Actor Mel Gibson has won two Academy Awards for his direction despite being more commercially successful as an actor. However, Gibson might just have had a shot at winning an Oscar for acting had he accepted one role in one of the most critically acclaimed movies starring Tom Cruise.
Tom Cruise starred in the 1988 comedy-drama film Rain Man, which was a box office hit and even won several Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Actor for Dustin Hoffman. However, Hoffman’s role was initially offered to Gibson, who turned it down. On the other hand, Cruise was equally good in the movie but got snubbed by the Academy.
Rain Man Almost Starred Mel Gibson Along With Tom Cruise
The 1988 comedy-drama film Rain Man, directed by Barry Levinson, starred Dustin Hoffman and Tom Cruise in the lead roles. It grossed $412.8 million at the box office and also won four Academy Awards, including a Best Actor win for Hoffman’s performance as Raymond “Ray” Babbitt.
However, before Hoffman, the role of Raymond, an autistic savant was initially offered to actor Mel Gibson. During an interview with host Charlie Rose, Gibson admitted that he was offered the lead role in Rain Man, but decided to turn it down.
I remember a while back, Rain Man came. And that was kind of a cool thing. But the great thing about that is [Dustin Hoffman] did it. And he was wonderful in it.
Gibson made the above statement (via The Playlist), revealing that while he was offered the part of Hoffman, he did not accept it. However, Gibson did not disclose the reason he decided to turn down the role.
On the other hand, the Lethal Weapon star seemingly had no hard feelings about missing out on the role that won Hoffman an Oscar. Moreover, Gibson was impressed with Hoffman’s performance and praised the actor. Aside from Gibson, Mickey Rourke was reportedly offered the role but also rejected it.
Despite Dustin Hoffman’s Win, Tom Cruise Also Deserved an Oscar Nod For Rain Man
At the 61st Academy Awards, Rain Man received eight nominations, more than any other film nominated that year. The film scored four Oscar wins, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay, and Best Actor. However, actor Tom Cruise, who played the role of Charlie Babbitt wasn’t nominated.
Hoffman won the Best Actor award for his portrayal of a character who faced challenges because of autism. While Hoffman’s performance was undoubtedly brilliant and deserved an Oscar nod, many fans feel that Cruise’s performance was on par with Hoffman’s if not better.
On Reddit, fans argued that Cruise deserved to win the Oscar for Best Actor, pointing out that the Mission: Impossible star’s role was more challenging because he had to portray the complete arc of a selfish man turning empathetic toward his newly discovered brother.
Ultimately, Cruise definitely deserved to be recognized by the Academy for anchoring the film with his performance and delivering the underlying emotion of the story. If not for the Best Actor, Cruise certainly should have received a nod in the Best Supporting Actor category.
Rain Man is streaming on Tubi and MGM+.
