In 2010, Hollywood filmmakers implemented the project The Expendables with the desire to bring together once-famous action stars, creating conditions for them to regain their glory and conquer the audience.

However, Tom Cruise has never run out of time or stopped being energetic. Over the past 20 years, the star born in 1962 has been working hard in films, continuously appearing in many expensive blockbuster projects. Not to mention, he also participated in production and performed his own deadly action scenes without the need for a stuntman.

Action icons cannot be replaced

With his handsome face and charming acting style, Tom Cruise quickly gained attention as soon as he appeared on the silver screen, quickly catching the eye of many famous producers. Famous for Risky Business (1983), but it was not until Top Gun (1986) that he truly made his mark as one of Hollywood’s brightest action stars.

3 decades later, when the sequel Top Gun: Maverick (2022) is planned, Tom Cruise is still the only choice for the main character. The audience may not even remember the movie’s content, but they cannot forget the image of the actor playing the talented pilot Maverick.

Tom Cruise keeps his form in Top Gun: Maverick (2022)

Tom Cruise’s appearance helped Top Gun: Maverick succeed beyond expectations, becoming the second most popular film of the year with nearly 1.5 billion USD. The work also helped global box office revenue revive after a gloomy period due to Covid-19.

His name is also associated with a series of action projects such as Days of Thunder (1990), Minority Report (2002), The Last Samurai (2003), Jack Reacher (2012), Edge of Tomorrow (2014)… which project? also attracted attention when it debuted, largely thanks to its star’s charisma.

In particular, the role of agent Ethan Hunt in the billion-dollar action franchise Mission: Impossible was a major turning point, helping Tom Cruise’s career reach its peak. The film series started with Mission: Impossible (1996), so far 7 parts have been released and part 8 is in production.

In the context of Hollywood having to search for new faces for superhero roles and the James Bond series constantly changing actors, Tom Cruise is almost not afraid of being eliminated. He always plays the main character in all 8 parts, no other name can replace him.

The star is the soul of the brand, helping the next part succeed beyond the previous part. Thanks to that, Mission: Impossible is always considered one of the best action series of all time, with a total revenue of more than 3.5 billion USD.

The role of Ethan Hunt also turned Tom Cruise into a symbol of action and spy movies. The character is even often compared to writer Ian Fleming’s James Bond.

The appearance of the actor is a factor that helps the Mission: Impossible series become a great success.

The daredevil challenges death

When Mission: Impossible 7 premiered, Tom Cruise officially turned 61. But on screen, the actor is still in style with a handsome face and beautiful body, making it difficult for anyone to recognize the signs of time.

In particular, he took on all the action scenes in the film, including dangerous and deadly scenes, which are not easy for even young people to do.

The most impressive segment is when Tom Cruise drives his motorbike at high speed on a cliff, then parachutes in mid-air. The crew had to build a model of a slope 135 m long and 10 m high to help the actors ride and gain momentum to parachute.

To prepare for the scene, the actor went through a rigorous training regimen for 15 months, with more than 13,000 motorbike jumps and 536 practice skydives. Because the filming location is very dangerous, over 1.5 km high. If a mistake occurs, the actor easily faces the possibility of death.

However, Tom Cruise was almost not worried at all. According to Paramount Pictures, at the studio he performed up to 6 real jumps to get the right, beautiful shot on the silver screen. The company said this is the largest action scene ever made in cinema history.

Panorama of the studio where Tom Cruise performs skydiving after riding a motorbike.

Không những thế, Tom Cruise còn thực hiện hàng loạt cảnh hành động nghẹt thở khác trong series Mission: Impossible. Chẳng hạn như cảnh tự bám vào thành chiếc A400M khi máy bay sắp sửa cất cánh, tự đóng các cảnh rượt đuổi, đua xe hay lặn dưới mực nước sâu… Tất cả nhằm mang lại cảm giác chân thật nhất đến người xem.

Trên truyền thông, Tom Cruise thường xuyên được khen là “gừng càng già càng cay”. Tài tử không chỉ là ngôi sao hạng A mà còn ngày càng thăng tiến trong sự nghiệp. Thập niên 1990, ông nằm trong số ít diễn viên được trả cát-xê cao nhất thế giới, với ít nhất 15 triệu USD cho mỗi dự án.

Con số tăng lên gấp nhiều lần sau 4 thập niên. Theo Insider, Tom Cruise thu được 100 triệu USD cho bom tấn Top Gun: Maverick, giúp ông trở thành ngôi sao được trả lương cao nhất trong năm 2022, cũng là một trong những người đứng hạng đầu ở Hollywood.