Tom Cruise is the biggest action star in Hollywood. But he hasn’t ever been graced with an Oscar by the Academy. This year, the highest-grossing film of 2022, Top Gun: Maverick, was nominated for six Oscars, including Best Picture. But it didn’t bag that award and neither did it take home the golden statue in any of the other 5 categories. Jennifer Connelly, who stars in the Top Gun sequel, wanted Cruise to take home an Oscar for all that he did but was probably left disappointed after the results.
Jennifer Connelly Wanted Top Gun: Maverick To Win An Oscar
In a January 2023 interview with Variety, Jennifer Connelly said that her Top Gun: Maverick co-star Tom Cruise deserved an Oscar for his performance in the film. As per the actress:
“He does an amazing job in the movie. He’s extraordinary as a person and fantastic as an actor, and I think that he is just perfect. He embodies that character so beautifully, and I think he absolutely deserves it. I think that the film is a really well-made film and it’s really hard to make a film like that.”
However, Connelly’s dreams weren’t fulfilled because the movie didn’t bag even a single award in any category, let alone the Best Picture one which was taken by everyone’s favorite Everything Everywhere All At Once. Top Gun: Maverick was nominated for Best Picture, Adapted Screenplay, Original Song, Sound, Visual Effects, as well as Film Editing.
It must be hard for the team behind the movie because Cruise campaigned hard for the film when he attended the annual luncheon hosted by the Academy in February 2023 for all the nominees. However, for all of the effort, the actor ultimately was a no-show at the ceremony.
Why Did Tom Cruise Not Attend The 95th Academy Awards?
Even though Top Gun: Maverick didn’t bag any awards, surely disappointing Jennifer Connelly, Tom Cruise was still expected to turn up at the awards ceremony. In fact, his absence generated a lot of conversation. There was endless speculation about him avoiding the awards function because he knew the nominated movie wouldn’t take home anything. However, the real reason is something more simple.
As per Entertainment Tonight, the action star didn’t attend the prestigious function because he was busy filming his next film, Mission: Impossible—Dead Reckoning, Part II in the United Kingdom. As per Variety, Cruise was spotted using a chopper in the early days of March 2023 to go from the Italian city of Bari straight to the U.S. aircraft carrier located off the Italian coast. It possibly means that more death-defying scenes are coming in the film, as is now expected from the actor who takes pride in doing his own stunts.
Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One will be released in theaters on 14 July 2023 and Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part Two will be released on 28 June 2024.
Source: Variety
