Tom Cruise: the superstar of Tinseltown who not only steals scenes but also hearts, uplifting others one generous gesture at a time!
True superstars exist once in a lifetime and it looks like the spot is currently held occupied by Tom Cruise. The man has such irresistible charm that whenever he is on screen you are so captivated by his presence that it’s impossible to move your eyes from the screen. If there is an ambassador for Tinseltown, it is Tom Cruise.
Despite being the brightest star in the sky, Tom Cruise has not let the fame get to his head. There are countless recollections from his colleagues who swear by the man’s generosity and kindness. Director Cameron Crowe narrated such an endearing anecdote about the actor which really makes one wonder about his relationship with his estranged daughter, Suri.
Tom Cruise’s Adorable Gesture for a Child Actor
Tom Cruise has a daughter with Katie Holmes, Suri, who was born in 2006 and has just turned eighteen recently. Unfortunately, the father-daughter duo are estranged and haven’t seen each other for a long time.
However, Jerry Maguire director Cameron Crowe opening up about Cruise’s treatment of a child actor makes his relationship with Suri a little hard to grasp.
Cruise played the role of a sports agent who was fired from his job after unveiling the truth about the profession. The film was critically acclaimed and he also got himself his second Oscar nomination.
The film sees Cruise’s character become a father figure to young Jonathan Lipnicki’s Ray Boyd, the son of Jerry’s love interest, Dorothy (Renée Zellweger). Before the role went to Lipnicki, though, there was another child actor who worked on the film before exiting.
Despite the kid leaving the film, Cruise made sure to stay in touch with him. He would call him, write to him, and even send him gifts. In fact, he did this all under the radar and Crowe only got to learn about the actor’s selfless actions when the mother of the child called him up and thanked him for Cruise’s generosity.
Speaking to Deadline, Crowe revealed,
Tom stayed in touch with the mother of the kid who had asked to be replaced. Tom wrote him and called and sent him stuff. I only knew this because his mother called to say, ‘Thank you for everything Tom Cruise has done to make my son feel good about even being in the movie and working with him as much as he did.’ I went to Tom on the set and said I couldn’t believe what he’d done, spending the last few weeks making sure his spirits were high.
Cruise had a very simple yet commendable reason that made him go to lengths to make the kid’s day.
Tom just said, ‘Well, I just don’t want that guy growing up, looking at movies and feeling disappointed about what happened. I want him to love movies.’ Wow.
“Wow” indeed. Well, going all out for his colleagues is kind of a Cruise thing, isn’t it?
Tom Cruise Had the Perfect Advice for Jonathan Lipnicki
After the child actor walked away from the film, he was replaced with Lipnicki who was only 6 years old during filming. He is now 33 years old. Time flies by quickly, doesn’t it?
A few years ago, E! Insider got ahold of the actor and asked him about his time on Jerry Maguire and what it was like working with THE Tom Cruise himself. First of all, Lipnicki couldn’t help but gush on about his ex-co-star calling him everything from charismatic to captivating.
Lipnicki opened up about a great piece of advice Cruise had for him back in the day,
He told me to keep creating whatever it is in my life, create different things and I have taken that advice and I’ve made my own shorts and I have a movie coming out April 14th that I produced. I’m hustling and I’m a hard worker because I worked with Tom Cruise.
Lipnicki stated that while Cruise is a busy guy and they haven’t been in touch for some time, the superstar has always been there for him whenever needed. Lipnicki once called up United Artists’ office to get in touch with Cruise and eventually, the latter got back to the former and invited him over for a chat.
Well, it looks like Cruise really knows how to keep a good relationship with his colleagues!