Tom Cruise

Interview By: Dan Portnoy
DanPortnoy @TheCinemaSource.com

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A man sits at a round table in a room surrounded by journalists eager to pick the brain of this Hollywood heartthrob. You wouldn't think it to talk to him, but this 42 year old actor with a smile to conquer the hearts of many women young and old has one of the most impressive careers in film today (and he's still goin' strong). He is of course Maverick himself, Tom Cruise, and his relationship and recent engagement to the beautiful Katie Holmes has placed him even farther into the paparazzi spotlight.

But today Tom isn't here to talk about the rumors or speculation surrounding his new found love; he is here to talk about his new Sci-Fi action thriller World of the Worlds, which will be invading theaters June 29.

This summer blockbuster represents the second film in which he partners up with directorial titan Steven Spielberg, the first being Minority Report. In War of the Worlds Cruise plays Ray Ferrier, a father estranged from his two children and overtly consumed with himself. It isn't until aliens emerge from within the earth and launch a massive attack to destroy the planet that Ray is able to discover and protect what is truly important to him. 'I love the way Spielberg deals with families in his movies,' Tom begins, 'I couldn't wait to play a father in this movie.'

Through out the interview, Cruise expresses his deep admiration for Spielberg as a friend and as a filmmaker. 'I'm a fan first (of Spielberg), then I'm his actor.' He then reflects on his experiences working with Spielberg saying, 'For me the experience working with Steven gets better and better.' He later goes on to say, 'I had a lot of fun on Minority Report and even more fun on this one (War of the Worlds), the next one is gonna be even more fun.' Insinuating something' Perhaps, because it was followed by laughter from both Cruise as well as the other people in the room. For Tom, the most difficult day on the set of War of the Worlds was, 'the last day of shooting, because I knew it was over, that was the hardest day'I just knew I was gonna miss it.

Well, it was bound to happen, and it did 20 minutes into the interview when a question regarding Katie Holmes and the engagement was asked. Then the door opened to all sorts of questions regarding Holmes as well as Scientology. Tom's answers to these questions were brief in most cases to the extent of, 'No,' or 'I don't know we haven't decided yet, we'll see,' in an attempt to steer the interview back towards the movie and away from his personal life. He doesn't put much stock into what others say about him anyway, 'I do my work, I live my life and it's never affected anything before. I make my movies and live my life in the best way I feel that I can.

With all the highly expensive and hopefully profitable summer blockbusters being released there has to be some strong sense of competition right' Wrong. Well, it is when referring to the opinion of Tom Cruise. In response to the claim made by Fantastic Four director Tim Story stating that 'he's gonna whoop your asses at the box office,' Cruise replied, 'you know I wanna see them do well, I would really like to see that picture do well, I want all the movies to do well, I'm going to see that picture, I can't wait.'

The anticipation surrounding other summer movies didn't prevent Cruise from being openly enthusiastic about the opening of War of the Worlds as well as the script that he fell in love with immediately. 'When David Koepp wrote this screenplay I have to say it's the best screenplay I've ever read' and I can be quite an excitable person' I don't know if you know that about me,' he says with that devilish grin that was probably what won over Katie in the first place, 'I read it and I was jumping on the couch'' said a gleeful Cruise as a way of poking fun at himself and his recent theatrics on the Opera Winfrey show. And what you may ask is the source of Tom's boundless energy' 'It's my interest in life, I just get excited about living'I have the privilege of doing something that I love.'

And Tom, well what can I say, it's a privilege to watch you do it.