Is it a bird, an airplane? No, it’s … the planet’s most famous Scientologist. On Wednesday night, Cannes went into a spin when one of Hollywood’s biggest stars made a comeback on the Croisette to sell himself as the overwintered fighter pilot in the sequel “Top gun: Maverick”.
“Empty! Empty! Tom! ”, Star-eyed fans shouted outside the festival palace when a Cruise stepped out of a black car dressed in etiquette gala evening attire. Just before entering the red carpet in his black tuxedo, a rotel of French fighter jets swept forward, coloring the sky red, white and blue across the Gulf of Cannes – a tribute to the star who did more publicity than anyone else for the US Air Force.
– An incredible evening and an incredible moment. It’s been 36 years since “Top Gun” and we had to keep the film for two years due to the pandemic. I’ll try to digest this and I will never forget this evening, Tom Cruise told the gala audience.
That it took over 30 years to get shot with the sequel was because Cruise wanted to wait until “it could be done right” and told that he figured out how the script could be done for years. To top it all, “Top gun 2” was delayed by two years due to covid-19. Releasing the film on the streaming market was never on the map, Tom Cruise explained earlier in the day in a surprisingly boring masterclass interview.
– They could not do that. That would not happen, no, Cruise said, tearing down applause from the tagged audience.
– I make films for the big screen. Cinema is my love, my passion. I always go and watch movies when they come out. I put on my cap and sit in the audience with everyone else, Tom Cruise explained.
For most of the event, the star went on autopilot – or perhaps rather Cruise control – and he sounded like a laser-guided PR robot. For being an actor who has been nominated for an Oscar three times (“Born on the Fourth of July”, “Jerry Maguire” and “Magnolia”), the audience got very little out of the acting secrets.
Sometimes the star sounded rather like a parody of Ricky Gervai’s flamboyant middle manager David Brent in “The Office”:
– The derivation of art is skill. I checked it out. It’s skill. For my goals were: How do I become proficient in many, many things? I grew up on film recordings in rooms with screenwriters and in editing rooms. I have spent my life – an incredible and very privileged life – with something I have wanted to do. And I have always loved having an audience and I make my films for the audience, said Tom Cruise and also came up with an explanation of the difference between making film and television:
– It takes different skills to write a film than to write for television. Just like theater is different from film. It is a completely different skill, explained Cruise who has also appeared in films such as “Interview with a Vampire”, “Vanilla sky”, “War of the worlds”, “Collateral”, “A few good men” and “Days of thunder” .
As a four-year-old, he dreamed about flying and making movies. Now he is so grateful to be able to do both. He loves danger and risk-taking but is also funky when he does his own stunts in the “Mission Impossible” movies.
– But no one asks Gene Kelly: “Why are you dancing? Why do you sing yourself? ”Said Cruise, who also revealed that he takes lessons in singing, dancing to constantly improve his skills.
– If I make a musical, I want to sing and dance. And I want to see how I do it. You have to figure out how to do it, it’s not just about doing it – in what way is it part of the story to be told? And how do you get the audience involved? It is always better to try than not to do so. It’s always better to ask the question and not be afraid, Tom Cruise explained.
He also revealed his superpower as an actor.
– I have a thing, I remember every single shot on every single movie I have made. I remember which lenses were used. Yes, I remember everything, Cruise explained.
– I always try to create something in front of the camera that is alive and direct. I do not want the audience to see the effort behind my job.
“Top Gun: Maverick” has its Swedish cinema premiere on 25 May.
Read more: This is how “Top gun” became the American military’s most successful recruitment film