Tom Cruise has a message for people questioning why he risks his life to do his own stunts in “Top Gun: Maverick.”
“No one asked Gene Kelly, ‘Why do you dance?’” he said Tuesday during a masterclass at the Cannes Festival, Variety reported.
The infamous couch-hopper also alluded to an apparently longtime fascination with risk when he told the crowd that he would jump off the roof of his childhood house using a bedsheet as a parachute.
The bravado seemed to buoy him throughout his career.
“I always thought there’s something that I can do and I wanted to push the art form, I thought, ‘How can I immerse an audience into a movie with this kind of action? And how can I entertain them? What can I do?’”
The 59-year-old actor also reminded the crowd that he is a movie star, not a streaming star.
Paramount pushed back release dates for “Top Gun: Maverick” and “Mission: Impossible 7” in 2021 due to the COVID-19 Delta variant©Paramount/Courtesy Everett CollectionThe Oscar-nominated actor said the option of releasing “Top Gun: Maverick” on Paramount+ during the coronavirus pandemic was “never going to happen.”
“I love my audience. I make movies for audiences … I make movies for the big screen,” Cruise said.
“I go to the cinema, and those people there that are serving the popcorn, that are making these theaters, and I was calling them [Paramount] saying, ‘Please, I know what you’re going through. Just know we’re making “Mission Impossible,” “Top Gun” is coming out,’ ” Cruise continued in a video posted to Twitter.
“When I make a movie, I’m trying to use all of the skill of and everything that I know and all of the skill of all the people I work with, the beauty of cinema,” he added. “I mean. it’s an incredible experience because you just learn so much about humanity, about people about work, about art.”
Paramount announced the decision to push back the “Maverick” and “Mission: Impossible 7” release dates last September due to the rise of the COVID-19 Delta variant, Deadline reported.
The film company said the delay would help maximize box office numbers.
“Top Gun: Maverick” hits theaters on May 24. “Mission: Impossible 7” premieres July 14, 2023.
Tom Cruise said the idea that “Top Gun: Maverick” would go straight to streaming services during the COVID pandemic was “never going to happen.”Paramount Pictures / Courtesy Everett Collection
