Tom Cruise is one of the biggest names in Hollywood. For a few decades now, he has become primarily known for his roles in action movies. He is a reference point for actors in the genre, and he appears to have as much fun filming these movies as the audience has when watching them. His characters in Top Gun and Mission Impossible influenced numerous action movies that came after. Cruise’s love for action is so grand that most of his ridiculously dangerous stunts are done by the actor himself.
However, it may get lost in the midst of airplane chases and gun fights the fact that Cruise has also done some dramatic roles that don’t involve escalating one of the tallest buildings in the world. Then again, a lot of these roles feature the exact same type of character, which becomes a bit of a common thread in his non-action movies — the handsome yet extremely cocky (almost arrogant) guy who changes his ways, and who the audience can’t help but root for. Cruise has done some great acting in these movies (Rain Man, Risky Business, Cocktail, Jerry Maguire), but they are often the exact same role, just in different situations.
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He does have a handful of great movies where he steps outside his comfort zone. They may not be the first ones that come to mind once the actor’s name is mentioned, as they diverge from the types of roles the audience is accustomed to seeing him play, but they often allow Cruise more room to do something interesting. Here is a list of every time Tom Cruise played a character who is neither an adrenaline addict action hero nor the handsome jerk lead.
Eyes Wide Shut
Warner Bros.
In Stanley Kubrick’s adaptation of a novella by Arthur Schnitzler, Eyes Wide Shut, Cruise is the main 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 narrative that flirts with the nature of dreams, desire, and male expectations, the couple struggles to deal with possible infidelity and, most importantly, trusting one another.
This character is a lot more vulnerable than most of the actor’s other roles: he is extremely insecure about his relationship with his wife, and he’s often the victim of forces around him. Harford is an ultimately weak character, and Cruise has not been 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 film, “The joke’s on him,” something pretty rare for Cruise.
Rock of Ages
Rock of Ages is a jukebox musical comedy directed by Adam Shankman. Cruise is not, as in most movies he has been a part of, the lead. He has a somewhat small role in a cast full of stars, playing Stacee Jaxx, an almost constantly intoxicated rock star. The actor not only actually sings on the soundtrack, but he surprisingly 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 is on-screen.
Interview with the Vampire
In the adaptation of the first novel by Anne Rice, Interview with the Vampire finds Cruise acting in the horror genre, something he has pretty much never done. With a blonde wig and a striking hunger for human blood, Cruise steps completely out of his comfort zone by playing the vampire Lestat alongside Brad Pitt.
At this point, Cruise was known for playing the good yet arrogant guy, so to become the villain of a gothic vampire tale was something few people could predict. The author disliked his casting as the character and was very vocal about it. However, once she saw his performance, Rice changed her mind. Lestat and the actor’s performance, are still cherished, even 22 years later.
Magnolia
New Line Cinema
Paul Thomas Anderson’s three-hour epic study of human behavior, Magnolia, tells the story of multiple characters (that amount to about ten stories) and their struggles while living in Los Angeles. Cruise plays a sexist motivational speaker called Frank T.J. Mackey. His lectures are about his seduction skills, which are nothing short of considering women as objects for his desire. Needless to say, it’s very hard to empathize with him, and it almost seems like he’s playing a caricature of the kind of arrogant man he was often cast as.
But when it appears that he’s completely shallow and actually very pathetic, the actor truly shines. The audience discovers a deeply traumatized character, which does not excuse him for what he preaches, but rather gives the actor depth to play with the anger that is boiling inside him. Tom Cruise was nominated for an Oscar for his character that teaches the art of ‘Seduce and Destroy,’ a character which was inspired by a real person, Ross Jeffries.
Tropic Thunder
DreamWorks
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 is on display with his appearance in Tropic Thunder, directed by Ben Stiller. He is the studio executive overseeing a movie that ends up losing its director mid-shoot, and the actors become prey for the drug lords in the area.
Are his actors being killed? That’s not a real concern for Cruise’s fat, bald, angry character who loves rap music, as the insurance company will have to send some very big checks. He is aggressive and hilarious in this satire of Hollywood being a money-making machine. A fun fact is that Cruise was responsible for creating the character, almost entirely, including his fat hands and dance moves.
Collateral
DreamWorks Pictures
Collateral is a thriller that dances with the horror genre, transforming the actor into Vincent, the villain of a story that shares elements with a beloved horror subgenre: the slasher. Michael Mann’s great 2014 movie fools the audience into thinking that this is the Tom Cruise we all had seen before until he transforms himself. In the midst of violence, he is a cold and vicious person with a goal: complete his one-night killing spree. This is one of his darkest characters and stories, and it makes fans eager to see Cruise do a bloodthirsty role like this again.
Born on the Fourth of July
Universal Pictures
Born on the Fourth of July got Cruise an Oscar nomination (his first one) and an Oscar win for the director, Oliver Stone. While it is not hard to imagine Tom Cruise in an action-packed war movie, this great Vietnam War narrative is nothing like that. Cruise is excellent, 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 an emotional one. Cruise had to play deeply into one of the worst feelings a person could feel: betrayal. Betrayal from 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, being destroyed.
