Hollywood is a cauldron interminably bubbling up with all kinds of controversies and scandals. So it’s not too surprising to see A-list stars feign admiration for each other despite years of bad blood and animosity between them like nothing ever happened. And that’s exactly what went down at the Oscars luncheon this year. When one of the most iconic actors in the industry, Tom Cruise, and the pioneer of the modern blockbuster, Steven Spielberg, played pretend as if they hadn’t been estranged for nearly two decades.
Tom Cruise and Steven Spielberg’s fallout dates back to 2005 when they collaborated on their second project after 2001’s sci-fi/action film, Minority Report. But little did they know, their second movie would also be their last together after their differences escalated into a full-fledged feud.
Steven Spielberg And Tom Cruise’s Feud Explained
It’s no secret that the Top Gun star is an adamant follower of the Church of Scientology and neither is it unknown that his ardent devotion to the religion has also paved the way for numerous controversies. Add to that his blinding love for his ex-wife Katie Holmes, and you get the recipe for Tom Cruise‘s long-standing feud with the most commercially successful director in the film industry, Steven Spielberg.
Back in 2005, Cruise’s unrestrained passion for Holmes along with his religion ended up marring his reputation slowly but steadily. “People will remember that Tom Cruise was very enthusiastic about Scientology and Katie Holmes in that period,” entertainment journalist Kim Masters said in an episode of her KRCW-FM radio show, ‘The Business’.
This was also the time when the Vanilla Sky actor was supposed to be promoting his then-latest film, War of the Worlds which was helmed by Spielberg. But when he appeared on interviews and talk shows, he ended up going drastically off-topic instead.
When he met with Oprah Winfrey on her talk show to promote the movie, he professed his undying love for Holmes instead. During another interview, Cruise, 60, got enmeshed in a heated debate with Today Show’s Matt Lauer, preaching the importance of staying away from psychiatric medication because Scientology frowned upon its use. He even went on to publicly disgrace his friend, Brooke Shields after deeming her “irresponsible” for her usage of antidepressants to battle postpartum depression.
And by the time Cruise issued a public apology for the same a year later, the damage had already become irreversible and the repercussions were borne by War of the Worlds after the actor’s “antics” garnered “a lot of negative publicity.”
Steven Spielberg’s Equation With Tom Cruise Got Sour
Spielberg’s reached his boiling point with the Days of Thunder star after all that went down concerning his film’s detrimental loss and Cruise’s problematic statements. The nail in the coffin was, however, when the Jurassic Park director “naively” suggested a doctor to Cruise who prescribed Ritalin, under the impression that maybe talking to a professional would help change the latter’s mind about the medication.
As per The New Yorker, the doctor in question, who also happened to be Spielberg’s friend, found out that his office had been assailed by Scientologists just days after the filmmaker’s interaction with Cruise. And while the Mission: Impossible star denied being associated with those protestors, Spielberg along with his wife, Kate Capshaw, were both incredibly livid and disturbed by everything that took place.
What Happened at the Oscars 2023 Luncheon
Fast forward to the 95th Academy Award luncheon where the two were seen acting like they’d been “best friends forever,” Matthew Belloni remarked on ‘The Business.’
While Cruise-led and produced Top Gun: Maverick bagged an Oscar nomination for Best Picture, Spielberg’s The Fabelmans also got nominated for Best Picture him garnering a nomination for Best Director. Meanwhile, the Jaws director couldn’t stop singing Cruise’s praise for saving the cinema with his $1.48 billion blockbuster sequel to 1986’s Top Gun. “You saved Hollywood’s a*s. Seriously, Top Gun: Maverick might have saved the entire theatrical industry,” the 76-year-old exclaimed.
Perhaps, Spielberg decided to let bygones be bygones in the face of Cruise’s golden glory with Top Gun 2 because separating art from the artist is a real thing. After all, credit is where credit is due.
Top Gun: Maverick can be streamed on Paramount +.
Source: The Business
