Chapter Text
WatchMojo.com, December 23, 2019
VOICE: Rebecca Brayton WRITTEN BY: Andy Hammersmith
He's been one of Hollywood's biggest stars since the 1980s and continues to thrill on the big screen. His performances have spanned several genres, and he's played everything from a dapper hacker to a Vietnam War veteran to a hitman, a vampire, a sports agent, a loudmouth movie executive, and a superspy. But his real life seems to be even more surprising than his characters. This is WatchMojo.com, and today we’re bringing you our picks for the most revealing moments from actor Tom Cruise's much-talked-about Wired Autocomplete interview, as well as several details that have emerged in the weeks since the "Heat" and "Mission: Impossible" star broke the internet last November 15 [Chapter 5: Tom Cruise & Val Kilmer Answer the Web's Most Searched Questions].
Number ten: The sequel to "Heat" is the result of Val Kilmer's persistence
In this day and age of sequels, prequels, reboots, and spin-offs, a sequel to the hit "Heat" was, if not expected, then certainly predictable. When Val Kilmer's official IG account revealed that the script was finished and filming would begin in the spring of 2019, the news was met with some skepticism. After all, Kilmer's career hasn't had much in the way of box office or critical acclaim in recent years. When Cruise confirmed he was returning to his role as Charles Polesti, the project's cachet rose, but questions still lingered. Sensitivities have changed since "Heat" was released in 1997, so there were those who accused the film of queerbaiting, given that at the time, it was widely believed that the two leads were both straight men.
We were wrong: "After the Winter" isn't a new project. Kilmer started talking about a sequel at the same Oscar party in March 1998. Cruise says in the interview, "You annoy me, your wife, your agent, my agent, Michael Mann, our friends, and everyone in Hollywood for literally nineteen years, until we made a sequel." It was Cruise who put the brakes on and demanded they wait until they got the story right. Professional reviews and audience reactions to pre-screenings have been overwhelmingly positive, indicating that Tom Cruise’s caution has once again aided film history.
Number nine: Even Tom Cruise gets projects rejected when the subject is homosexuality.
This is a little frustrating, but it is a good reminder of how much progress still needs to be made to achieve respectful representation for the LGBTQA+ community.
When asked, "Why did Tom Cruise become a director?" he said he wanted to find a director for a project but couldn't, and frustration drove him to sit behind the camera. The comment might be casual, except that the only film Cruise has directed is Top Gun, the story of sexual self-discovery by two U.S. Navy aviators.
It's common knowledge that Cruise loved Leonard Wolfe's novel "Fly with Me" so much that in 2009, he paid Edward Zwick out of his own pocket for a script concept and requested an estimate of production costs from his studio Skydance. Casting for "Top Gun" didn't begin until 2014 and principal photography took place in the fall of 2015. That means Cruise had that script under his arm for nearly five years, and not even his prestige persuaded the unknown directors to take a chance on the story.
We can only be grateful for their cowardice, even though we don't know their names. Thanks to them, Cruise's talent as a director was revealed. Who knew that fighter jets could be so sexy? We definitely won.
Number eight: Tom Cruise and Val Kilmer have been friends since 1983
In the interview, Cruise and Kilmer recall how they met: Wesley Kilmer, Val's younger brother, was a production assistant on "All the Right Moves," starring Cruise, in 1983. Cruise had acted in "The Outsiders," a film Kilmer greatly admired, and his brother arranged for the two young actors to spend an evening eating lousy food and discussing movies. Wesley Kilmer died in a tragic accident in 1987, but their relationship survived. Their bond is documented through photos and videos showing them at their respective film premieres over the decades, but it is much more intimate.
Kilmer mentions washing dishes in his kitchen at home and seeing Cruise practicing flips in the yard through the window. At another point, Cruise mentions that Kilmer called him “almost every night” during the filming of “Batman Forever" to complain. When Kilmer was in London in 2011, he went to the "Mission Impossible. Ghost Protocol" set to watch his friend "hold his breath for six minutes." Because of this close relationship, Kilmer offered Cruise the role of Charles Polesti in "Heat" in 1997, for which Cruise took home his first Oscar.
Number Seven: The Church of Scientology is more progressive than we imagined
To be fair, this one is not in the video, but the Vanity Fair report that revealed previously unknown aspects of the institution was prompted by the interview, which sparked renewed interest among people or entities close to the star. The Church of Scientology was founded in 1953 by L. Ron Hubbard and has generated mixed reactions since its inception. Cruise is undoubtedly its most famous member today. He joined in 1981 when he was taking his first steps in Hollywood, a bold move at the time. Why risk a public backlash by renouncing Catholicism for the faith of his friend Mimi Rogers? Vanity Fair's report argues that Cruise found there a friendlier and more respectful space for his true identity, considering the importance that Scientology has given to the acceptance of LGBTQA+ people within it and to the mental health of its members in general since its founding.
As an organization born in the 1950s, the leadership of the Church of Scientology carried out these two objectives covertly, aware of the potential stigma that mental illness and sexual diversity could bring to its membership. Its famous audits are religious practices, yes, but according to a report from the church itself to which Vanity Fair had acces, between 1955 and 1995, more than half were real therapy sessions. The arranged marriage services by missionaries and auditors, another of its most criticized programs, actually connected queer people so they could maintain their public images of heterosexuality.
But the most astonishing revelation of the Vanity Fair exposé is, by far, that the Church of Scientology has been performing same-sex marriages since the early 1960s. Although they had no legal value, the ceremonies allowed the couples, their families, and friends to feel recognized and respected. Clearly, such controversial practices required secrecy, which earned the organization the moniker of "a cult."
This is one of those rare cases where a bad image served a good cause.
Number six: Tom Cruise was not in a relationship with Mimi Rogers
The first personal questions for Cruise are on the fourth panel of the interview, the second about him. He answers the first two casually, without providing any new details. With the third question, the interview takes its first unexpected turn. To "What was Tom Cruise's first wife's name" he automatically answers Nicole Kidman and even recommends her work. Of course, we are glad that these two have a good relationship, but the statement contradicts all the information about his life that has accumulated up to that point.
Wasn't Cruise's first wife Mimi Rogers?
The press and public assumed Cruise and Rogers were a couple when she went to live with Cruise in Jamaica during the filming of “Cocktail” in December 1987. Back in California, they continued to live together, and Cruise went with her to Jamaica in the summer of 1988 while Rogers was filming "The Mighty Quinn." Cruise’s contracts included an additional access clause for Mimi Rogers for the next two years. This dynamic of extreme closeness was then called romantic by some outlets and ridiculous by others. Although there was no record of a legal marriage, the details were ignored in favor of what was deemed factual evidence.
Luckily, Kilmer is there to represent the audience and explains to his friend who the searches are referring to. It's the first time in the interview that Cruise seems a little disoriented. Still, he quickly recovers and succinctly explains that he suffered "a terrible personal loss in 1987," which left him so shaken that the Church of Scientology assigned him Mimi Rogers as a "mourning companion," which sounds like a full-time suicide prevention watcher.
More about that "personal loss" later in this video.
Number five: Tom Cruise doesn't google himself
It may seem like a small thing, but in these days of digital content obsession, meeting a man who ignores what the internet has to say about him is refreshing and inspiring. Cruise uses his cell phone as a cornerstone of his professional and personal relationships. Everyone from Martin Scorsese to Miles Teller has commented that Cruise is a constant source of text messages, casual photos, and links. Glen Powell has even said that he's amazed at the speed at which he responds to personal texts, considering he always has two or three projects in various stages of development.
That's why it's so shocking to see during the interview how extremely bizarre the whole experience is for Cruise. Several of the questions about Val Kilmer and himself elicit immediate expressions of disbelief, evidence that he had no idea what the internet was talking about behind his back.
Oh, Tom, if only we had your willpower!
Number four: Les Grossmann is based on Harvey Weintein
The revelation of film producer Harvey Weinstein's crimes came as a shock to some but an open secret to many. But it hit Hollywood like an earthquake. Harvey Weinstein's Hollywood empire collapsed in 2017 when The New York Times and The New Yorker made public numerous allegations of sexual harassment and assault against him. The revelations ignited the MeToo movement, in which many people came forward with their own experiences of misconduct. In total, more than 100 women accused Weinstein of harassing or assaulting them, with some dating back to 1980. As a result, multiple criminal charges against the producer were unsealed in New York and Los Angeles.
For years, prominent figures in news and entertainment tried to expose the Hollywood mogul, but Weinstein used his power to silence them, even destroying some careers. In the interview, Tom Cruise and Val Kilmer confirm a well-known conspiracy theory: the character Less Grossman, who he created for the 2008 comedy “Tropic Thunder”, was half parody and half exposé of the famed producer's most detestable traits. By joining the list of celebrities who tried to warn us about Harvey Weinstein, Cruise is not only standing with those harmed by the former Miramax chief's years of sexual predation. It also proves how powerful he was, to the point that a superstar like him had to approach the issue ubiquitously.
Number three: Tom Cruise is bisexual
This was one of the moments that confirmed that Cruise does not Google himself, and that shook the world. It starts off casually when he discovers the fourth question of the tenth panel. His flabbergasted expression upon reading "Is Tom Cruise gay," coupled with Kilmer's barely contained laughter, is all we need to understand that the man does not have the poise of Ethan Hunt or Charlie Babbitt. He even asks the Wired team if they edited the questions and doesn't bother to hide his discomfort when they confirm that it is indeed what Google reports.
There is something disturbing about those seconds: the time Cruise takes to decide on his answer also allows us, as an audience, to recognize how tremendously intrusive the question really is. Why do so many people care? How sure can we be that they write these words with good intentions? As in the story of the "Top Gun" project being rejected for years, the ghost of homophobia casts a shadow over the exchange. But Cruise doesn't allow the interview to go off the rails with five perfectly pitched words to emphasize that it's no big deal: "I'm not gay. I'm bisexual."
This is coming out in style.
Full disclosure: We hesitated a lot between the first- and second-place choices but ultimately decided that the present was more important than the past. So...
Number two: Tom Cruise was in a relationship with Wesley Kilmer, Val Kilmer's younger brother.
Like number seven on this list, this isn't said in the video, but the revelation directly resulted from the interview. In fact, all the clues were there, and less than twenty-four hours later, various dedicated media outlets and Cruise fan social accounts had put the pieces of the puzzle together.
Let's see:
In the interview, Cruise and Kilmer recall meeting thanks to Wesley Kilmer in 1983. Then, at different points, they both mention suffering a devastating blow in 1987. Kilmer refers to it in an oblique way: his courtship of Joanne Whalley in 1988 was marred by depression following the death of his younger brother.
People familiar with Val Kilmer know of his brother, whom he frequently mentions in interviews as a source of tension between him and his father when he was a child, "I think he appreciated and loved more readily my younger's brother's talent," as a companion in discussions and dreams when both decided to dedicate themselves to films and, after his death, as an inspiration for artistic choices and civic endeavors. For Kilmer, there is no doubt that Wesley was destined for glory. He has repeatedly described his brother as a "genius" and claimed he could have been the next Steven Spielberg or George Lucas.
Cruise, for his part, only says that he suffered "a terrible personal loss in 1987," which left him so shaken that the Church of Scientology assigned Mimi Rogers as his "mourning companion" for more than two years. The third clue comes in the final seconds of the interview, when the two deny having been lovers, and Cruise adds, "That would be very strange, considering I was already your brother-in-law." This statement is key because... Val Kilmer doesn't have sisters.
As we said before, the internet went crazy for the next twenty-four hours, with speculation of all kinds. But it was all speculation until a week later when The Hollywood Reporter surprised the world with the headline "Wesley Kilmer, Tom Cruise's first husband." The issue's cover is a photo of Tom Cruise during the 57th Academy Awards on March 25, 1985. Cruise is sitting in the theater, still sporting the long hair of his character in "Legend." Next to him is a young man with a wide jaw, short blond hair, and eyes remarkably similar to Val Kilmer's: Wesley Kilmer.
In the report, THR claims that Wesley and Tom fell in love on the "All the Right Moves" set in 1983. Of course, the relationship was kept secret. The couple married in a private ceremony at the Church of Scientology headquarters in August 1984 in Riverside County, California. Cruise had just finished "Legend," and Wesley was on a break from filming "Beverly Hills Cop." The entire Kilmer family was in attendance, but no one from the Cruise side.
The romance would take a tragic turn. On September 12, 1987, Wesley had seizures related to his chronic epilepsy, fell into the family pool, and drowned. He was twenty-six years old. Cruise was in New York, training for a role. His publicist knew about the relationship and forbade him from attending the funeral, as there was a chance that the cameras would be there, and he would not be able to explain his presence. It is hard to understand now, but in 1987, Tom Cruise was not one of the biggest stars in Hollywood; he was one of many pretty faces under the control of his agent and dependent on the goodwill of the studios. He had to obey. In the winter of 1987-1988, he made one of the worst films of his career: “Cocktail”.
At the time, reports emerged from the set of “Cocktail” that the usually cheerful Cruise was oddly reserved and distracted. Dramatic scenes would bring him to tears; he would spend hours practicing bottle-throwing with only Mimi Rogers for company, and he even asked for the love scene to be changed so that the bodies would be hidden under the sheets. Although “Cocktail” was commercially successful, critics called his performance uneven and overwrought, drawing attention to the lack of chemistry between him and Elisabeth Shue. Not surprisingly, he was nominated for a Golden Raspberry. The man had just been widowed!
Though Cruise has been married twice more — to Nicole Kidman from 1990 to 2001 and to Katie Holmes from 2006 to 2012 — and was romantically involved with Penelope Cruz from 2001 to 2004, now that we know about his first husband, some things that seemed like star mannerisms make sense. Of course, the most notable of these has to do with the "Mission: Impossible" franchise.
In an interview in the late 1990s, Val Kilmer mentioned that his brother Wesley was a fan of the classic TV show “Mission: Impossible” and dreamed of reviving it in film format. Cruise founded Cruise/Wagner Productions in 1992 and decided on “Mission: Impossible” as its inaugural project. Finally, the Twitter account @TomCruiseNavy noted that Wesley Kilmer was born on May 13, 1961, and all the films in the series were released during the second week of May.
What a way to honor the memory of a loved one!
Before we continue, be sure to subscribe to our channel and ring the bell to get notified about our latest videos. You have the option to be notified for occasional videos or all of them. If you're on your phone, make sure you go into your settings and switch on notifications.
Number one: Tom Cruise has a boyfriend, who!?
One of the most famous things about Cruise is the ironclad discretion he maintains regarding his personal life. Even information about his heterosexual relationships and his children was always carefully controlled. That's why the casual mention that he is in a romantic relationship was as explosive, if not more so, than the confirmation of his sexual orientation. But there are far fewer clues than in his relationship with Wesley Kilmer.
What do we know so far?
It's a new relationship: Cruise says he's "dating again after seven years." That indicates he hasn't been in a relationship since his divorce from Katie Holmes until now. Another sign that the romance is new is Kilmer's comment that he "likes" the man because he makes his friend happy.
It's pretty serious: Cruise is a man who is cautious with his words, an attitude cemented by his decades in the media spotlight. Yet at the conclusion of the Wired interview, he calls this mysterious man "my boyfriend" and says he would be upset if Cruise and Kilmer were lovers. In other words, they are exclusive.
What do we guess?
Cruise often falls in love on the job, as evidenced by his previous relationships with Wesley Kilmer, Nicole Kidman, Penelope Cruz, and Katie Holmes. That's why there's a consensus that this man must be part of the cast or production crew of "Top Gun Maverick," "After the Winter," or "Mission Impossible Dead Reckoning," his three most recent projects. So, ever since the interview came out, fan accounts and a few tabloids have been posting tables, cross-reference lists, and all sorts of charts, trying to deduce the identity of this man by exclusion. Photos from public events don't help. Cruise has made it his style to pose in groups with his work crews for years. He only poses for solo photos with Christopher McQuarrie, his MI franchise co-producer, or Val Kilmer.
Who are the candidates?
For now, the most mentioned names, for a variety of factors too long for this video, and which include frankly bizarre elements, are the musician Lorne Bafle and the actors Jon Hamm, Greg Tarzan Davies, Glen Powell, and Miles Teller.
What do you think?
Do you agree with our selection?
Let us know in the comments!
Reference:
Kennedy, Dana. “A Long-Lingering Grief Serves a New Role,” New York Times, April 21, 2002. https://www.nytimes.com/2002/04/21/movies/film-a-long-lingering-grief-serves-a-new-role.html