Tom Cruise is experiencing somewhat of a career resurgence, as thhe attention surrounding Top Gun: Maverick has exploded during Oscar season. The film was a massive success, becoming the biggest financial success of Cruise’s 40+ year career. The actor is getting attention for his producing efforts on the blockbuster hit by both the Academy and the Producers Guild. Now, an insider is revealing that the action star could not be more excited about the success of Maverick while also explaining how his outlook on movie-making has changed.
Though the 60-year-old actor has been a Hollywood mainstay for decades now, he -- like many other stars -- still needs to evolve, and that's exactly what he's done.In recent years, Tom Cruise has established himself as a movie producer and has seen much success. According to a source for Us Weekly, this new role has helped changed the actor's perspective on the industry and his role within the filmmaking process. The insider claimed:
Tom is over the moon that he’s been nominated as a producer by both the Oscars, and especially the Producers Guild. Filmmaking for Tom these days is all about creating the whole package and making it work and make money, as opposed to having that one scene in the film where he cries or yells and generates the perfect ‘Oscars clip. Tom has grown out of caring about that stuff, and in the process has grown into an absolutely killer businessman and producer — and that’s the real thing he’s intent on celebrating this awards season.
While the Jerry Maguire actor missed out on an acting nomination for Top Gun: Maverick, he seems to be enjoying the attention he is getting for his producing work. The actor also recently accepted the David O. Selznick Achievement Award at the Producers Guild Awards for his vast body of work and talent for getting movies made. (It was during that event that former Paramount Pictures CEO Sherry Lansing recalled his tendency to sneak into theaters to gauge audience reactions.) He gave a very emotional speech, which acted as somewhat of a love letter to movie-making, and he seemed elated to be recognized by his peers in such a way. Previous recipients of the award include Steven Spielberg and Clint Eastwood.
The hype Tom Cruise is getting for producing Top Gun: Maverick is well deserved, as his work behind the scenes greatly contributed towards the film’s success. Before even agreeing to make it, he insisted on using real fighter jets for practical flying scenes rather than relying on CGI. As a result, the high-flying scenes were mesmerizing and made the film’s quality much stronger. He also insisted on holding Maverick back for two years after it was finished, to ensure audiences saw the film in the theaters after pandemic restrictions were lifted.
Tom Cruise’s hard work paid off, as Top Gun: Maverick ended up being one of the highest grossing films of the year. It defied expectations and was well loved by audiences. Even Steven Spielberg himself praised Cruise for bringing audiences back to the movie theaters and saving cinematic distribution. This clearly shows how talented of a producer the Mission: Impossible star is and how his unique perspective can attract audiences to films and even help get them made.
Top Gun: Maverick is currently streamable with a Paramount+ subscription, if fans want to revisit the film ahead of the Oscars. You can also catch its leading man in his latest film -- Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One -- when it hits theaters on July 14, 2023. For more information on other blockbusters hitting cinemas and streaming in the near future, check out our 2023 movie release schedule.
