While Tom Cruise claims to be an adrenaline junkie and has a penchant for performing life-threatening stunts in his movies, not everyone on set prefers him that way. At least not Steven Spielberg, who teamed up with Cruise for a handful of his infamous movies. Evidently, the acclaimed filmmaker was riddled with anxiety following the 60-year-old’s recklessness on set.
Losing his sleep over Tom Cruise’s safety while performing his stunts, Steven Spielberg even engaged in a feud with Cruise. Despite Spielberg’s filmmaking skills merging well with Cruise’s impressive reputation to deliver blockbuster movies, the director chose peace over fame.
Also read: Real Reason Tom Cruise Said No to Iron Man and Green Lantern Despite Relentless Fan Campaign
Steven Spielberg Was Concerned For Tom Cruise Safety
The Hollywood heartthrob Tom Cruise appears to be a man on a mission to risk his life, in order to perform dangerous stunts in his movies. And while the actor claims to love it, people on the set, rarely blink an eye out of anxiousness.
Previously working with Steven Spielberg on a few of his infamous movies, Cruise happened to strike him with grueling anxiety and insomnia. Causing Spielberg to be restless over his obsession with life-threatening stunts in the 2002 movie Minority Report, the 60-year-old added extra pressure on the director than he already had.
“Tom did all his own stunts in the movie. I’m not sure there’s anything that Tom didn’t do. I made a deal with him. I said, ‘You have to let me determine what stunts I’ll let you do. You have to take ‘no’ for an answer. I can’t sleep well at night. I’m waking up the next morning knowing you’re putting yourself in jeopardy.’” Spielberg stated.
Bound by a deal, Tom Cruise tried justifying his obsession with constantly putting his life at risk. “The stunts help to tell the story. They’re tricky, but a lot of fun.” the actor explained. Although Cruise was bound for Minority Report, he later broke the deal when he appeared in Steven Spielberg’s $603M War of the Worlds movie in 2005. Which ultimately lead to a major disagreement between the duo and their decades-long feud.
Steven Spielberg’s Decades-Long Feud With Tom Cruise
After giving Steven Spielberg a hard time with his unstoppable obsession with being an adrenaline junkie, Tom Cruise ended up having disagreements with the director. Clearly after teaming up for two consecutive movies, Minority Report (2002) and War of the Worlds (2005), Spielberg and Cruise engaged in a feud that lasted two decades.
According to Spielberg, the 60-year-old repeatedly overshadowed the director and his movies with his looming personality. Ignoring the director and doing things as he pleases, Cruise not only broke the deal regarding stunts but also failed to promote Spielberg’s $603M sci-fi movie War of the Worlds, when he appeared on Oprah Winfrey’s show.
Constantly discussing his then-girlfriend Katie Holmes, and appearing disoriented throughout the interview, Tom Cruise created a weird reputation that Spielberg felt might have harmed the movie in some way. Further, stepping his gaffes up the actor slammed Brooke Shields’ postpartum depression, by calling her “irresponsible”. Thus, dragging down the reputation of his film, along with his own, Cruise ruined quite a few things for Steven Spielberg.
It was later reported, the actor’s association with Scientology also plagued his relationship with the acclaimed filmmaker. Reportedly infuriating the director with his held-back ideologies and interest in Scientology, Cruise caused a 20-year-old estrangement with Spielberg.
Source: Hollywood Archives, DailyMail
