Tom Cruise’s screen presence in this day and age, starting from the 2000s, has been monumental in the sense that he leaves a lasting impression on fans of the movie. His dedication to popularizing characters like Pete Mitchell, Ethan Hunt, Major William Cage, and so on is proof that he is really good at what he does- act.
It would only be a fool’s decision to have all the facilities required to hire such a highly-rated A-listed actor but decide not to do so at all. This is exactly what James Gunn did! Yes, we could have had the legendary actor in a Marvel Cinematic Universe movie, but Gunn decided to against it. But hold your horses, he has his reasons!
Tom Cruise Wasn’t Cast As Adam Warlock For This Reason
Casting is tough work, especially when you’re trying to find the perfect actor who can act all out in a specific genre. You have to consider their reputation as an actor, their work experience, their looks, and most importantly their skill.
Tom Cruise is the perfect choice for directors who are always on the lookout for an actor who will do just what they tell him to do (unless he isn’t made the face of the movie). But those days are long gone for Cruise, who despite his skill and reputation was disallowed a spot in the MCU due to his age and expertise by none other than James Gunn.
During an interview with Empire Online, the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 director explains why he chose The Maze Runner star Will Poulter to play the character of Adam Warlock in the movie, instead of Cruise. Gunn said-
“People online were saying, ‘Oh, Tom Cruise should be Adam Warlock… I wanted somebody who was youthful, and I wanted the person who had the dramatic chops and the comedic chops, not only for this movie but for what Marvel will use Adam Warlock for in the future… He could become this really important character.”
Seems like Gunn does not find the Knight and Day actor too funny, but what could have been?
When Tom Cruise Helped Calm Emily Blunt On Set
Filming a movie is an exciting but super-tedious process of just going on and on with actors and crew members as they all do re-takes of scenes that simply don’t fit the final product.
It can be exhausting and overwhelming when the environment gets too tiring, and that especially applies to Emily Blunt in Edge of Tomorrow as she had to wear an 85-pound-metal suit that stressed her out on set.
As Blunt explained while speaking on the Smartless podcast, she had taken solace in her co-star, Tom Cruise-
“It was so heavy, and the first time I put it on I just started to cry in front of Tom and he didn’t know what to do. He just stared at me and I was like ‘Tom, I’m not sure how I’m going to get through this shoot’ and just started to cry.”
“I said ‘I’m just feeling a bit panicky about the whole shoot’.
“He just stared at me for a long time, not knowing what to do, and he goes ‘Come on, stop being such a pu**y, OK?'”
Now at first read, this seems like Cruise was being super-mean to his co-star. But Blunt clears up the confusion in another interview with E! News-
“It’s ludicrous that it’s being spun as something that offended me, as it didn’t. I shared the story as light-heartedly, as it was meant by Tom. I absolutely adore Tom, he’s a dear friend and he was a total gem to me.”
She continues clarifying-
“It was said as a joke to make me laugh, which it did in a big way. And it’s still something we laugh about to this day.”
Thankfully it’s all cool between the two because those words she quoted in the Smartless podcast really threw everyone off!
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is slated for a theatrical release in the United States on May 5, 2023.
Source: The Direct
