Tom Cruise wasn’t in Russell Crowe’s good books because of one event but they still worked together in 2017’s ill-fated The Mummy reboot.
Russell Crowe gained critical acclaim for his performance in films like Gladiator, which won him his first Academy Award. The Australian actor has also tasted commercial success and established himself as one of the finest leading men of the 1990s and 2000s. As a result, Crowe became a contemporary and friend of actor Tom Cruise.
However, Crowe and Cruise allegedly did not see eye to eye following an incident in the latter’s personal life. As a result, it was widely reported that the Crowe hated Cruise and held a grudge against him. Therefore, it is a miracle that the two worked together in the ill-fated 2017 film The Mummy. Here is everything you need to know about the tension between Russell Crowe and Tom Cruise.
Russell Crowe Allegedly Held a Grudge Against Tom Cruise Over the Latter’s Divorce With Nicole Kidman
Actor Russell Crowe hails from Australia, where he met and befriended actress Nicole Kidman before they gained mainstream fame. Kidman married Tom Cruise in 1990 but the couple later divorced in 2001. As a result, it was reported that Crowe sided with Kidman following the divorce and cut off ties with Cruise.
According to sources close to the Gladiator actor, it was alleged that Cruise hadn’t been in Crowe’s good books. The source stated the following regarding Crowe’s grudge against the Mission: Impossible star (via Daily Mail):
Russell is a loyal guy and never forgave Tom for the way he treated Nicole.
The source also revealed that Crowe felt remaining friends with Cruise would’ve felt like a betrayal given the actor’s close friendship with Kidman.
Furthermore, the same source reported some tension between Cruise and Crowe while they were filming 2017’s The Mummy, a reboot of the fantasy adventure franchise. Therefore, it has been widely speculated that Cruise and Crowe haven’t been on good terms since the former divorced from Kidman.
Russell Crowe Explained Why He Worked With Tom Cruise on The Mummy
Despite allegedly holding a grudge, Crowe did agree to work with Tom Cruise when he signed on to play the role of Dr. Henry Jekyll / Mr. Edward “Eddie” Hyde in The Mummy, which featured Cruise in the lead role of Nick Morton and was planned as the start of a new shared universe.
In a conversation with Entertainment Tonight, Crowe addressed distancing himself from Cruise following the latter’s divorce, seemingly confirming the speculation regarding his grudge. He said (via Yahoo.com):
I was really good friends with Tom from probably about ’92 or so until he got divorced. When he got divorced, I was part of Nicole [Kidman]’s settlement and so we didn’t see each other.
From Crowe’s words, it is evident that the actor did not share the same friendship with Cruise following the divorce but remained close to Kidman. However, the Crowe also did not appear to hold a grudge and was practical about the situation.
Crowe explained that he had always held great respect for Cruise and looked forward to working with him on The Mummy. However, the film was a major box-office disappointment, grossing only $410 million against a high budget. As a result, plans for the future installments were scrapped, reducing the chances of Crowe and Cruise working together again.