The closest Tom Cruise ever came to starring in a TV series: “I knew it was terrible”
While some actors flit between mediums, others are fierce lovers of just one, with a burning love for television, working on the stage or appearing on the big screen. In the past, these formats were perhaps more divided than they are now, with less crossover in the projects accepted by actors and strictly working for one medium. But now, with the rise of long-form television, streaming platforms and cinematic limited series, more actors are stretching their wings and starring in everything they can get their hands on.
Things began to change after the likes of Nicole Kidman, Laura Dern, and Reese Witherspoon starred in HBO’s limited series Big Little Lies, with the show becoming an enormous success and showing that arthouse-style stories could also be made to watch at home. Since then, everyone from Robert de Niro to Zendaya have flocked to the home screen, with everyone from Tom Holland to Michael Cera flocking to the theatre for their stage debuts.
But there is one actor who has remained firmly loyal to one medium, never betraying the silver screen and his undying love for cinema, starring in back-to-back hits over the course of his prolific career.
Tom Cruise is one of the most strangely fascinating performers of all time, with an early streak in his career that saw him starring in hugely influential films like A Few Good Men, Top Gun, Eyes Wide Shut and Magnolia. With an intensely charismatic screen presence, he quickly went on to become one of the biggest Hollywood stars of all time, something that followed his breakout roles in Risky Business and Taps.
However, while his rise to fame came quick and fast, he still had his share of early rejections, with the actor describing one hilarious audition from his first trip to Los Angeles and the only time he came close to starring in a television show.
When discussing this, Cruise said, “I remember being flown out to Los Angeles to read for a series. I didn’t know anything—I didn’t know how tough it was. I went in to read and this director was sitting there in his office—he thought he was the coolest thing happening. I read, and I knew it was terrible. And he said, ‘So, how long are you going to be in California?’ And I’m thinking, ‘He’s probably going to want me to come back and read again with someone else.’ I said, ‘Well, just a couple of days.’ He said, ‘Good. Get a tan while you’re here.’ I couldn’t help it. I walked out, and I thought it was the funniest damn thing. Tears were coming out of my eyes, I was laughing so hard. I thought, ‘This is Hollywood. Welcome, Cruise.’”
While some might be stung by this type of comment, it is very admirable that Cruise was able to just laugh it off, with many emerging actors taking this kind of rejection to heart. Perhaps it was an inadvertent sign to steer clear of the medium of television, with the actor not returning to it throughout the duration of his career.
