Will Smith and Tom Cruise are two of Hollywood’s biggest celebrities. They have done films collectively worth billions of dollars and sit at the S tier; when it comes to the American entertainment industry. However, the two haven’t collaborated as much as their fans would have wanted. Nevertheless, there exists a relationship; characterized by mutual respect and admiration between the two stars.
Smith once revealed that the Top Gun star once helped him with a film that went on to become one of his biggest hits. The movie was I Am Legend, and it grossed over half a billion dollars. The Bad Boys star credits Cruise for the film’s enormous success.
How Tom Cruise Saved Will Smith’s Movie?
Tom Cruise is one of the highest-paid stars in Hollywood. The international global action star began his career in the film industry in the early 1980s. Cruise has done many groundbreaking roles throughout his storied career and received armloads of critically acclaimed accolades. His acting genius has made him one of the most in-demand action stars in the industry.
His star power has made him the most sought-after figure, and his co-stars have thanked him on several occasions for helping them in their careers. One such actor is Will Smith, who credits Cruise for the success of his 2007 movie. In a candid interview, Smith revealed how Tom Cruise helped him with one of his record-smashing sci-fi movies; I Am Legend. The actor shared,
“When I did I Am Legend, I sent him the script, and he sent me back four hours of notes and changes. He did more work on I Am Legend than I did. Now we’re looking at some projects to work on together because we have that basic understanding of each other.”
The Will Smith starrer I Am Legend grossed $585.4 million internationally at the box office and received critical acclaim. His extraordinary performance in the movie opened many doors for the actor, and he has since appeared in several fascinating roles in commercially hit movies.
Will Smith’s Thoughts on Tom Cruise
Will Smith has achieved enormous success in his wide-ranging career. The actor has done several unique roles in the industry and gained widespread attention. Smith is very submissive towards his on-screen roles. He got the attention of Hollywood with his breakout portrayal as Muhammad Ali in the 2001 sports drama Ali.
Smith revealed that in the early years of his career, he used to closely watch Hollywood megastars such as Tom Cruise and try to learn their techniques for promotional activities. Will Smith penned in his self-titled 2021 memoir,
“I started quietly monitoring all of Tom’s global promotional activities. When I arrived in a country to promote my movie, I would ask the local movie executives to give me Tom’s promotional schedule. And I vowed to do two hours more than whatever he did in every country.”
The Hitch movie star continued,
“Unfortunately, Tom Cruise is either a cyborg or there are six of him. I was receiving reports of four-and-a-half-hour stretches on red carpets in Paris, London, Tokyo… In Berlin, Tom literally signed every single autograph until there was no one else who wanted one. Tom Cruise’s global promotions were the individual best in Hollywood.”
Both superstars have done amazing work in the film industry, and it’s heartwarming to see the level of respect and admiration they share for each other. Tom Cruise’s support and help were crucial components; to Will Smith’s success early on, and fans would love to see them collaborate soon.
I Am Legend 2, the much-anticipated sequel, does not yet have an official release date since the sequel is still in the early stages of production.
I Am Legend is available to stream on Netflix.
Source: Cheatsheet
