can even happen now. I don’t have the straight answer on that one.” With the project still lingering in the development stage, it is hard to expect it to be brought to life in at least a couple of years.

Read More: Best Movies of Tom Cruise

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Tom Cruise’s 2023 Oscars Snub For ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ Leaves Twitter Furious: “The Oscars Are Stupid”

Where to stream:.

• Top Gun: Maverick

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Stream it or skip it: 'the accountant' on netflix, with ben affleck doing math and murder, 'road house' director doug liman's studio star vehicles are always refreshingly uneven, unpredictable, and weirdly alive, in the 'road house' remake, jake gyllenhaal is still desperate to play the tough guy.

The 2023 Oscars nominations came and went without paying the slightest attention to Tom Cruise and his performance in Top Gun: Maverick . The 2022 action movie has been nominated in Best Picture categories for both the Academy Awards and the Golden Globe Awards, but Cruise has yet to be nominated for Best Actor. What gives?

Many have expressed that Cruise and Top Gun can’t be separated, calling the movie a star vehicle for the actor. Following the Oscar nominations, journalist Max Weiss tweeted , “I will say this. If you’re going to nominate Top Gun: Maverick For Best Picture, you’ve gotta nominate Tom Cruise. He’s the whole thing. He’s the Top Gun AND the Maverick. He’s the movie and the movie is him.”

Very valid point. Decider’s John Serba wrote in his review of Top Gun: Maverick : “Cruise is very much in his sweet-spot zone here, charismatic and ever-so-slightly self-effacing, even looking his age a little bit, as the character demands at this place and time. You’ll never take the movie star out of this guy.”

And Cruise’s Top Gun costar Jennifer Connelly would agree. Earlier this week, she told Variety , “He’s extraordinary. He does an amazing job in the movie. He’s extraordinary as a person and fantastic as an actor, and I think that he is just perfect.”

When talking about Cruise’s Oscar potential, she added, “He embodies that character so beautifully, and I think he absolutely deserves it.”

She continued to praise the relationship Cruise’s Navy Pilot character has with the others, specifically with Miles Teller ’s character, Lieutenant Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw, which Connelly described as “beautiful and moving.” Connelly also gave a mention to “the work that he did to accomplish those flying sequences.”

No Tom Cruise for Best Actor? I know the award isn’t for “Man most willing to be strapped to a missile and fired into the sun if it makes you 8% more willing to buy a movie ticket”, but at least give the guy a nomination! #OscarNominations2023 — Jay Black (@jayblackisfunny) January 24, 2023

NO TOM CRUISE!!! #OSCARS SNUB!!!!!!! — Nicholas Pearl (@Wonderful_Radio) January 24, 2023

Tom Cruise learned to fly an F-18 for Maverick. No actor has ever been more method. The Oscars are stupid… https://t.co/3pcbqEHoao — Brian Moote (@MootePoints) January 24, 2023

Top Gun: Maverick comes 30 years after the original film and brings Cruise back as the eponymous character, Pete “Maverick” Mitchell. The pilot “must confront the ghosts of his past” when he begins training a group of graduates and meets the son of his former friend, Lt. Bradshaw. The synopsis teases, “Bitter rivalries ignite as the pilots prepare for a specialized mission, which will require the ultimate sacrifice from those chosen to fly it.”

The movie was the second-highest grossing film of 2022, raking in over $1.4 billion at the worldwide box office. Top Gun: Maverick held the number one spot until December when it was eclipsed by James Cameron ’s Avatar: The Way of the Water .

At the 2023 Oscars, Top Gun: Maverick has been nominated for six awards, including, Best Picture, Best Sound, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Original Song, Best Editing, and Best Visual Effects. For Best Picture, the action flick is up against Everything Everywhere All at Once , All Quiet on the Western Front , Avatar: The Way of Water , The Banshees of Inisherin , Elvis , The Fabelmans , Tár , Triangle of Sadness , and Women Talking .

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2023 Oscar Nominees’ Five Biggest Snubs, From Tom Cruise to Women Directors

By Marlow Stern

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In the all-too-early hours of Jan. 24, the nominations for the 95 th annual Academy Awards were announced. Actors Riz Ahmed ( Sound of Metal ) and Allison Williams ( Get Out ) did the honors. Sadly, they were not joined in the festivities by Williams’ deadly-singing-robot co-star M3GAN , though she was surely there in spirit.

With a quartet of blockbuster films in contention — Top Gun: Maverick , Avatar: The Way of Water, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, as well as Elvis — this year’s Oscars had a golden opportunity to expand its global audience beyond record-low viewership of 10.5 million in 2021. So, did the Academy take advantage? Or did it pull a 2009, where it failed to nominate The Dark Knight and Wall-E for Best Picture, leading to rules changes and much hand-wringing?

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These were the five biggest snubs to emerge from this year’s Oscar nominations.

While Top Gun: Maverick received six Oscar nominations, including Best Picture and a surprise Best Adapted Screenplay nod, the man who makes the whole thing run smoothly failed to secure an Oscar nomination for Best Actor. Cruise is not only the biggest movie star in the world, and maybe even the last true one, but also has a history of being screwed-over by the Academy. He’s never won an Oscar for acting, despite deserving wins for Jerry Maguire and Magnolia, and hasn’t been nominated for an Oscar in more than two decades. He has only three acting nods in his entire career (the two aforementioned films, plus Born on the Fourth of July ). Have Cruise’s Scientology shenanigans run him afoul of the Academy? They certainly haven’t helped.

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Yes, another year has gone by where no women are nominated for Best Director. I was hoping that Charlotte Wells would be recognized for her artfully restrained helming of Aftersun, a personal and heartbreaking tale of an anguished young father (Mescal) and his 11-year-old daughter (Frankie Corio) spending one last summer vacation together in Turkey, but it was not to be. Instead, Ruben Östlund received a nod for Triangle of Sadness, in this writer’s opinion one of the more ostentatious, narratively trite films of the past year. Maybe Greta Gerwig will help right these wrongs with this summer’s Barbie.

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Tom Cruise, Nope, And 11 More Huge Snubs From The 2023 Oscars

How did these potential nominees get locked out?

Dear readers, this year’s path to the Oscars has officially kicked off. With the 2023 Academy Award Nominations now freshly released into the world, the endgame of awards season is truly in sight. As usual, some pleasant surprises were to be had, especially with films like All Quiet on the Western Front and Triangle of Sadness earning some dark horse nominations throughout the field. 

But for all of the joy that can come out of 2023’s most surprising Oscar noms , there’s always cases like Tom Cruise , Sarah Polley , and Jordan Peele ’s Nope , where the snubs speak just as loudly. It’s time for the conversation that always takes place on Oscar nomination morning, as those are just three of the 13 cases of snubbery we’re about to discuss. Brace yourselves folks, it’s time to wade through the big snubs that came from the 2023 Oscar nods. 

Tom Cruise - Best Actor, Top Gun: Maverick

Top Gun : Maverick was a huge part of helping bring people back to the movies, and the spectacle that nailed its Best Picture nomination was only part of the equation. Tom Cruise’s return to Captain Pete “Maverick” Mitchell was also one for the books, and a performance that really dug deeper into the icon we were introduced to in the late ‘80s. How that was overlooked is beyond me, and it’s only the beginning of the overlooked gems. 

Viola Davis - Best Actress, The Woman King

An unshakable presence in whatever she does, Academy Award winner Viola Davis had people talking about her acting and action prowess with The Woman King . Proving that it’s even hard for a previous winner to land on the ballot, Davis’ performance in director Gina Prince-Blythwood’s historically inspired epic failed to make the final pack. Your guess is as good as ours as to how or why that even happened, as even our own Corey Chichizola saw that promise in our official Woman King review . 

Sarah Polley - Best Director, Women Talking

You could have seen it coming a mile away. While writer/director Sarah Polley was nominated for Best Original Screenplay with her Women Talking script, her lack of a Best Director nod is still pretty glaring. Once again, no female directors are in the running for this competition, and this omission seems like the loudest flub. We questioned if 2023 was going to be another terrible Oscar year for female directors , and to be proven right is something that never feels good.

The Women Talking Acting Ensemble

Let’s just knock this related disappointment out of the park while we’re at it, because the lack of acting nominations for Women Talking is just as upsetting. There were a lot of fantastic choices, as Sarah Polley assembled one hell of an ensemble to tell this particular story with. The fact that even the safe option like Frances McDormand , or blazing performances from Jessie Buckley and Claire Foy were all ignored is pretty crazy for a Best Picture nominee. 

James Cameron - Best Director, Avatar: The Way of Water

No matter what you thought of the movie, you have to admit that James Cameron is a directing madman for the way he tackles movies like Avatar: The Way of Water . To keep all of those plates spinning, over multiple films, and with other duties like being one of the series’ co-writers is something that deserves quite a bit of credit. But somehow, those efforts on the 2022 follow-up, as well as Cameron’s devotion to Cinema weren’t as noteworthy as his 2009 original. 

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RRR - Best Picture/Best International Feature Film

Throughout a good portion of 2022 director S. S. Rajamouli’s RRR became a cinematic sensation that was truly a must see. Dazzling visuals, high octane action, and an infectious energy filled the film with a joy that seemed to sweep the land, and nab the catchy “Naatu Naatu” a nomination for Best Original Song. And yet, even with James Cameron himself paying Rajamouli’s film some pretty high praise, this would-be barnstormer missed out on both Best Picture and Best International Film. This may not have ended in bloodshed, but it’s certainly ending in tears. 

Decision To Leave - Best International Feature Film

Director Park Chan-Wook’s “romantic mystery film” Decision To Leave is another project that felt like it would have assuredly gotten a spot in the Best International Feature Film category. Between the pedigree of the Oldboy director, and the solid art house buzz that centered around the film, it was a prospect too good to be ignored.

Michael Giacchino - Best Original Score, The Batman

How deep does the snub for Michael Giacchino ’s music for The Batman run? It wasn’t even on the shortlist for the honors of Best Original Score. A rousing sonic reinterpretation of the character often represented in the DC movies canon, words can’t even describe the disappointment that this heavy hitter somehow got forgotten. However, the intro to “A Bat In The Rafters, Pt. 2” would absolutely do the trick. 

“Ciao Papa” - Best Original Song, Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio

One movie that’s been pretty consistent with its fortunes has been Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio . The good news is that this consistency continued with the Netflix original’s nomination for Best Animated Feature Film. Of course, the bad news is that the stirring yet simple song “Ciao Papa” was not nominated in the Best Original Song category. Consistency only goes so far, we suppose. 

Sadie Sink - Best Supporting Actress, The Whale

Imagine if A24 somehow grabbed four of the five Best Supporting Actress nominations this year. It’s easy, even if you don’t try, because three of the slots went to Hong Chau’s performance in The Whale , as well as Jamie Lee Curtis and Stephanie Hsu’s roles in Everything Everywhere All At Once. The fourth honor could have gone to Sadie Sink, as the Stranger Things star landed quite well with critics in The Whale’s overall ensemble. Alas, Ms. Sink’s snub prevented that well-earned potential from happening; but her crucial experience working in The Whale still remains.

Nope, She Said, And The Menu Were Total Shutouts

The field of snubs above is bad enough to send commentators of all sorts into a frenzy. Yet perhaps the king of all of these omissions has to come from the unpleasant truth that Nope , She Said , and The Menu were all total Oscar shutouts. Nope especially hurts, as its critical and commercial crossroads felt ripe for some goodwill between the audience at home and the dignitaries in the Dolby Theatre. 

Not to mention, She Said and The Menu both felt like timely dives into current issues, and the former option had previous nominee Carey Mulligan feeling like a runaway nomination. As for The Menu , the sleek and cutting satire seemed like it was having a moment with fans reacting to its twisted tale rather enthusiastically. But as we saw with Triangle of Sadness , there was apparently only room for one scathing societal takedown at the table. 

This isn’t nearly all of the snubs that people may have woken up to with this morning’s nominations. It’s only the ones that seemed to cut the deepest and the most surprising. Whomever wins at this year’s Oscars is of course going to be a subject of great debate and discussion. With snubs like these though, that conversation is only going to be all the more heated, as the alternates just might seem like a better choice in the long run. We’ll see how things pan out on Sunday, March 12th, when the 95th Academy Awards air on ABC, at 8 PM ET. 

Mike Reyes is the Senior Movie Contributor at CinemaBlend, though that title’s more of a guideline really. Passionate about entertainment since grade school, the movies have always held a special place in his life, which explains his current occupation. Mike graduated from Drew University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science, but swore off of running for public office a long time ago. Mike's expertise ranges from James Bond to everything Alita, making for a brilliantly eclectic resume. He fights for the user.

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Oscars Best Actor predictions: Paul Mescal (‘Aftersun’) moves into top 5, flying past Tom Cruise (‘Top Gun’)

• January 18, 2023 7:00AM

There was a dramatic change in our Oscar predictions for Best Actor between January 11 and January 14. In that time, Paul Mescal (“ Aftersun “) moved from sixth place to fifth place in our odds, which are based on the combined predictions of thousands of Gold Derby users. Scroll down to see our graph illustrating how this race has recently changed.

So what happened? Well, the shift in our odds started on January 11, the day the SAG Award nominations were announced. Mescal wasn’t nominated by the guild, but neither was Tom Cruise (“Top Gun: Maverick”), who up until that point was ranked fifth in our Oscar odds. Instead, SAG nominated Adam Sandler (“Hustle”) along with Brendan Fraser (“The Whale”), Colin Farrell (“The Banshees of Inisherin”), Austin Butler (“Elvis”), and Bill Nighy (“Living”).

We’ve long been predicting Fraser, Farrell, Butler, and Nighy for Oscar nominations. It’s that fifth spot that has been a giant question mark. Perhaps surprisingly, though, Sandler isn’t the one who benefited from his SAG nomination — at least not yet. He hasn’t been recognized by any major awards groups besides the Screen Actors Guild, so our users may be hesitant to presume his surprise citation there will translate to the academy.

Mescal, however, has been nominated by the Critics Choice Awards, the Independent Spirit Awards, and myriad critics’ organizations. He’s also on the longlist at the BAFTAs, where he’s favored to receive a nom . Cruise was also nominated by the Critics Choice Awards and made the BAFTAs longlist, but it’s unusual for an action blockbuster performance to be considered by the Oscars. That hasn’t hurt Golden Globe and Critics Choice winner Angela Bassett (“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”), though, so maybe Cruise really does still have the advantage for that fifth Oscar slot. But for the time being, Mescal has flown by him.

Make your predictions at Gold Derby now. Download our free and easy app for Apple/iPhone devices or Android (Google Play) to compete against legions of other fans plus our experts and editors for best prediction accuracy scores. See our latest prediction champs . Can you top our esteemed leaderboards next? Always remember to keep your predictions updated because they impact our latest racetrack odds, which terrify Hollywood chiefs and stars. Don’t miss the fun. Speak up and share your huffy opinions in our famous forums where 5,000 showbiz leaders lurk every day to track latest awards buzz. Everybody wants to know: What do you think? Who do you predict and why?

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The 35th Best Actor of All-Time: Tom Cruise

best film:   It is all about 1999 here with twin titan masterpieces from Paul Thomas Anderson and Stanley Kubrick. Magnolia and Eyes Wide Shut are by far Tom Cruise’s best films even if there is an underappreciated evenness to his entire filmography. The odd thing about Cruise’s 1999 is, it feels like it killed the artistic ambition in him to some extent. Few exceptions aside, he has largely avoided working with auteurs since 1999. Magnolia, Cruise’s best film, was a box office bomb (which it feels like eats at Cruise more than just about any other actor on this list), did not get him his Oscar (he was robbed) and the tyrannical lengthy shooting method and schedule of Stanley Kubrick probably shattered some of the spark in Cruise (and potentially his marriage to Nicole Kidman). The results though are astounding – Cruise is manning the ship for the two best films of 1999 – a banner year. What If Clark Gable was in Gone with the Wind and The Rules of the Game ? Or Cary Grant in North by Northwest and 400 Blows ? Or, more recently, what if Daniel Day-Lewis were in There Will be Blood and The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford ?  Anyways, Cruise is particularly jaw-dropping in Magnolia – a thundering achievement – forceful and significant. It sort of makes his work in Eyes Wide Shut look a little pedestrian by comparison, but that is only by comparison, and a compliment to his work in Magnolia – not an indictment of his work in Eyes Wide Shut in any way.

best performance:   There is Magnolia and then a sizable gulf between everything else … and then there is about seven (7) performances that are clumped together behind it virtually tied for second (from the four below on the top five and add Risky Business, Born on the Fourth of July, Minority Report ). These are all very rock solid – but not close to his work as Frank T.J. Mackey. Cruise gets the 2001: A Space Odyssey Also sprach Zarathustra Richard Strauss music introduction, the bombastic speechmaking, the intense interview (reminiscent of the processing scene in The Master with Joaquin Phoenix and Philip Seymour – except here – Cruise does not share the spotlight with anyone) and the breakdown scene with his father. It has it all and Cruise is razor sharp – he has never been better.

it is 25 minutes into  Magnolia before the Frank T.J. Mackey introduction. His opening monologue and cathartic reunion with Jason Robards may be the show stoppers but his acting in his interview when he is getting exposed is a blow your hair back scene as well. Cruise is charismatic and arrogant (playing into his main talent as an actor) and studied – even in weaker movies like C ocktail he is dedicated to learning how to act like a bartender, or shoot pool ( The Color of Money) – here in Magnolia  his summersault while changing must have been practiced – it looks like he had done it a million times.

stylistic innovations/traits: Tom Cruise is a box office monster who has been in archiveable films spanning over forty (40) years. His first archiveable film is in 1981, but it is 1986 at age twenty-four (24) that takes off into the stratosphere ( Top Gun was the #1 box office film of the year). He ran off five (5) consecutive films in the 1990s making 100 million. He has been rather selective – only forty-five (45) films total – 20 (twenty) of them in the archives. Cruise has the iconic smile, the Ray-Bans, the running in his films (sort of lifted from Dustin Hoffman – his Rain Man costar) and the undeniable screen presence. Cruise is not an actor with great range, but nobody can play cocky and confidence better than Cruise. Cruise can tackle characters with obsessive compulsive disorders ( Magnolia, Collateral ) and has a clear affinity for attention to details. He twirls the pool sticks in The Color of Money just like he expertly portrays a bartender in the failed Cocktail . Cruise is crude and cocky and wonderful at it of course in Martin Scorsese’s The Color of Money .   He is doing karate with the pool cue (clearly showing off Cruise’s detailed/learned approach to method acting), the hair, the lip synching, the video games, the shirt with his name on it – haha. Needless to say Cruise is very believable as a character (a “natural flake”) and as a prodigy pool player. This is sort of surface deep – but it pays off on screen as he looks like a talent or a natural. No doubt this same mentality led him to become the sort of 2010s and 2020s Jackie Chan with the stunt work. He has three (3) acting nominations all came between 1989-1999 and again he sort of stopped taking on those sort of challenges – and focusing full time on box office and his action work.

Eyes Wide Shut – from the very outset Kubrick is interested in the falsehood of marriage – at the party both characters (Cruise’s Dr. Bill Harford and Kidman’s Alice Harford) find themselves in temptation traps. Kidman’s portion of the film largely drops off after the party, but for the entire running time of the film, temptation is present for Dr. Bill – women are just throwing themselves at him (and to be fair he is not too quick to pull away – he certainly leans in).

directors worked with: Cameron Crowe (2), Francis Ford Coppola (1), Martin Scorsese (1), Barry Levinson (1), Oliver Stone (1), Rob Reiner (1), Sydney Pollack, Brian De Palma (1), Stanley Kubrick (1), Paul Thomas Anderson (1), Steven Spielberg (1), Michael Mann (1). Perhaps no one else has worked with Coppola, Scorsese, Kubrick, PTA and Spielberg – but Cruise has certainly not aligned himself with any one auteur like a Brad Pitt with David Fincher.

Cruise is sensational as sports agent Jerry Maguire in 1996.

top five performances:

• Jerry Maguire
• Eyes Wide Shut

from 1983’s Risky Business – the film that took him from being one of the backup dancers in his generation of actors (think of his role in The Outsiders – and he is support to Sean Penn in 1981’s Taps ) to center stage. Cruise is tremendous here even without his iconic improvised underwear Bob Seger dance moment.

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17 comments.

I already think I know your answer but I’ll stubbornly ask anyways haha.

Should Born on the 4th of July be in his top 5?

Tom Cruise’s performance and transformation in in Born on the 4th of July (1989) is incredible; he is still young enough to credibly pass off as a teen. The gung ho idealistic High School senior to young soldier to bitter disabled young man who hits rock bottom and finally an anti-war activist. The scene where he wakes up his entire family after a night of heavy drinking and breaks down in front of father is so gut wrenching.

I realize it is not an amazing film from a visual standpoint but you do have Rain Man (1988) as his 4th best performance and you only rank that one a R as well. I think what he does in Born on the 4th of July is more impressive, and he carries the film by himself whereas I think Dustin Hoffman gives the better performance in Rain Man though I think both are fantastic. Cruise’s characters have significant character arcs in both films but the one in Born on the 4th of July is more significant and over a longer time period.

@James Trapp- Thanks for the comment. Feels like a really good performance for him at the seventh slot.

He is very different in Tropic Thunder haha. Maybe this adds to his range. He was even nominated for a Golden Globe for this one

I’m a big fan. One of my top 5 favorite actor ever. Love his underrated work in the 80s/90s and the sort of Jackie Chan/Jean-Paul Belmondo he became in the 21th century. My top 10 of his performances :

1 – Magnolia 2 – Eyes Wide Shut 3 – Collateral 4 – Jerry Maguire 5 – Risky Business 6 – Born on the 4th of July 7 – The Color of Money 8 – Interview with the Vampire 9 – Rain Man 10 – Tropic Thunder

“There is Magnolia and then a sizable gulf between everything else … and then there is about seven (7) performances that are clumped together behind it virtually tied for second (from the four below on the top five and add Risky Business, Born on the Fourth of July, Minority Report).“

Sounds like a half-step-below version of Max Von Sydow. I haven’t seen Fourth of July or Risky Business, but having Minority Report as arguably your 8th best performance is wildly impressive. I caught that for the first time a couple months ago and I think Cruise is utterly fantastic in that (and that’s atleast HR/MS film for me)

@Matthew – I love Cruise in Minority Report, funny I also watched recently although I saw it around when it came out. It starts out with action star Tom Cruise doing the Tom Cruise running with his usual brash/cocky persona before the reveals about his characters tragic past.

Have you seen Vanilla Sky (2001)? Its quite polarizing but I am a big admirer of the film. It has some flaws but is fascinating and I love Cruise’s performance

I have not but I will add it to the watch list. Thanks for the rec

1. Magnolia – Cruise displaying his full skill set; the brash and confident persona, the hidden vulnerability that eventually comes out, the physicality from the way he moves on the stage to doing a literal backflip, the ultra fast and amusing talking and boasting like he’s Muhammad Ali being interviewed before a major fight. etc.

2. Eyes Wide Shut – some long stretches with little dialogue, Cruise’s character wandering through the streets of NYC in the middle of the night to his near trance like movements during the infamous Mansion scene

3. Collateral – fascinating character study of Vincent, Cruise’s chilling but strangely likeable and charismatic hitman

4. Born on the 4th of July – See my posting above

5. Vanilla Sky – polarizing film and character, I loved both. Amazing opening scene with Cruise plucking out a single gray hair then driving through an empty Times Square, all of this set to Radiohead’s “Everything in Its Right Place”. It really sets the mood and character for the rest of the film

6. Jerry Maguire – haven’t seen in a long time but even my memory of it is strong enough to put at # 6 of the list, it is tremendous, looking forward to another viewing

7. Risky Business – all time great performance as far Teenage/Young Adult sex comedies go

8. Minority Report – starts off like another Cruise action performance but is character instead is quite complex

9. Rain Man – also need to see again sometime but my memory is a great performance though I think Dustin Hoffman was a bit better which is certainly no insult

10. A Few Good Men – a little bit corny at times and with the onslaught of shows like Law and Order and its many spinoffs as well as the CSI Shows, Criminal Minds, etc. A Few Good Men does seem a tad dated now but the final interogation scene with Nicholson alone makes it a worthy performance in my book. Cruise plays to his strengths here

@Drake – Have you seen American Made? Its a 2017 film directed by Doug Liman, who I was not familiar with before although I have seen The Bourne Identity (2002) but that was long ago. By no means is it an essential film but it is actually fairly well directed, its like an Adam McKay film. The narrative pull is actually quite impressive, and Cruise does his usual thing, playing a cocky pilot with all the usual Tom Cruise swagger. What impressed me about Cruise here is that while this is a 2017 film it seems like it could have come out anytime from 1986 (the year of the original Top Gun) to 2017 (the year it actually was released). It just speaks to the longevity of Tom Cruises star power

@James Trapp- Yes, caught it in theater in 2017 and then when it made the home streaming circuit in 2018. Fun little movie and entertaining.

Tom Cruise’s best films ranked:

1.Magnolia(1999)-MP 2.Eyes Wide Shut(1999)-MP 3.Minority Report(2002)-HR 4.Collateral(2004)-R/HR 5.Jerry Maguire(1996)-R/HR 6.The Color of Money(1986)-R/HR 7.Born on the Fourth of July(1989)-R/HR 8.Risky Business(1983)-R/HR 9.A Few Good Men(1992)-R/HR 10.Top Gun: Maverick(2022)-R/HR

11.Vanilla Sky(2001)-R/HR

Praying for a Pitt-esque late career renaissance for Cruise. He was just casted in Inarritu‘s next film, is heavily rumored to be in Tarantino’s swan song, and has openly stated he wants to work with PTA (and auteur’s in general) again!

None of these are remotely close to Production

@Matthew- @Malith is right that these seem like they’re a year or two or more off – but I saw this story, too. Are we sure Cruise is up for this at this point? I’m hopeful- but not so sure. I’m sure he helps secure a larger budget for these auteurs.

@Matthew@Malith@Drake

I am a huge Cruise fan, every once in a while I binge watch several of his movies. His screen presence has always been significant and has not really dropped much. I thought he was great in the latest Mission Impossible.

I think a fair question to ask in regards to any actor or actress is what exactly motivates them. With Brad Pitt I have read before that he likes being involved in the production aspect of filmmaking because he loves being part of a team, he loves being a part of the collaboration process. Fellow actors/actresses and directors love working with Pitt because of this. Tom Cruise on the other hand is known for being difficult to work with. I am not saying that Cruise is a bad person, just much more difficult to work with than Brad Pitt. I would not completely discount the possibility of Cruise working with auteurs again but I am a little skepitcal. Still, fingers crossed

“Cruise is not an actor with great range, but nobody can play cocky and confidence better than Cruise”

I think Tom has range. He is very different in Tropic Thunder. I didn’t recognize him at all until the end credits with him dancing. I think it’s an achievement for him and he is more talented than say someone like Tom Hanks.

@Malith- hmm- yeah, that’s a fine – albeit very small example– but the point definitely stands- Cruise didn’t make a career of disappearing into characters, showing off accent work, etc.

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18 Reasons Why Tom Cruise Is the Best Actor of the Last 30 Years

President and Chief Creative Officer, Grey New York

Tom Cruise is the best actor of his generation. This is a statement I make with zero irony, and a statement that normally causes people to ask me one of three questions:

• Are you crazy?
• Are you a Scientologist?
• Are you gay?

To the best of my knowledge, I'm none of the above. I just think Tom Cruise has made more great movies than anyone else in Hollywood. Naysayers toss out names like Philip Seymour Hoffman, Edward Norton, and Daniel Day-Lewis -- all damn fine actors, but you can combine all their classic films and they still won't add up to the ridiculous body of work Tom Cruise has put together.

Oh, and just to be clear, most of these are pre-couch Cruise. He lost his mind and his talent the minute he bounced up and down like a giddy, bat-shit-crazy schoolgirl on Oprah . Talking post-couch Cruise is like talking post-text Tiger. It's just not fair.

So here are 18 pre-couch reasons why Tom Cruise is the best actor of the last 30 years. Please be open-minded as you read ahead. Don't be afraid to admit some things about yourself as this list opens your eyes to the big, bright light you've been drawn toward since you were in grade school. His glow is so bright, in fact, you've been blinded. Let me remove the glare:

• Taps : A remarkable introduction into Hollywood for the young actor playing a military schoolboy.
• The Outsiders : Oh yeah, you forgot he was in that classic coming-of-age story, didn't you? Well, he was. And he wore a lot of sleeveless denim shirts. And if you try to tell me you haven't seen that movie at least five times, or that you didn't cry when Macchio died right after telling Pony Boy to stay gold, you're lying.
• Risky Business : A young Cruise slides across his parents' hardwood floor in nothing but an oxford shirt, socks, and tighty whities. And a star is born.
• All the Right Moves : Come on, it's just a good, solid movie -- that you've seen seven times on cable.
• Top Gun : Mav 'n' Goose. Kenny Loggins. Shirtless volleyball scene. Biggest hit of the '80s. Enough said.
• The Color of Money : His black T-shirt simply said "Vince." Because that was his name. Let it not be forgotten that Cruise overshadows another great, Paul Newman, throughout the film.
• Cocktail : Seriously? Yes. Why? Because you've seen it nine times. And if it came on A&E Classics tonight, you'd watch it again.
• Rain Man : Dustin Hoffman got the Oscar on this one, but it was Cruise's subtle, powerful acting that allowed Hoffman to give his last great performance. Since then, Hoffman has been a bust. Coincidence? I think not.
• Born on the Fourth of July : Shattering the pretty-boy image, Cruise ages himself and gets out of shape, bald, and paralyzed for this tour-de-force role as a Vietnam vet. Cruise gets his first Oscar nomination, and the movie is nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture.
• A Few Good Men : Did you order the Code Red? You're God damned right I did! We wanted him, and needed him, on that wall.
• Mission Impossible : OK, it's easy to forget how good this was 16 years ago. But it was the largest grossing film of 1996 and set the mold for all the fast-paced, over-the-top espionage dramas like the Bourne franchise.
• Jerry Maguire : OK, this one I don't love, but it cannot be ignored on this list, as it got Cruise his second Oscar nomination for Best Actor. And like a great athlete, Cruise made those around him better. Never before or after would Cuba Gooding Jr. do anything that wasn't appalling and offensively bad. But under the tutelage of Cruise, the man won an Academy Award. It's like this: Scottie Pippen won six rings. Do we think that had something to do with him playing alongside Jordan? And yes, I just called Tom Cruise the Michael Jordan of acting. Boom!
• Eyes Wide Shut : Arguably Cruise's most nuanced and brilliant piece of acting. An underrated gem of a film, carried from start to finish by Cruise. And the "Fidelio" orgy scene.
• Magnolia : As motivational speaker Frank T.J. Mackey, Cruise steals every scene he's in and proves he can do humor with the best of 'em. The film gets an Oscar nomination for Best Picture.
• Vanilla Sky : See it again. Trust me.
• Minority Report : You've seen it. You love it. And you'll never forget that scene where he moves the hologram files around by waving his hands.
• Collateral : Cruise and Jamie Foxx turn what could have been a nothing movie into the AFI Movie of the Year. Ninety percent of the action is just the two of them in a cab. And it's riveting. That's acting, my friends.
• Tropic Thunder : A classic cameo role that will not soon be forgotten. Cruise flexes his comedy skills like never before.
• His scientology video: Yes, the one that accidentally went viral online. This is pure, unadulterated, mind-blowing genius. If he's acting, it's the role of a lifetime. If he's not acting, it's amazing that someone this fucking crazy can become a megastar, let alone function in the everyday world.

I know, I know. You can see more clearly now. You're welcome.

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Screen Rant

This 20-year-old tom cruise movie can lay the blueprint for his future after mission: impossible.

Tom Cruise won’t be able to do Mission: Impossible movies forever, but one of his old movies may have paved the way for his acting future.

• Tom Cruise's action star status faces a challenge as he ages, so exploring villain roles could be the key to his future success after Mission: Impossible .
• A return to the character depth of his role in Collateral could provide Cruise with exciting new opportunities in his career.
• Practical stunt work sets Cruise apart in action films, but taking on antagonistic roles could help him stay relevant in the industry.

Tom Cruise has been a movie star for over forty years, and one of his most underrated films could be the key to the next phase of his career after Mission: Impossible . Cruise, in his most recent star era, has become synonymous with daring stunt work and large action set pieces in his blockbuster films. The two most notable examples are his long-running Mission: Impossible franchise, which is currently filming its eighth installment, and Top Gun: Maverick , which was the highest-grossing film of 2022 .

In many ways, Cruise is as popular as he's ever been and remains one of the last examples of a true movie star. There's just one issue he faces, and it's one that will only get worse with time: he's now in his 60s. He's still in amazing shape for his age and can still perform all the stunts his action roles require of him. Yet, at a certain point, Cruise just won't be able to physically accomplish these feats anymore , and the question will arise of what he will do to define the next era of his career.

10 Movies That Defined Tom Cruise's Career

Tom cruise should follow collateral's blueprint after mission: impossible.

The answer regarding a future after Mission: Impossible lies with one of Cruise's most memorable roles as the cold-blooded hitman Vincent in Michael Mann's Collateral . Collateral follows a single night in the life of cab driver Max (Jamie Foxx), who is forced to transport Vincent around L.A. as he crosses off targets on his hit list. The film doesn't just feature excellent action scenes but also a fascinating back-and-forth between the two leads. Many long exchanges of dialogue happen within Max's cab, and the audience sees him and Vincent argue philosophically about the value of human life and their differing ideologies.

Cruise's movie star charisma brought layers of charm to Vincent's sociopathic demeanor

Cruise had to train for Collateral since it was an unexpected role, as the actor had never played the main villain of a film before, and to this day hasn't done it again since. The uniqueness of this notion paid off, as Collateral proved to be a healthy hit. It grossed $220 million worldwide from an estimated $65 million budget (via Box Office Mojo ). Cruise's movie star charisma brought layers of charm to Vincent's sociopathic demeanor, and it is still widely considered one of the best performances of Cruise's long and illustrious career. A return to this type of role would be an exciting prospect for the actor.

Every Michael Mann Movie, Ranked Worst To Best

Villain roles can help tom cruise stay relevant.

As Cruise gets older, it'll become more challenging for him to remain at the center of these action franchises. Unlike films like Indiana Jones and The Dial of Destiny , which heavily relied on CGI to assist 81-year-old Harrison Ford with the action scenes, Cruise's movies use their practical stunt work as a selling point. Top Gun: Maverick had Cruise flying real jets , and Mission Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One had him jumping off a massive cliff on a motorcycle. Too much CGI would cheapen the impact of these stunts, which have become a big part of Cruise's brand.

However, if Cruise takes on more antagonistic parts in movies like Collateral going forward, h e could not only avoid putting his body at risk in as many huge stunts but also access an untapped well of potential film roles . Cruise would still be a selling point in whatever franchise he chooses to be a part of, and he'd be able to explore the darkness he displayed as Vincent all those years ago. It'd be an exciting development for fans to witness, full of possibilities, and could prove to be the key to Tom Cruise staying relevant through the 2020s and beyond.

Source: Box Office Mojo

The Tom Cruise Role That Was Written With Tom Hanks in Mind

A tale of two Toms.

The Big Picture

• Tom Cruise showed a surprisingly seasoned and thoughtful approach to his film choices in the 1990s, working with prestigious directors on risky projects.
• Cameron Crowe originally wrote the role of Jerry Maguire with Tom Hanks in mind, but Hanks declined, giving Cruise the opportunity to showcase vulnerability in his performance.
• Cruise's comedic vulnerability in films like Risky Business and All the Right Moves proved that he could handle romantic roles, and Jerry Maguire showcased his ability to deliver surprising and powerful moments in a rom-com setting.

Tom Cruise is most closely associated with the action genre these days due to the success of Top Gun and Mission: Impossible , but in the 1990s, it seemed like he made it a goal to work with nearly every great filmmaker on a prestige project. Between Sydney Pollack ’s The Firm , Rob Reiner ’s A Few Good Men , Neil Jordan ’s Interview with the Vampire , and Stanley Kubrick ’s Eyes Wide Shut , Cruise showed a surprising amount of discretion in the risky projects that he joined. Ironically, the role that earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor was Cameron Crowe ’s Jerry Maguire , which was a mainstream success and audience favorite. The film gave Cruise some of the most endearing, iconic, and hilarious moments of his entire filmography, but it wasn’t a role that was originally written with him in mind.

Jerry Maguire

Cameron crowe wrote ‘jerry maguire’ for tom hanks.

Crowe is among the foremost directors of romantic comedies, as his films tend to go beyond simply being crowd-pleasers to say something powerful about the nature of love, and what it means to be in a relationship. While he had proven his competence within the genre with the 1989 coming-of-age dramedy Say Anything and the ensemble project Singles , Jerry Maguire was arguably his most ambitious project to date. It was the type of film that relied upon an established movie star to show vulnerability, and Crowe had his sights set on which A-Lister he wanted in the role of the titular sports agent.

In 2017, Crowe told NBC Sports that the role “was originally written with Tom Hanks in mind,” and that he “had this wonderful conversation with Tom Hanks, and people were waiting in the next room for the answer.” Crowe found that he was “high on the Tom Hanks personality charisma.” However, Hanks was busy working on his directorial effort That Thing You Do! , and could not commit to Crowe’s project. Hanks would later joke that he “would like to think, however, that Tom Cruise owes me one dollar, and I’m still waiting for the check.”

Cruise was very complimentary of Hanks , stating that “as a fan of his, I would have been very interested to see what he would have done with that character.” However, Cruise was keen to note that he put significant effort into ensuring that the role could become his own. Cruise said that he “spent nine months with Cameron going back and forth developing” the characterization of Jerry. While the work that Cruise puts into the physical stunts within his action films is evident to anyone that watches them, the efforts he took to develop such a complex character were more subtle.

'Jerry Maguire' Lets Tom Cruise Get Vulnerable

On paper, Hanks seemed like a more obvious choice for the role. While he had a newfound prestige thanks to his back-to-back Academy Award wins for Best Actor in Philadelphia and Forrest Gump , he was still at his core a comedic actor that had shown his aptitude within the rom-com genre. Romantic comedies were huge in the ‘90s, but his collaborations with Meg Ryan in the films Joe Versus the Volcano , You’ve Got Mail, and Sleepless in Seattle were among the best. However, Hanks’ refusal gave Cruise the chance to give an uncharacteristically vulnerable performance that pushed him as an actor.

Tom Cruise Inspired Christian Bale's Performance in 'American Psycho'

Tom Cruise tends to take on drama roles and isn't generally associated with comedy, but he’s proven on more than one occasion that he’s much funnier than some of his fans might expect. Outside his iconic cameos in Tropic Thunder and Austin Powers in Goldmember , Cruise showed a comedic vulnerability in his early films Risky Business and All the Right Moves . In both films, he plays a teenager who bites off more than they can chew, and they end up making a lot of ill-advised decisions for the sake of what they perceive to be true love. These films showed that Cruise was willing to make himself the butt of a joke, and didn’t have the ego that he’s sometimes associated with. However, these skills were set aside in the immediate aftermath as Cruise focused on films with a more serious edge to them .

'Jerry Maguire' Is Proof That Tom Cruise Should Do More Romantic Movies

That level of vulnerability is something Hanks has utilized throughout his career, and a reason why his romantic comedies with Ryan are so endearing to this day. It makes perfect sense why he would have been someone that Crowe had in mind, but casting Cruise forced the Mission: Impossible star to show that same romantic vulnerability that had been absent in his filmography since the late 1980s. It was a choice that ended up making Jerry Maguire more surprising. Audiences would expect to see Hanks pouring out his heart to Renée Zellweger about how he feels, but seeing Cruise do it came as a shock, making the “you complete me” moment even more powerful.

When Jerry sets forth with his ambitious mission statement regarding his intentions for his company, it feels like his breakthrough will be accepted automatically, so it’s hilarious when his speech is met with a collective shrug from his co-workers. However, seeing Cruise descend into madness as Jerry digs himself deeper by ranting (and even stealing a fish) results in one of the funniest moments in the entire film. These sorts of physical gags are something that Hanks has done all the time, but Cruise had to show a wacky side of his personality that he hadn’t accessed since his adolescent roles.

Cruise continues to push the boundaries of his physicality as recently as 2023's Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One , and he’ll be doing the same thing for the next installment. However, Cruise is also 61 years old, and can’t be doing action films forever. Perhaps choosing to go back to the romantic comedy genre for the first time since Jerry Maguire would be the best choice for Cruise to prove that, even after all these years, he’s still one of the greatest movie stars in the world.

Jerry Maguire is available to rent on Prime Video in the U.S.

Rent on Prime Video

From Tom Cruise breakdancing to Spice Girls reuniting, reports from Victoria Beckham's bash capture imagination

Tom Cruise breakdancing, a Spice Girls reunion and tons of A-list celebrities gathering in one location have social media and the general public in awe over Victoria Beckham's 50th birthday party.

Beckham, who celebrated half a century over the weekend, posted about the luxurious soiree Sunday on Instagram.

But some of the most buzzworthy moments went intentionally unrecorded.

"I don’t think I’ve ever felt as loved as I did last night," Beckham's post said. "Thank you all for coming from near and so far!! X"

In the post, Beckham shared pictures of her with actor Eva Longoria, celebrity Chef Gordon Ramsay, her husband, soccer star David Beckham and some of the couple's children.

In another Instagram post, Beckham shared a picture of her and the four other members of the English pop group, the Spice Girls.

"The best gift to be reunited!! Thank you to all my friends and family for celebrating with me. Kisses! xxx," Beckham's post about the Spice Girls said.

Guests 'absolutely dumbfounded' by Tom Cruise's dancing, reports say

Not included in either post were other famous attendees who came to celebrate with the Beckhams at Oswald’s, a private member’s club owned by Robin Birley in London's Mayfair district.

Oswald's is strict about taking photos and allowing social media within the venue , according to the club's member's privacy notice.

Actors Tom Cruise and Salma Hayek both made an appearance at Beckham's party and while one left an impression with their outfit, the other left it all on the dance floor, the Daily Mail reported.

Cruise, who turned 61 in July 2023, stunned guests when he began demonstrating "a series of breakdancing moves, culminating in splits," the outlet said.

"People were absolutely dumbfounded," one guest told the Daily Mail.

Social media reacts to Tom Cruise's 'split mania' and not receiving an invite to Victoria Beckham's party

While no photos or videos of Cruise dancing exist online, social media users continue to poke fun at the expense of the "Mission Impossible" movie star. An X user who goes by @Douggernaut_2 posted a clip of actor Mike Myers dancing in the film "Austin Powers" and said, "Tom Cruise arriving at Victoria Beckham's bday."

Several social media users hearkened back to when Cruise played the Les Grossman character in the 2008 comedy movie "Tropic Thunder." Cruise would hilariously reprise the character during the 2010 MTV Movie Awards and dance to rapper Ludacris' song "Get Back."

"Remember when Tom Cruise did this," X user @charletty_ said Monday in a post reacting to the video of Cruise's full dance routine at the awards show.

During the routine with singer and actress Jennifer Lopez, Cruise does a split on stage. X user @danilo_parks said Monday in a post, "It's real Tom Cruise does the splits mania out there today."

In addition to seeing Cruise do splits and the Spice Girls perform, guests also received goody bags full of Beckham's branded products, including a candle and a fragrance, the Telegraph reported.

All the fun has people wondering where their invite was to Beckham's birthday party, including X user @StaceyVaselaney who said, "I’m sitting here shaking my head wondering why wasn’t I invited to Victoria Beckham’s 50th birthday party."

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DEAUVILLE, FRANCE - SEPTEMBER 06: Thandiwe Newton attends the red carpet for "God's Country" ... [+] Premiere prior "Deauville Talent Award" ceremony during the 48th Deauville American Film Festival on September 06, 2022 in Deauville, France. (Photo by Sylvain Lefevre/WireImage)

Jenna Ortega’s new Wednesday co-star Thandiwe Newton just joined Tim Burton’s acting family, following in the footsteps of an actor she’s very familiar with.

Variety reported Tuesday that Newton would be joining Season 2 of the hit Netflix Netflix series in an unspecified role. Wednesday marks the first time Newton will appear in a Burton project, although she already has a connection to the director thanks to the work of her daughter Nico Parker.

Nico Parker — the daughter of Newton and director Ol Parker — played a key role in Burton’s 2019 live-action update of the classic Walt Disney Walt Disney film Dumbo .

In Dumbo — which stars such Burton luminaries as Michael Keaton and Danny DeVito — Nico Parker plays Milly Farrier, the daughter of returning war veteran-turned-circus hand Holt Farrier (Colin Farrell).

Nico Parker’s recent credits include the 2023 series adaptation of the hit video game The Last of Us opposite Pedro Pascal . Ol Parker, meanwhile, has directed such films as Ticket to Paradise , The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel and Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again .

HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA - AUGUST 17: (L-R) Nico Parker and Thandiwe Newton attend the Warner Bros. ... [+] Pictures "Reminiscence" Los Angeles Premiere at TCL Chinese Theatre on August 17, 2021 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Rodin Eckenroth/FilmMagic)

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New apple id password reset issue hitting iphone ipad and macbook users, new ios 18 ai security move changes the game for all iphone users, newton brings plenty of experience to ‘wednesday’.

Thandiwe Newton has amassed nearly 50 credits in film and television since she kicked off her screen career in 1991.

Newton’s film credits include the 1994 Tom Cruise-Brad Pitt version of Interview with the Vampire and she re-teamed with Cruise for Mission: Impossible II in 2000. Newton has also starred in such films as Crash , The Chronicles of Riddick , Solo: A Star Wars Story and Reminiscence — the latter of which also features Nico Parker.

Most recently, Newton voiced the role of Ginger in the 2023 Netflix original stop-motion animated movie Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget .

On television, Newton starred in the pivotal role of Maeve Millay in the Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy sci-fi series Westworld , which earned her an Outstanding Supporting Actress in Drama Series Emmy Award in 2018.

Newton’s other TV work includes voice roles in two Netflix animated shows — Human Resources and Big Mouth — and a starring role in the DirecTV crime drama Rogue .

Newton is the second big casting addition to Wednesday of late. Last week, Variety reported that Steve Buscemi — who previously starred in Tim Burton’s 2003 fantasy hit Big Fish — was joining the cast to play the new principal of Nevermore Academy.

Wednesday Season 2 is expected to premiere on Netflix in 2025.

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