Why Tom Cruise has owed Tom Hanks a dollar for 30 years: “I’m still waiting for the cheque”
Other than their shared first name and status as two of the biggest stars of their era, Tom Hanks and Tom Cruise don’t have many similarities.
The former started out in lightweight comedies before a breakthrough performance in the classic comedy Big earned him the first Academy Award nomination of his career, setting the stage for an evolution into a dramatic powerhouse that culminated in back-to-back Oscar wins for ‘Best Actor’.
Since then, Hanks has continued reaffirming his credentials as modern cinema’s ultimate everyman and perennial A-lister, using his innate likeability and effortless affability to go from fresh-faced comedian to constant Oscar botherer and into his current status as ‘America’s Dad’ and a beloved veteran.
Meanwhile, the latter was destined for superstardom. After several eye-catching early performances, Tony Scott’s Top Gun strapped a rocket to Cruise’s back, and he hasn’t come down from his perch since. He’s 40 years deep into his tenure as one of Hollywood’s most bankable leading men, with his signature brand of daredevil stuntwork showing no signs of abating even in his 60s.
Hanks and Cruise are both massive stars but of a completely different kind. Cruise couldn’t have played Forrest Gump, just like Hanks couldn’t headline eight Mission: Impossible blockbusters. However, there was a role written for one that the other ended up playing, and the two-time Oscar winner thinks he’s owed compensation for it.
Cameron Crowe initially scripted Jerry Maguire with Hanks in mind for the title role, but by the time the sports-centric dramedy crawled through development and ran headfirst into scheduling conflicts, he’d aged out of the part. He’s six years older than Cruise, and after Woody Harrelson also passed on the offer, the movie finally had its leading man.
“I talked to Cameron Crowe about a year in advance,” Hanks confirmed to Access Hollywood. “And during that time, my good friend Jonathan Demme and I were talking about stuff that we wanted to do. And I had this idea for That Thing You Do! So by the time that train was running, I made that movie and was not available then to work with Cameron Crowe on the movie.”
Hanks wrapped production on his directorial debut in March 1996, the same month Jerry Maguire started shooting. Whereas That Thing You Do! flopped and had to fight hard for cult classic status, Cruise earned a ‘Best Actor’ nod at the Oscars for Crowe’s film, which was also nominated for ‘Best Picture’.
Reflecting on the missed opportunity, Hanks still wants what he believes is his. “I would like to think, however, that Tom Cruise owes me one dollar,” he stated. “And I’m still waiting for the cheque.” It’s not like he can’t afford it, but if he hasn’t forked it over in the 30 years since Jerry Maguire started coming together behind the scenes, he’ll never get it.
