Tom Cruise is one of the biggest names in Hollywood. For a few decades now, he has become best known for his roles in action films. He is a point of reference for actors in the genre, and he seems to enjoy filming these films as much as the audience enjoys watching them. His characters in it Top gun and Mission Impossible influenced numerous action films that came after. Cruise’s love of action is so great that most of his ridiculously dangerous stunts are done by the actor himself.
However, it may be lost amid plane chases and gunfights, the fact that Cruise has also played some dramatic roles that don’t involve escalating one of the tallest buildings in the world. On the other hand, many of these roles have the exact same type of character, which becomes a bit of a common thread in his non-action films – the handsome but extremely stubborn (almost arrogant) man who changes his ways, which the audience cannot other than root for. Cruise has done great acting in these movies (Rain Man, Risky Business, Cocktail, Jerry Maguire), but they often have exactly the same role, just in different situations.
He does have a handful of great movies where he steps outside his comfort zone. They may not be the first to come to mind when the actor’s name is mentioned, as they’re a departure from the kind of roles audiences are used to seeing him play, but they often give Cruise more room to do something more interesting. Here’s a list of every time Tom Cruise played a character who’s neither an adrenaline junkie action hero nor the handsome jerk.
Eyes wide closed
In Stanley Kubrick’s adaptation of an Arthur Schnitzler novella, Eyes wide closed, Cruise is the protagonist alongside his then-wife, Nicole Kidman. The actor plays the role of Dr. William Harford, who is married to Alice Harford (Kidman). In this strange psychosexual story that flirts with the nature of dreams, desire and male expectations, the couple struggles with possible infidelity and, most importantly, trusting each other.
This character is much more vulnerable than most of the actor’s other roles: he is extremely insecure about his relationship with his wife, and he is often a victim of forces around him. Harford is an ultimately weak character, and Cruise isn’t known for playing characters that are the opposite of his usual sex appeal-driven roles. As Matt Zoller Seitz wrote for Roger Ebert’s website about the movie “The joke’s on him”, something that is quite rare for Cruise.
Rock of Ages
Rock of Ages is a jukebox musical comedy directed by Adam Shankman. Cruise is not, as in most of the movies he was a part of, the protagonist. He has a somewhat minor role in a star-studded cast, playing Stacee Jaxx, an almost constantly intoxicated rock star. Not just the actor actually sings on the soundtrack, but surprisingly, he performs the songs with an energy that is intoxicating to watch. The actor stated how much fun he had playing the character, just like the audience has when he’s on screen.
interview with the vampire
In the adaptation of Anne Rice’s first novel, interview with the vampire Cruise finds acting in the horror genre, something he’s almost never done. With a blond wig and a distinct appetite for human blood, Cruise steps completely out of his comfort zone by playing the vampire Lestat alongside Brad Pitt.
At the time, Cruise was known for playing the good but arrogant guy, so becoming the villain of a gothic vampire story was something few people could predict. The author hated his casting as the character and was very vocal about it. But when she saw his performance, Rice changed her mind. Lestat and the actor’s performance are still cherished even 22 years later.
Magnolia
Paul Thomas Anderson’s three-hour epic study of human behavior, Magnolia, tells the story of multiple characters (that’s about ten stories) and their struggles while living in Los Angeles. Cruise plays a sexist motivational speaker named Frank TJ Mackey. His lectures are about his seduction skills, which are nothing less than regarding women as objects for his desire. Needless to say, it’s really hard to empathize with him, and it almost seems like he’s playing a caricature of the sort of arrogant man he’s often been cast as.
But when it turns out that he is completely superficial and actually very pathetic, the actor really shines. The audience discovers a deeply traumatized character, who does not apologize for what he preaches, but instead gives the actor depth to play with the anger that boils inside him. Tom Cruise was nominated for an Oscar for his character who learns the art of ‘Seduce and Destroy’, a character who was inspired by a real personRoss Jeffreys.
tropical thunder
Tom Cruise is a very handsome man. His good looks are something everyone expects to see when they watch a movie with him. However, none of this can be seen with his apparition in it tropical thunder, directed by Ben Stiller. He’s the studio manager overseeing a movie that loses its director midway through shooting, and the actors become prey for the area’s drug lords.
Are his actors killed? That’s not much of a concern for Cruise’s fat, bald, angry rap music-loving character, since the insurance company will have to send some very large checks. He’s aggressive and hilarious in this satire that Hollywood is a money machine. A fun fact is that Cruise was responsible for creating the characteralmost completely, including his thick hands and dance moves.
Security
Security is a thriller that dances with the horror genre and turns the actor into Vincent, the villain of a story that shares elements with a beloved horror subgenre: the slasher. Michael Mann’s amazing 2014 movie fools audiences into thinking this is the Tom Cruise we’d all seen before until he transformed himself. In the midst of violence, he is a cold and mean person with one goal: to complete his one-night killing spree. This is one of his darkest characters and stories, and it has fans excited to see Cruise play a bloodthirsty role like this again.
Born July 4
Born July 4 Cruise got an Oscar nomination (his first) and an Oscar win for the director, Oliver Stone. While it’s not hard to imagine Tom Cruise in an action-packed war movie, this great Vietnam War story is no such thing. Cruise does an excellent job playing Ron Kovick, a soldier who becomes paralyzed in Vietnam and then grows into an anti-war activist.
The character’s journey is not an easy one, not only from a physical point of view, but also emotionally. Cruise had to play deep into one of the worst feelings a human can feel: betrayal. Betrayal of a country and an idea of what war was integrated into the core of this naive character, who sees everything he believed in, and his sense of self with a greater purpose, is shattered.