Fun Facts About the New Top Gun Leading Actor, Tom Cruise.
Tom Cruise returned to the big screen in the much-anticipated Top Gun sequel, Top Gun: Maverick, which hit our screens on the 27th of May 2022.
Tom Cruise is well known for doing his own stunt work instead of using a body double and famously broke his ankle on set during the filming of Mission Impossible in 2018. He even dangled himself off the side of a moving plane in the opening scene of Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation, in addition to abseiling 163 floors down the side of the Burj Khalifa in Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocal. Although you’d be correct to think that there’s no way he could have performed his own stunts in either Top Gun movie, you might be surprised to know that Tom Cruise has actually been a fully certified pilot since 1994. In preparation for the film Cruise, developed a serious training course for the cast on how to cope in the air, and although they might not be flying the planes themselves, the footage is in fact real and not CGI.The training included underwater evacuation, aerial aviation, and flight itself.
Cruise has also been outspoken about his association with the Church of Scientology, which he has been a member of since 1986. Cruise has campaigned for several years to have Scientology made a recognised religion in Europe; having lobbied with both the French Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy and Senate President Jean-Claude Gaudin and the UKs Prime Minister, Tony Blair. Cruise also says that growing up he had such bad dyslexia that he could hardly read, which has since been eased through the church.
Growing up in a strong Catholic household, Cruise didn’t aspire to become an actor and at age 14 wanted to be a priest. A knee injury during high school meant he was unable to play on the wrestling team and whilst trying to find something else to fill his time with, he ended up auditioning for the school’s production of ‘Guys and Dolls’ and as they say the rest is history. Although, you may be surprised to hear that Cruise has never won an Oscar, even though he has been nominated three times.
In 2006, Japan announced that every October the 10th would be celebrated as ‘Tom Cruise Day’. Cruise was awarded this accolade by the Japan Memorial Day Association due to having more trips to the country than any other Hollywood celebrity at the time.
