Tom Cruise returns to Hollywood after a period of family turmoil, and his next project is the one that catapulted him to superstardom and is also the one that has left many divisive marks on both the filmmakers and the audience!
Top Gun is Cruise’s most successful film to date—but despite its success, it’s one he’ll regret. After speaking with Paul Newman on the set of his next film, Cruise began to regret the tone of Top Gun, which many felt glorified war and amplified the Cold War politics of the era.
Despite this withdrawal, Cruise has said he’d be back if the filmmakers wanted to make a sequel… and Cruise’s move was ultimately the right one, as he pushed ahead with the sequel and is now working on Top Gun 3.
Tom Cruise Facts
1. He’s Not Really A Cruise
We know him as Tom Cruise, but he was born Thomas Cruise Mapother IV—the only brother to three sisters. His parents were Mary Lee, a special education teacher, and his father and namesake, Thomas Cruise Mapother III, was an electrical engineer. Sadly, the name wasn’t the only thing that Cruise’s father gave him.
2. His Home Life Was Unbearable
Cruise’s family didn’t have it easy in those early years. His father found it difficult to hold down a job, and with four mouths to feed, they didn’t have much money—but that wasn’t the only reason for their struggle. Cruise confessed that his father would regularly beat him, and that he rarely felt safe around the man, calling him an “merchant of chaos” and a “bully.”
3. Things Weren’t Much Better Outside
Cruise’s father should have been a source of support and stability, but he provided neither. If he wasn’t emotionally or physically abusing his kids, he was uprooting the family in search of the next job. This had a dire effect on Cruise—without routine in his life or consistency in his education, he fell behind.
He was doing poorly in school, was small for his age, and had few friends. It was not an easy time for Cruise.