Fans would definitely love to see Jamie Foxx and Tom Cruise in one frame not only because of the contrast in their personalities but also the talent they have to offer. For a small-time actor back then, Foxx could not believe he got the chance to read with the Top Gun star, and he blew it up.
They ultimately ended up working together on another project, and that’s how Foxx realized how big of a superstar Cruise is. The actor understood this after an accident happened on the set.
Jamie Foxx Shares His First Encounter With Tom Cruise
During a chat with The Howard Stern Show, actor Jamie Foxx shared how he met Tom Cruise and got the opportunity to read a script with him for 1996’s Jerry Maguire.
“I’m in LA, and I audition just like on a — I don’t know how I got in. And the guy goes, ‘He’s great. We’re gonna take you to New York.’ Because they hadn’t signed Tom Cruise on yet. ‘We’re gonna take you to New York and read for Tom Cruise.’ I’m like, ‘What?’ I’m like, ‘Oh my God.’ ”
Foxx admitted he ruined his chance to work alongside one of the biggest stars in Hollywood, as he was a nobody at that time, and he just came across a rare chance of finding his biggest break.
“I blew it because I kept looking at him. Imagine that you’re from Texas, and you’ve done a little bit of s—t, but you ain’t seen no real f—king stars, right? So, I’m just sitting there watching it, and we get to reading, right.”
The actor thought Cruise lost his concentration so he stepped in and told the star which line to read next, not knowing that the Mission: Impossible lead was doing the pause on purpose.
“As I’m reading, you know, he does a dramatic pause, you know, but that’s his thing. I f—king think he lost his place. So, I take the script, and I say (points at the script) no, we right here, ‘Show me the money.’ And then you say… He says, ‘I know. I was taking a pause.’ I said, ‘OK, yeah. I’m f—king this up.’ I blew it so bad that he just started laughing at me.”
He did not get the part in the end as Foxx was still learning the ropes of acting for movies. He did a lot of missteps as well that ultimately botched his chance at snagging the project.
Jamie Foxx Had A Career Epiphany
Jamie Foxx and Tom Cruise eventually met again and worked together in Michael Mann’s 2004 neo-noir thriller movie Collateral. Even when he finally got the opportunity to star alongside the A-lister, Foxx still felt he was nothing. He shared via The Graham Norton Show:
“We’re in the car, and we’re driving, and we’re supposed to do a stunt where I crash into another car. But the car gets out of control, and I actually do crash into the car. And when they get there, they’re like, ‘Jamie get out of the way. Tom, are you OK?!’ And that’s how you know where you are.”
Foxx would later win a Best Actor award at the Oscars for his work in 2004’s Ray, so it only meant a matter of time for him to finally become his own biggest star.
