The one movie scene Tom Cruise called an “emotional orgasm”
Throughout his career, Tom Cruise has played a role in almost every film genre under the sun. From high-octane action thrillers to romantic dramas, the American actor has resoundingly shown that there is no realm of cinema that he is afraid of trying his hand at.
An undisputed Hollywood icon and an acting maverick, Tom Cruise shows off an American optimism that few other actors dare to so blatantly display. Bridging the gap between a schlocky blockbuster superstar and quality indie performer, Cruise has long been questioned by critics, only to prove them wrong time and time again. Not only is he a quality actor, but he’s also an eccentric mind.
Famous for the eye-watering amount of blockbusters he has helped push to box office success, these films only represent the tip of the iceberg for the colourful actor, given that he has also starred in classics such as Paul Thomas Anderson’s heartbreaking epic Magnolia. In the film, Cruise plays the outlandish motivational speaker and pick-up artist Frank TJ Mackey in what is undoubtedly one of his ultimate highlights.
Elsewhere, the likes of Rain Man, Vanilla Sky, Eyes Wide Shut and Interview with the Vampire also demonstrate the broad reach of Cruise’s talent. An unwavering performer, when he’s not scaling iconic landmarks or engaging in explosive shoot-outs for the Mission: Impossible franchise, Cruise’s dramatism has the power to be incredibly emotionally affecting.
One of his most profound performances in this vein came in the second instalment of Oliver Stone’s Vietnam War trilogy, Born on the Fourth of July. A captivating tale, perfectly captured by Tom Cruise in the lead role, the casting of the Hollywood icon remains an inspired choice.
In the 1989 movie, Cruise plays real-life Vietnam veteran Ron Kovic, whose autobiography served as its basis. The film follows Kovic’s life over 20 years, charting his childhood, his segue into the armed forces, and his paralysis during the bloody conflict, which left him paralysed and wheelchair-bound. After witnessing the brutal reality of war first-hand, Kovic then became a prominent anti-war activist.
Notably, producer Martin Bregman first acquired the film rights to the book in 1976 and hired Stone, himself a Vietnam veteran, to co-write the screenplay with Kovic. At the time, Al Pacino was due to play the activist. However, after Stone optioned the book in 1978, the project was stuck in development hell with Pacino and Bregman departing. This resulted in him and Kovic shelving the plans. However, following the release of the first instalment in Stone’s trilogy, 1986’s Platoon, Universal revived it, and Stone became director. Then, one of the biggest stars of the day, Tom Cruise, was hired.
Unsurprisingly, Cruise gave it all to the movie. When filming a sex scene involving Kovic and a sex worker, Cruise revealed to Rolling Stone in 1990 that he started to cry. He described the feeling that overcame him as an “emotional orgasm”.
The actor explained, “I remember doing the scene and just letting go, and that’s when I started crying. That wasn’t written in the script. That’s when we got the whole thing. Paraplegics talk about almost an emotional orgasm that they feel.”
It’s a difficult thing to read. Cruise has so long put himself at the pinnacle of cinema with the kind of reserved reverence usually employed by the coolest vicar in the parish, that even imagining him saying the word “orgasm” feels incredibly uncomfortable.
Cruise might not be too comfortable reading back the assessment today. But there’s something to how deeply he connected with the scene and the movie at large. It’s not the only war movie Cruise has found himself in, but it is one of the better performances he has ever given in the greens of the force.
The movie has since gone on to be recognised as one of Cruise’s best movies and has been routinely thought of as one of Oliver Stone’s best contributions, with Martin Scorsese naming it a movie he thinks everyone should see before they die. For Tom Cruise, it might have meant a little more than most.
Watch the trailer for Born on the Fourth of July below.
