When Paul Newman schooled Tom Cruise on the set of ‘The Color Of Money’
Tom Cruise’s film career began to take flight in 1981 when he had a significant supporting role in Harold Becker’s drama film Taps. Five years later, Cruise became a megastar when he took the lead role in Top Gun, but before that, he still felt that he needed to prove himself to other actors, including Paul Newman.
Of course, Cruise ended up starring alongside Newman in The Color of Money, released the same year as Top Gun. However, that was not the first time the two legendary actors met. Earlier, Cruise had desperately wanted to meet Newman, so he tried to get on the cast of Newman’s 1984 drama Harry & Son. Discussing his intentions in applying for the job, Cruise said: “I auditioned for Harry & Son mostly because I wanted to meet Paul. I was nervous. Starting out as a young actor, you want people to like you, people to like your work; you want to be accepted.”
He added: “I walked into the office. There’s Newman with a chain around his neck with a beer can opener on it. He was wearing an off-white sweater and jeans. He said, ‘Hey, killer. How’s it going?’ Very excited to see an actor coming in, very relaxed. You think someone’s one way, and all of a sudden, you meet him and see he can still be excited just by two actors doing a scene.”
Perhaps that initial meeting with Newman spurred Cruise on in his career and may have led Martin Scorsese to cast the pair together in The Color of Money. Interestingly, on the film set, Newman taught Cruise an invaluable lesson about the importance of correct wardrobe choices. Cruise noted: “I was like, ‘I’m gonna have a leather jacket and t-shirt. I’m gonna have my hair blown back. It’s guaranteed up to 90 miles an hour. And there I am in January, and I’m shooting this scene. And I remember in the script; it was like outside. I didn’t think about it. Wardrobe’s like, ‘Yeah, it looks great.’ And I am doing this scene, and I mean, I’m telling you, it’s so cold I can’t even speak.”
Cruise was already off to a bad start, but when he saw Newman, he knew he had made a mistake. “I’m in between takes, and [Newman] is in a car, and I’m running to this area,” Cruise continued. “They’re trying to thaw [me]. Newman’s like, ‘Where’s the kid? Where’s the kid?’ So finally, I have this scene where he’s in the car, and I’m next to him. I look in, and I’m like, ‘What?’ He had the warm coat. He had the heater in there. It was an electric heater.”
Of course, Newman had been in the game far longer than Cruise and so knew the tricks of the trade. Cruise concluded: “He looked at me, and he’s like, ‘T-shirt? You tried your wardrobe on in the summer, didn’t you?’ I was like, ‘Yes, sir. I did.’ He’s like, ‘Watch and learn, kid. Watch and learn.‘ I never forgot it. I literally never forgot it.”
