When Tom Cruise turned down Francis Ford Coppola’s ‘Rumble Fish’: “It’s not a movie you can really describe”
Tom Cruise sometimes bears a resemblance to an alien that was placed on earth and told to imitate their perception of what a movie star is, with the actor having a strange and contradictory presence in the industry that is both endearing and slightly disturbing. Whether it be his impassioned approach towards filmmaking and perpetually honing his craft, the cultural impact of his yearly coconut cake or his bizarre involvement in Scientology, the actor is a perfect encapsulation of the dichotomy within Hollywood itself, with talented figures being revered despite their problematic political views and personal failings.
But, despite all of this, he has made some very interesting creative choices over the years through collaborating with some of the most prolific directors of our time, despite passing up the opportunity to work with one of the most infamous auteurs.
Through performances in the likes of Magnolia, Eyes Wide Shut, Interview with the Vampire and The Colour of Money, Cruise has collected an esteemed portfolio for himself that includes work with Martin Scorsese, Paul Thomas Anderson and Francis Ford Coppola, ticking off many of the names that exist on most actors bucket lists. However, there was one project that Cruise turned down at the beginning of his career, finding another story more pressing to tell.
Risky Business follows a teenage boy called Joel Goodson, who is left alone at his parent’s house and decides to live recklessly and drive their Porsche. But after an unfortunate accident, Joel quickly has to raise money in a rather risky way to pay for its repairs. It sounds like a strangely familiar premise for a film, with allusions to Ferris Bueller’s Day Off and the infamous car-crashing scene at the end. However, Risky Business finds its own footing through the inclusion of a plotline involving a sex worker.
In many ways the film is critiquing a certain level of society and the rigidity of traditional values, with Joel rebelling against the standards set by his parents through his ‘risky’ entrepreneurial endeavours. However, Cruise found it difficult to justify his participation in the project to Coppola, with the actor turning down a small role in Rumble Fish to play Joel.
Cruise later described his embarrassment at explaining this to the great director, saying, “I was offered a small role in Rumble Fish, and I wanted to stay working with Francis … but I couldn’t—I wanted to do Risky Business. Francis was great about it, but he was curious. He asked me what the movie was about. And it’s not a movie you can really describe. I remember looking at Francis Ford Coppola’s face as I was saying, ‘Well, it’s about this guy, who … Well, this call girl … Well, this is what the story is, but it’s not really what it’s about … and he runs a brothel out of his home … but it’s really good.’ And here’s the director of Apocalypse Now, The Conversation, and The Godfather. And I’m going, Oh, man. Here I am turning him down to do this movie about hookers”.
While he may have found it difficult to say no to Coppola, their working relationship did not end there, and the pair reunited in 1994 for Interview with the Vampire, starring alongside Brad Pitt and Antonio Banderas, finally realising his fantasies of collaborating with one of his heroes.
