MovieChat Forums > Tom Cruise Discussion > last of the great movie stars?

last of the great movie stars?

posted 8 years ago by stepsonglass
9 replies | jump to latest

i was looking at his filmography and was quite surprised to see there's only 40 or so credits. most actors of his fame and longevity have more....because they are usually filled with tv series guest spots and such, tom cruise has absolutely no tv credits to his name, not even a guest spot on a sketch show or anything. i like that. it makes him seem like a more serious actor for one and 2, i love how he has never taken on any of these big franchises. with the exception of mission impossible tom has relied mostly on his name to draw audiences.

a vast majority of his films are originals without being based on a comic or young adult novel or anything else that has an already built in fan base. i dont think i can name another actor still alive today who is doing worldwide numbers like tom cruise with original non-sequel films. he really is the last of the old-model of hollywood of driving audiences to theatres on name alone. now the franchise name is more important than the star.

thoughts?

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[–] tpjohn8 8 years ago

He indeed is,what is more impressive that how he survived the bad publicity most people's career will be over but he somehow managed to stay in business ,he may not have the unmatched success he had in 90s but his movies still do solid business which many of the current younger "stars" are not capable of delivering.

[–] cjda9595 8 years ago

He is the only actor that I can think of not doing any commercial .

[–] MeMyself_I 8 years ago

He's not called The Last Movie Star for nothing. Dude is legit.

[–] Beauq81 8 years ago

He's been a very good businessman from the start. Chose his projects carefully and worked his whole life to maintain a certain image, even blatantly ignoring any bad press. I'm not a fan and I really believe most of his movies would have been much better had ANYone else played his role, but I do admire his work ethic and b@lls of steel.

Fighting a religious war is like fighting over whose imaginary friend is better.

[–] kaskait 8 years ago

I think he is last great movie star because he was chosen by the public.

Today's "media" faces (not stars) are chosen by corporations to sell us crap. Cruise got his start in a time where Hollywood was still in flux (after the fall of the studios in the late 60s/early 70s) and willing to take chances on different types of actors/directors/films etc. Also Spielberg/Lucas had a big effect on the industry but their creation model had not taken over as of yet.

Cruise came up from the trenches the hard way, learning his craft and business skills. He had a face that people liked (not model handsome, but not everyday normal).

I can't state enough that this isn't the case anymore for actors. Actors today are groomed as children (elite children) and pushed up the ladder. Even if they fail and no one wants to look at them, they are still pushed as "stars".

This is the reason why we have superhero film and high concept films regurgitated on us over and over again. Quite simply because Hollywood no longer allows natural development of actors from stage to screen and putting real skin on the line with box office. There are no "actors" we want to see. Hence they have to hook us with wow junk.

Cruise paid his dues and was chosen by the masses. This is why he is the last movie star.

[–] kaskait 8 years ago

I don't consider Clooney or Smith in the same league. They didn't come up in film. They were TV faces/advertising products that were pushed into the film.

Cruise is it, the last. If he started today, he would never be allowed to have such power. The structure wouldn't allow it.