Tom Cruise is undoubtedly one of the finest actors Hollywood has to offer and the biggest superstars of all time. Despite his status in the film industry, his colleagues have vouched for his generosity and graciousness on set. The actor doesn’t have diva moments like you would expect someone of his caliber to. However, he does have a strange request when it comes to his co-stars.
The shots of Tom Cruise running in his films are almost as iconic as his roles. Perhaps this is why he doesn’t allow his co-stars to run alongside him on screen. He wants all the attention to himself and honestly, we cannot blame him for that! Actress Annabelle Wallis though, had the privilege of being the exception to the rule and for her, it was better than winning an Oscar!
The Time When Annabelle Wallis Was an Exception to Tom Cruise’s Weird Rule
While The Mummy (2017) failed to impress the audience and won Tom Cruise a Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Actor, Annabelle Wallis has great memories linked to the film. Why? Well, it is simply because she got to break a very absurd rule set by her co-star.
Talking to The Hollywood Reporter, Wallis revealed that Cruise doesn’t allow his co-stars to run beside him while filming for his adrenaline-fueled films. This might be because given Cruise’s agility, his co-stars might not be able to keep up with him and the actor could have to hold himself back. The audience wouldn’t want that now, would they?
Luckily for Wallis, she was a great runner and decided to prove herself to Cruise. She stated that while the actor said no to her at first, she got on the treadmill and was able to impress Cruise and became the only exception to the rule.
“I got to run on screen with him, but he told me no at first. He said, ‘Nobody runs on screen [with me],’ and I said, ‘But I’m a really good runner. So, I would time my treadmill so that he’d walk in and see me run. And then he added all these running scenes.”
For Wallis, this achievement was far greater than winning an Oscar.
“So, that was it. It was, like, better than an Oscar. I was so happy! I was so happy that I got to run on-screen with Tom Cruise.”
Unfortunately, neither Wallis and Cruise’s run nor the storyline of the film was able to save The Mummy from criticism. It stands at a low rating of 15% on Rotten Tomatoes and couldn’t even break even at the box office. Well, at least Wallis had fun!
Tom Cruise is Against Being a Diva on Set
While you may think the ‘no running’ rule is Cruise having a diva moment, the reality is that he is simply thinking about what’s best for his films. The actor is absolutely against actors being difficult on set and one time, he even advised acting students to remain humble, professional, and kind when they make it in the industry.
According to The New York Post, Cruise showed up unannounced to the Joanne Baron / D.W. Brown Studio in Santa Monica and had some pearls of wisdom to share with the students there.
Someone present at the scene told TNYP,
“He said that when you do finally get the chance of being in a movie, don’t spend the time in the trailer. He said you need to experience everything on the movie, talk to everyone on the crew, the grips, everyone. Learn everything you can. You will never get that time back.”
Now this is a piece of advice the students will never forget. Cruise’s words further prove why the actor has managed to retain his superstar status in Hollywood, all while being an absolute delight to work with.
You can rent/buy The Mummy on Prime Video.
