Tom Cruise may have never starred in “Rain Man” if not for his little sister.
During a wide-ranging conversation at the BFI in London on Sunday, Cruise reflected on the films that made his career and told the story of his chance meeting with Dustin Hoffman at a New York City restaurant. It was 1984 and Cruise had just shot Ridley Scott’s “Legend.” He was back in the States visiting his sister Cass, who spotted Hoffman from across the restaurant.
“She goes, ‘There’s Dustin Hoffman.’ I looked up and there he was, in a hat — he was doing ‘Death of a Salesman’ — and he was ordering takeout,” Cruise said. “She goes, ‘You go over there and say hello to him.’ I was like, ‘I’m not going to say hello.’ She goes, ‘You know him, you know his movies.’ And she doesn’t do stuff like that. And I don’t walk up to people, but she was so pushy.”
Eventually, Cruise said his sister — who was in the audience at the BFI talk — gave him an ultimatum: “If you don’t do it, I’m just going to go over there and tell him who you are.” Cruise responded, “He’s not going to know who I am, that’s going to be really humiliating!” Cass eventually “pestered me so much,” Cruise recalled, that he gave in. “I said, ‘Excuse me, Mr. Hoffman, I’m sorry…’ And he went, ‘Cruise!’”
Hoffman ended up offering Cruise and his sister tickets to “Death of a Salesman” and invited them backstage after the show. “As I was leaving he said, ‘I want to make a movie with you.’ And I said, ‘That would be nice, sir,’” Cruise said, laughing at the memory. “And that’s what happened, and basically a year later he sent ‘Rain Man.’”
“Rain Man,” Barry Levinson’s road comedy following a wheeler-dealer (Cruise) whose father leaves his fortune to his other brother that he didn’t know existed (Hoffman), went on to win best picture at the Oscars, in addition to best director for Levinson, actor for Hoffman and original screenplay.
Cruise is in London to receive the BFI Fellowship, the organization’s highest honor, which he’ll be presented with at the BFI Chair’s Dinner on Monday. Cruise has spent a lot of time in the U.K. recently, having filmed Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s untitled upcoming film as well as the new installment of the “Mission: Impossible” franchise, “The Final Reckoning,” in the country. After being presented with the BFI Fellowship, Cruise will head over to the Cannes Film Festival for the world premiere of “The Final Reckoning” on Wednesday.
Cruise has worked in the U.K. on many other features, including “Legend” with Ridley Scott, Stanley Kubrick’s “Eyes Wide Shut,” “Interview with the Vampire” by Neil Jordan and Doug Liman’s “Edge of Tomorrow.”
“I am truly honored by this acknowledgement,” Cruise said when news of his fellowship was announced. “I’ve been making films in the U.K. for over 40 years and have no plans to stop. The U.K. is home to incredibly talented professionals — actors, directors, writers and crews, as well as some of the most stunning locations in the world. I’m grateful for all the BFI has done to support U.K. filmmaking and this incredible art form we share.”
