Years after missing out on an Oscar win, iconic actor Tom Cruise opened up about how he brought an emotional yet complex character to life.
After a nearly 5-decade run in Hollywood, Tom Cruise has become one of the industry’s most bankable stars. The actor has become known for his dedication, physical stunts, and larger-than-life roles. However, some of his roles have required a more immersive style of method acting. While the actor has always gone all-out for his films, he revealed that drawing from his own life experience was not something he believed in.
Cruise always chose to forge a different path for himself. This was especially evident in one of his best performances in the 1999 film, Magnolia, which many of his fans believe deserved an Oscar win.
Tom Cruise shared his acting approach for Magnolia
In 1999, Tom Cruise stunned the world with his performance in Paul Thomas Anderson’s Magnolia. In fact, it even remains one of the standout performances of his career. In the film, he played Frank T.J. Mackey, a misogynistic self-help guru who taught men how to exert dominance over women.
The character was complex, layered, and challenging, showcasing a side of the actor that audiences had rarely seen before. With Cruise taking on such an in-depth character, the world had expected the star to have taken emotions from his own life for the portrayal. However, in an interview with SBS The Feed, the 62-year-old revealed that wasn’t the case.
It’s not that I don’t like doing that, it’s that I don’t find it necessary. You know, you look at a child who’s there and he has the most amazing imagination. You know, children, you’re just looking at them and they can create, become different characters instantly. That’s just how I develop character.
Cruise’s explanation behind his acting methods only left his fans having more respect for his process. However, everyone had expected him to win an Oscar for his Mackey and he didn’t. Although the actor was nominated for Best Actor in a Supporting Role, the Oscar ended up going to
Roberto Benigni for his role in Life Is Beautiful.
Cruise’s role in the drama classic was extremely heart-touching. After all, the emotional scene between the character and his estranged father, Earl Patridge had struck a chord with everyone. However, for the actor, there wasn’t much he could pull from his real life as his own relationship with his father was a little rocky.
Tom Cruise sheds light on his relationship with his father
Throughout his career, Tom Cruise has been vocal about his strained relationship with his father, Thomas Mapother III. With the star mainly being raised by his mother, Mary Lee Pfeiffer, who divorced his dad in 1974, he did not have much of a bond with him. However, there were still some memories that continued to haunt him.
In an interview with Parade Magazine (via CBS News), Cruise recalled his early childhood being lived in fear and anxiety. However, his father’s behavior helped him learn a few major life lessons.
He (Mapother) was a bully and a coward… the kind of person where, if something goes wrong, they kick you. It was a great lesson in my life – how he’d lull you in, make you feel safe, and then, bang! For me, it was like, ‘There’s something wrong with this guy. Don’t trust him. Be careful around him.’ There’s that anxiety.
Although the two eventually reconciled, it was on Mapother’s deathbed. Cruise revealed that he chose to leave the past behind him and see his father one last time. The actor stated, “When I saw him in pain, I thought, ‘Wow, what a lonely life,’ He was in his late 40s. It was sad.”
Shortly after their final visit, Mapother passed away from cancer. Although having an absent father seemed to teach the star to keep his loved one close, that ended up changing over time. In fact, Cruise, who himself became a father to Suri with Katie Holmes also ended up being estranged from his child.