When two members of Hollywood royalty get together, it can be a match made in heaven but can also lead to friction caused by creative differences and ego clashes. Steven Spielberg and Tom Cruise’s collaboration on the sci-fi action thriller War of The Worlds was hailed as one of the most exciting actor-director combinations. The film expectedly was a huge success and earned over 600 million dollars worldwide making it the 4th most successful film of 2005.
War of the Worlds was also a favorite among critics and received many technical nominations at the Academy Awards. But as the popularity of the film increased, Spielberg and Cruise’s relationship waned due to a bunch of external reasons. Almost 2 decades later, the celebrities have let bygones be bygones thanks to Tom Cruise’s smashing 2022 blockbuster sequel, Top Gun: Maverick.
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Tom Cruise and Steven Spielberg’s Feud Explained
Despite creating a mammoth blockbuster together in 2005, Tom Cruise and Steven Spielberg’s rapport took a beating. The friction started from the time of their appearance on the Oprah Winfrey Show to promote their film War of the Worlds. While the Jurassic Park director focused on marketing his film, his lead star Tom Cruise addressed everything else but his role in the movie. His infamous couch jump while speaking of his then-girlfriend Katie Holmes not only received critical reactions but also did not sit well with his director who accused Cruise of shirking his responsibility towards his film.
Cruise made matters worse when he lambasted actor Brooke Shields for taking anti-depressants despite the Blue Lagoon star honestly talking about her struggle with Postpartum depression. Though War of the Worlds made a ton of money at the box office, Steven Spielberg believed that Cruise’s strange behavior had affected the film’s chance to earn even more.
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Two Decades Later, Tom Cruise and Steven Spielberg Are Friends Again
20 years is a long time to hold grudges but that was the extent to which Tom Cruise and Steven Spielberg took their sparring. The two celebrities who gave a massive hit with War of the Worlds fell out due to Tom Cruise’s personal demeanor and controversial comments towards fellow actors. But now, the actor-director duo has buried the hatchet once and for all at this year’s Oscar luncheon thanks to Top Gun: maverick. Steven Spielberg had words of high praise for Tom Cruise and his 1 billion dollar mega-blockbuster. At the Oscars party, he said,
“You saved Hollywood’s a***, and you might have saved theatrical distribution.”
The video of the two celebrities shaking hands and exchanging warm hugs has broken the internet with viral views. With Cruise and Spielberg back to being friends, it remains to be seen if the duo will collaborate once more after their successful partnership in 2005.
Source: The Daily Mail
