Michael Caine reveals first encounter with Tom Cruise
Sir Michael Caine has discussed the first time he met Tom Cruise, sharing an anecdote about their first run in 40 years ago.
When the two actors met in 1983, Cruise asked the British actor one big question which has stayed with Caine for the past number of decades.
Caine is an institution of British film. Starring in movies like The Italian Job, Alfie, Interstellar, Batman Begins, and more, he’s one of the most revered actors around. Tom Cruise is undeniably gaining the same status as his career rolls on. He was already secured his legacy as one of this generation’s best action actors with his role in the Mission Impossible movies, as well as other more dramatic, comedic or emotional roles in Eyes Wide Shut, Vanilla Sky and more.
The two actor first met 40 years ago in 1983. At that point, Cruise was still only a start-up. He’d done a handful of walk-on roles, but he was yet to hit the big time. However, he found himself at an event promoting Educating Rita, the film Caine was in and gained his first Oscar nomination for.
He recalled this early encounter with Cruise in his new memoir Don’t Look Back, You’ll Trip Over, as Cruise wandered over to ask for some advice. He wrote, “I turned around and there was this young actor, very polite, asking questions about how not to be just a flash in the pan.”
He continued, “That was Tom, probably around the time of Risky Business,” which was one of his first feature-length roles. He added, “I can’t remember what I said, but it obviously didn’t do him any harm!”
According to the British actor, even back then, Caine remembered that there was “there was something special about” Cruise. He said that the young actor had “a great attitude, this sense of poise”.
In his memoir, he credits Cruise for being one of the last true stars in Hollywood. With the memory of this question as Cruise asked Caine how to have a lengthy career rather than a trendy one, the British actor saw this as a clear mark of real potential.
He wrote, “What interests me is that he is really one of the last true stars in movies. People will go to see a film just because he’s in it. Brad Pitt is a star, Morgan Freeman has some of that quality too,” adding, “There are so few nowadays — not like John Wayne or Humphrey Bogart or Cary Grant.”
In the years since then, the two actors have starred in one film together. They were both in Austin Powers in Goldmember, but they didn’t share any scenes. However, last year Cruise skipped the Oscars to instead attend Caine’s 90th birthday, which shows the bond between the two actors has clearly endured.
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