Known for his large-scale influence and power in the Hollywood industry, Tom Cruise is no stranger to some of the most well-known personalities in the business, ranging from legendary directors to prolific producers and many top officials in different production companies. Thus, there are several stars who would want to work by his side and gain new opportunities for their career.
And with a great personality and kind nature, the star is also famous for bringing the careers of several upcoming stars into the spotlight by personally offering them roles in his films. But while he may make this gesture to several stars, not all of them are either willing or are available to be beside him, which also includes former co-stars.
Val Kilmer Declined To Work With Tom Cruise On The Outsiders
We first witnessed them together going head-to-head against each other in the 1986 blockbuster Top Gun, playing the role of on-screen rivals. Val Kilmer and Tom Cruise might’ve made an appearance together in the theatres before their superhit aviator film if the Batman Forever star hadn’t decided to leave a project for a Broadway show, which was a wrong move for his career in conjunction with popular belief.
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In his book I’m Your Huckleberry, Kilmer outlined his career with all the highs and lows that he faced during this journey. Here, a report from Variety also told about how he regretted not being a part of Francis Ford Coppola’s 1983 film The Outsiders, which had a star cast of many heavy hitters from the industry such as the Mission: Impossible star along with Patrick Swazey, Matt Dillion and Ralph Macchio to name a few.
There were reports that Kilmer was deep into the talks for becoming part of the classic, but at the time of the shoot of the film, his Broadway show named Slab Boys was also being staged, which left the star with a choice. He took the Broadway performance over Cappola’s film, which was, as said, a bad idea. On top of the show just being in the theatre for six weeks, he was sidelined after the inclusion of famous personalities such as Sean Penn and Kevin Bacon into the run time of the show.
Thus, we didn’t see Kilmer with Cruise until three years later, when they came together to make a movie that created a legacy for generations to come.
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Why Is The Outsiders Considered A Classic?
After creating The Godfather, considered the holy grail of cinema, director Francis Ford Coppola became one of the most revered names in the industry. Thus, when the adaptation of S.E Hintion’s book of the same name was announced to be made by the legend himself, people were excited, to say the least. The film more than delivered the expectations, The ability to make the film’s plot seem so simple, and yet, so impactful was something that the director managed to achieve, thanks to the exceptional performances from the cast.
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The Outsiders, streaming on Hulu
Source: Variety
