Tom Cruise has opened up on how he landed his role in the Oscar-winning film Rain Man after a chance encounter inside a London takeaway with the film’s star Dustin Hoffman
Tom Cruise has shared the serendipitous tale of how he bagged his part in the Oscar-laden film Rain Man, thanks to a random run-in with co-star Dustin Hoffman at a London takeaway.
At BFI Southbank on Sunday, Cruise regaled interviewer Edith Bowman with the story of spotting Hoffman while grabbing a bite with his younger sister, Cass Capazorio.
The 62 year old told the audience: “She said, ‘You’ve got to go over and say you love him.'”
“She doesn’t usually do stuff like that and I don’t walk up to people and introduce myself, but she was so pushy.
“She said, ‘If you don’t, I’m going to.'”
“He had his hat on and was ordering takeout.
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“I stood next to him and said, ‘Excuse me, Mr Hoffman, I’m sorry…’ and he looked at me and said, ‘Cruise!'”
“That’s how I met him.
“As I was leaving, he said, ‘I want to make a movie with you,’ and I said, ‘That would be nice.’
“A year later he sent Rain Man to me.”
The 1988 film turned out to be one of Cruise’s defining dramatic performances, earning eight Academy Award nods and four wins, including best picture and best actor for Hoffman.
Cruise also reminisced about an early trip to Pinewood Studios in Buckinghamshire, where he was chauffeured by a studio driver who had previously worked with British director Sir David Lean.
“I always ask drivers what movies they’ve worked on – and one said he drove David Lean during Lawrence of Arabia,” Cruise revealed.
“He started telling me stories and eventually took me to the parking place where he used to drop him off.”
Sir David is hailed as a titan of British cinema, with monumental classics like The Bridge On The River Kwai and Lawrence Of Arabia to his credit.
Cruise disclosed how he passed on the chance to immediately follow up the 1986 smash hit Top Gun with a sequel.
“The studio wanted me to make Top Gun immediately – they were talking about the sequels,” Cruise reminisced.
He noted, “I said no. As a young artist, I felt I wanted to develop my talent in different areas.”
Further elaborating on his artistic drive, Cruise shared, “I wanted to understand myself more and challenge myself more with different types of movies.”
Cruise was speaking at a special event at BFI Southbank, which celebrated his illustrious acting journey and highlighted the forthcoming premiere of Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part Two.