Tom Cruise has been a bona fide heartthrob since sliding onto screens in a pink shirt and tighty whities in the 1983 comedy-drama “Risky Business.” Since then, he’s delivered box office smash hit after smash hit, making him one of the biggest stars in the world. However, Cruise’s reputation has soured over time, and he’s no longer the Hollywood darling he once was.
With the rise of the tabloids, actors became equally well-known for their off-screen antics as their on-screen abilities. For some, that added to their allure. Cruise? Not so much. He unwittingly found himself an object of ridicule and a Late Night punchline, providing a never-ending supply of gossip, front-page headlines, and alleged scandals.
If you had a dollar for every time Cruise has been controversial, you’d be able to dine out at Nobu every night for a year. Then, there are all the crazy rumors and his slew of wild interviews. Lock up your couches, people. And, of course, there’s Cruise’s involvement in Scientology that’s caused ripples throughout the entertainment world and impacted his dating and personal life. Still, Cruise remains a firm fan favorite and box office draw as each new “Mission Impossible” installment continues to bank hundreds of millions of dollars. So, have industry insiders really turned their backs on him? From a luxury car ban to a dwindling list of willing directors to an ever-increasing number of celeb haters, we’re looking at the signs that Cruise’s reputation in Hollywood has soured.
Cruise’s Bugatti ban
One of the many perks of A-lister life is the wildly lavish freebies thrown the stars’ way. Elite brands fall over themselves to be associated with the Hollywood jet set, hoping the chosen few will be snapped flaunting one of their overpriced watches on the red carpet or zipping down Rodeo Drive in their latest fancy motor.
So, it’s a telling sign that Tom Cruise has purportedly made it onto Bugatti’s ban list. The French luxury car manufacturer is a longtime celeb favorite. Jay Leno, Kylie Jenner, Cristiano Ronaldo, Tom Brady, and Jay-Z are just a few of the faces that can be spotted behind a steering wheel. And Cruise is one of the most famous of them all. However, he’s now been permanently prohibited from ever purchasing another one of its cars, which, according to Motor Trend, range in price from 3 to 12.5 million dollars. So, how did Cruise land himself in the Bugatti black book? Well, the company holds a grudge because it’s down to a flubbed entrance at the “Mission Impossible 3” premiere in 2005.
Cruise pulled up to the red carpet in his Bugatti Veyron and struggled to open the door for 40 seconds. Lookers on were amused, but Bugatti was mortally offended, believing it damaged its image as a feat of engineering. Still, Cruise is in esteemed company. According to Modern Car Collector, Kim Kardashian and Justin Bieber have also copped luxury car bans for perceived wrongdoings.
Cruise’s outspoken celeb haters
Tom Cruise is adored by his fans, and there’s a reason for it. The superstar is one of the red carpet’s hardest workers. He’s famed for arriving early, sometimes up to two hours before role call, to mingle with the crowds. Cruise ensures he’s on his charming game, flashing his megawatt smile, chatting, and never refusing selfies.
However, it’s a different matter regarding his fellow A-listers. An inordinate number of celebs can’t stand Cruise and are unusually willing to talk about it. Leah Remini is top of the list. Since leaving Scientology, she’s been outspoken about her disdain for Cruise. Then, there is Brooke Shields. After writing a memoir about her struggle with postpartum depression, Shields, understandably, took offense at Cruise mansplaining psychiatry and pushing Scientology as a cure in a heated interview with “Today” in June 2005. “If any good can come of Mr. Cruise’s ridiculous rant, let’s hope that it gives much-needed attention to a serious disease,” she wrote in a New York Times op-ed.
Meanwhile, Mickey Rourk called Cruise “irrelevant” in a July 2022 “Talk TV” interview. Oh, the irony. Thandie Newton said it was awful working with him. “He was a very dominant individual. He tries super hard to be a nice person. But the pressure,” she told Vulture in July 2020. “He takes on a lot. And I think he has this sense that only he can do everything as best as it can be done.”
Cruise’s shrinking pool of directors
During his 40-year career, Tom Cruise hasn’t had a lot of flops. So, given his track record, you’d think filmmakers would be scrambling to sign up Cruise — and at one time, they were — he’s worked with all the greats, including Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola, Stephen Spielberg, Oliver Stone, and Stanley Kubrick, among others.
However, the pool of directors seeking him out has drastically shrunk. Some claim it’s because he developed a bad rep. Spielberg was apparently furious with the actor over his behavior in the run-up to the 2005 release of “War of the Worlds.” Kim Masters reported on her KRCW-FM radio show, “The Business,” that sources told her Speilberg estimated Cruise’s Oprah couch-jumping fiasco, non-stop Katie Holmes fangirling, and Brooke Shields’ psychiatry attack cost the movie $30 million in box office takings. The two have apparently kissed and made up, but there’s still no collaboration on the horizon.
Meanwhile, Kubrick reportedly hated working with Cruise, claiming he ruined “Eyes Wide Shut” by bullying and strongarming him into changing direction. “[Kubrick] was kind of a shy little timid guy. He wasn’t real forceful. That’s why he didn’t appreciate working with big, high-powered actors,” the auteur’s friend, R Lee Ermey, told Radar in October 2006 (via The Guardian). “They would have their way with him, he would lose control, and his movie would turn to s**t.”
Cruise’s action movie relegation
Some industry insiders believe that his never-ending stream of action movies is a clear sign that Tom Cruise’s reputation in Hollywood has soured. At one time, he flexed his acting muscles in films like “Vanilla Sky” and “Jerry Maguire.” But these days, Cruise appears to only flex his physical muscles, jumping from helicopters and leaping from burning buildings in one death-defying stunt after another. The last non-action flick Cruise made was 2012’s “Rock of Ages.” Since then, it’s been pretty much a never-ending stream of “Jack Reacher” and “Mission Impossible,” with a bit of “Top Gun” thrown in for good measure.
It’s likely no coincidence that Cruise’s pool of award-winning movie opportunities started drying up following his 2005 Oprah couch-jumping incident, which made him a subject of ridicule. That was followed by TomKat mania, subsequent divorce fallout, Scientology reveals, and a split from his longtime producing partner, Paula Wagner. Still, it didn’t damage Cruise’s box office takings. According to MovieWeb, 2022’s “Top Gun: Maverick” grossed nearly $1.5 billion worldwide.
However, Cruise may attempt to dip his toes back into the non-action movie world. In January 2024, Warner Bros. Discovery announced a new deal with the actor to “Jointly develop and produce original and franchise theatrical films starring Cruise.”
Cruise’s TV battle
Paramount learned the hard way that nobody puts Tom Cruise in the corner. The film giant’s streaming service was hit big time, hemorrhaging money due to mass service outages and causing layoffs across the board. Film Take reported that Paramount Global suffered an astounding $5.4 billion loss in the second quarter of 2022, leaving it scrambling to make up revenue.
With that in mind, execs came up with the genius idea to remove “Mission Impossible” from cinemas after just 45 days and switch it to the small screen, streaming on its beleaguered Paramount+ — which was a guaranteed way to recoup a considerable chunk of change. The actor was having none of it, though, and immediately called in the lawyers.
The two agreed to a ceasefire until “MI:7” was in the can. But, given the level of Cruise control at play, it was pretty much a given he’d win the war. The actor and studio also battled it out over a plan to develop a “Days of Thunder” series to stream on Paramount+. Oh, and a “Mission Impossible.” Oh no, they didn’t! Yep, correct, they didn’t. As for proposed budget cuts? Cruise inevitably won that war, too.