Interview By: Lena Aburdene
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Tom Cruise is a true Hollywood star. Every thing he touches turns to gold and every film he makes is practically guaranteed to be a success. Collateral, his new film, is no exception. With rave reviews across the board, Cruise once again proves that he is the king of Hollywood. We caught up with Cruise and chatted with him about his latest starring role as contract killer, Vincent in the summer's most intense thriller, Collateral.
Cruise is way past his days of playing a side-kick role, (not like I can even remember a role where he was anything but the leading man) so obviously he is very selective and thorough when he chooses characters to play. From the charismatic Jerry Maguire to the hysterically funny Frank TJ Mackey in Magnolia to Lestat in Interview with the Vampire, Cruise has proved his diversity. However, he still finds ways to challenge himself as he tells us, 'Every time I go out, I choose something that is s challenging for myself. It's always been that way for me. Definitely this character is someone I haven't played before and I thought it was a dynamic role, a cool character.'
Once Cruise chooses a character, he immerses himself in the role. Watching him perform is so captivating you almost forget that he is in fact, playing a role. Tom Cruise is that convincing. Cruise gives us a detailed explanation of his exploration and motivation when tackling the role of Vincent: 'It's not a point of people, I guess, being sympathetic with any character, it's understanding and allowing the audience in, to understand certain parts of the character. You look at Vincent: It's a high wire act playing my character. We spent months playing the back story that fits. You want to look at their moral code, their sense of responsibility. You look at anti social people, they have it all perfectly justified, but for him that's his life. People do things that aren't okay but they find ways of justifying it. Vincent really does feel that somewhere these people must have done something for him to get that call.' In further detail, Cruise continues, saying, 'When I'm creating a role I'm not thinking how people are going to accept me. It's what works. It's what is going to work for this character and committing totally to those choices. When you're working on something you hope it works. There are physics and techniques to acting and there's personal experience. As an actor and filmmaker, when you're creating something it's your own instincts. What work can I do that going to help better inform moments in this movie' Slowly, with each scene you learn more about Vincent. In rehearsal and on the set this is what you're constantly exploring. It's asking questions and asking the right questions and reaching for those answers.'
The most explored city (in terms of cultural and ethnic diversity) in cinematic history is New York. Collateral, which takes place in Los Angeles, is a focal point for the film as Cruise explains, 'I was promoting and producing Samurai while I was producing this picture. There was not a lot of sleep going on. I was seeing LA through his eyes. I had never seen a place like that before and you just start to think about LA as these satellite communities' these multi cultural communities that we have here. It really brings you into the texture of the city.'
Cruise has been fortunate enough in his career to have worked with some of the most notable actors and directors of our time. However, Cruise feels that it would be unfair to choose one as either being the most influential, or, the best. Speaking honestly, Tom says, 'every person that I've worked with I've had opportunities. I've found there is no right way to do something. I'm not going to compare directors because each person has a different reality and a different perspective on what they find humorous or interesting. With actors it's the same way. I've taken it all in and made it my own and that's what I always wanted.'
Cruise is also aware of the reciprocities between actors and filmmakers, saying, 'I like to help people and know what I need as an actor and create an environment where I can do some interesting work. I love movies and as a kid I always went to movies and the more you know about something you understand how challenging it is. I feel inspired when I see great performances or pieces of direction and you see that voice in that material.'
Cruise a self-proclaimed perfectionist says that, 'I'm not a person that criticizes my work, rather, I'm very demanding of myself of what I'm doing. But everything comes down to taste.' With that being said, everything is relative, but it seems indisputable that Mr. Cruise does everything with impeccable style and taste.
LenaAburdene@TheCinemaSource.com
