20 unexpected facts about Tom Cruise (21 photos)
Tom Cruise is perhaps one of the most controversial figures in Hollywood and is familiar to everyone. But how much do we really know about him? Members of the Reddit community “Today I Found Out” lifted the veil of secrecy and shared unexpected and intriguing facts about the legendary actor.
1. By a strange coincidence, all of Tom Cruise's wives (Nicole Kidman, Katie Holmes and Mimi Rogers) were 33 years old when he divorced them.
2. Initially, Aladdin from the cartoon of the same name was supposed to look like Michael J. Fox, but the character looked too young, and in the end the artists took the appearance of Tom Cruise as a basis.
3. Tom Cruise was diagnosed with dyslexia when he was seven years old.
4. Every year for Christmas, Tom Cruise sends Kirsten Dunst, his Interview with the Vampire co-star, a cake. Typically coconut.
5. After the release of Top Gun (1986), the Navy recruit population increased by 500%.
6. Tom Cruise was offered the role of Edward Scissorhands. However, he didn't like the sad ending and eventually backed out. The role went to Johnny Depp.
7. Tom Cruise and Cher had a brief affair in the 1980s.
8. Stanley Kubrick was such a ruthless perfectionist that, according to rumors, during the filming of Eyes Wide Shut, the scene in which Tom Cruise simply opens the door was filmed in only 95 takes.
9. This is Tom Cruise literally hanging from the side of the plane. Everyone knows he does his own stunts, and the latest installment in the Mission: Impossible franchise is no exception.
10. Tom Cruise once witnessed an accident in which the driver fled the scene. The victim did not have insurance, so he paid her $7,000 hospital bill.
11. In high school, Tom was a linebacker on the school football team. He was kicked off the team after he was caught drinking beer before a match.
12. Tom was one of the finalists in the competition for the role of Neo in The Matrix.
13. In Japan, October 10 is celebrated as “Tom Cruise Day.”
14. When the film Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels was released, Tom Cruise supported it at one of the screenings. His support boosted the careers of Jason Statham and Guy Ritchie.
15. Tom Cruise was delighted with the script for “Tropic Soldiers” and wanted to create the character (including dancing) of Les Grossman himself.
16. In the late 70s, things were not going well for Ray-Ban. The company then signed Tom Cruise to a 60-film deal (including Top Gun, Risky Business, Rain Man) in which he would wear their glasses, and that saved the company.
17. The actor's full name is Thomas Cruise Mapother IV. He officially dropped the surname Mapother because the actor's father abused him as a child and he did not want to use his surname.
18. Christian Bale used Tom Cruise's mannerisms to create the character of Patrick Bateman in American Psycho.
19. To prepare for The Last Samurai, Cruise studied Japanese for two years and learned to fight with swords.
20. Woody Harrelson was very close to playing Jerry Maguire in the film of the same name, but then Tom Cruise appeared.