Believe it or not, despite being the epitome of machoness, Tom Cruise did not fall prey to the toxic masculinity that surrounded him while he was growing up. Born in Syracuse, New York, the actor had a tough life growing up. Thus, he had to face several hardships to get where he is today. Back in the day when he was 12, his parents got divorced, and his father necessarily wasn’t the role model he always wanted. Thus, he had to learn about manhood on his own and had to man up without proper guidance. Thanks to his mother, who taught creative drama, Tom Cruise pursued acting.
Later in his life, in an interview with Interview Magazine, the actor confessed, how acting helped him express his emotion in a normal and healthy way. One of the defining moments that compelled him to become an actor was when he inspired boys his age to break out of that mold. Therefore, growing up in an era when gender norms were rigidly defined, his journey as a boy who expressed himself freely and pursued his dreams serves as an inspiration to many.
Tom Cruise wanted to shatter the gender norm with his acting
Acting has helped Tom Cruise in more than one way, the biggest one was to grant him the ability to express himself freely and change many lives in the process. Growing up, he saw that the kids around him were given the stereotypical boyhood advice that ‘boys should not cry’. Crying was considered weak, instead, they would bottle up their feelings, partying the night away and taking the anger out on someone innocent. Cruise wasn’t that way, in an interview with Interview Magazine, he confessed,
“At the schools I grew up in, sensitivity was something that was not accepted. Especially being the new kid. I felt vulnerable a lot of the time, constantly having to put up these guards to take care of myself. You didn’t sit around with the guys and talk about, “God, that really hurt my feelings, what you said.” It was more like, “Yeah, let’s go out, have some beers and kick some a**.” That was really frustrating to me. “
It was all very frustrating to him, as he could not blend in with the bunch. He for the first time saw real change, after the boys of his age saw his performance and told him how that impacted them. That really made him feel good about himself and made him feel a spark about acting. Therefore, that is when he decided he would change the world, or at least try to with his craft and passion. With his roles in movies such as Magnolia, and Rain Man, it is only safe to say, he was moving in the right direction. Although hailed as the king of action, it is his emotional roles that get to the audiences.
What was the defining moment that led Tom Cruise into acting?
Tom Cruise was only 17 when he starred in a school musical called Guys and Dolls, that was when he knew he had to keep doing this for the rest of his life. Not only that, many came up to him after his performance and stated how it changed their lives, making Cruise believe, this was his sign. In the same interview, the actor stated,
“I was 17 and started in a school musical. Guys and Dolls.—So the first time I did the play, all the guys came and saw it and said, “Whoa, we didn’t know that you could do that.” I felt good about it. Not just the fact that they saw it, but I felt good about it in my heart. My mother taught creative drama, so I’d always enjoyed it. I told my parents I was going to New York. I never really planned on going to college anyway. I had saved money and I was going to go to Europe and find the “big picture” there.”
Thus, at the age of 18, Cruise made a courageous decision that would change his life forever. He moved to New York City, determined to make his mark on the acting scene. Living in a small apartment and working odd jobs to make ends meet, he devoted his time and energy to attending auditions and honing his craft. Despite numerous rejections, his relentless determination never wavered, and it eventually paid off when he landed an audition for the film Endless Love in 1981, and the rest is history.
Source: Interview Magazine
