One Tom Cruise Movie That Didn't Pay Him a Dime For Acting
Tom Cruise had something much more valuable to offer.
After the huge success of Mission Impossible, there was no question about Tom Cruise's talent and dedication. The actor quickly became one of the most sought-after stars, not only for action spy movies, but for all genres across the board.
Tom Cruise's presence became synonymous with success, making him both loved and somewhat feared in the industry.
As Jerry Maguire writer-director Cameron Crowe had to admit on Alec Baldwin's Here's the Thing podcast, he was thrilled to have Cruise on the production, but terrified of losing all control.
Of course, nothing would have made him give up his position as director, but there were some rumors that Cruise would make any movie set he was on his own.
Fortunately, Crowe was able to overcome his fear and learn just how engaged and cooperative the actor actually was.
He remembers being very surprised that Tom Cruise was willing to fly from London to New York to do the readings. As sweet as that moment was, it turned out to be just the beginning of what Cruise had to offer.
Both the director himself and the studio weren't sure what kind of reaction they would get from the audience, and they ended up being right, because the audience tests didn't go very well.
Nevertheless, Tom Cruise always believed in the success of Jerry Maguire and decided to help the movie with some promotion, which he could do thanks to the fame he had already earned.
"Tom came from London to New York and said, 'Boys, I'm gonna do some promotion'. <...> By the end of the week, our numbers were way high. He basically blew us a kiss, went back to England, and the movie opened," Crowe said.
"It was the brawn of him coming to say, 'OK, guys, I act for free. This is what you pay me for. I'm going to give them everything I've got for this movie.'"
The hard work of the team behind the production, and Tom Cruise's face basically selling the movie to the public, paid off as it grossed $273 million and proved to be a huge success.
No matter how great the acting was, it would never have gotten half or the recognition it deserved if it wasn't for Cruise's investment in its success.
Source: Here's the Thing