TOM HAS CAREER ON CRUISE-CONTROL.Byline: Greg Hernandez Staff Writer Tom Cruise has played a fighter pilot, a spy, a sports agent A "sports agent" is a person who procures and negotiates employment and endorsement deals for an athlete. In return, the agent receives a commission that is usually between four and ten percent of the contract, although this figure varies. , a disabled Vietnam vet, and even a samurai. And with each incarnation, fans have stuck with the boyish star whose films have earned a combined $2.2 billion at the domestic box office. Even as the bloodthirsty blood·thirst·y adj. 1. Eager to shed blood. 2. Characterized by great carnage. blood Lestat in ``Interview With A Vampire'' and as a tortured playboy who may have killed his girlfriend in ``Vanilla Sky,'' Cruise wasn't really perceived as a villain. In ``Collateral,'' Cruise's gray-haired character is unquestionably un·ques·tion·a·ble adj. Beyond question or doubt. See Synonyms at authentic. un·ques  tion·a·bil a bad guy: a contract killer who forces a cab driver cab·driv·er also cab driver n. One who drives a taxicab for hire. cab driver n → taxista m/f cab driver n → played by Jamie Foxx Jamie Foxx (born December 13, 1967) is an American actor, singer, and stand-up comic. Foxx is possibly best-known for his performance of musician Ray Charles in Ray, and for his collaborations with director Michael Mann. to drive him around Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. as he knocks off witnesses set to testify in a drug-trafficking trial. The taut thriller from DreamWorks Pictures opens in wide release today and will put to the test Cruise's streak of $100 million-grossing domestic hits and No. 1 opening weekends. The run dates back four years and is comprised of ``The Last Samurai,'' ``Minority Report,'' ``Vanilla Sky'' and ``Mission Impossible 2.'' ``Usually when these actors go against type like Mel Gibson Noun 1. Mel Gibson - Australian actor (born in the United States in 1956) Mel Columcille Gerard Gibson, Gibson U.S.A., United States, United States of America, US, USA, America, the States, U.S. did in 'Payback' and Denzel Washington Denzel Hayes Washington, Jr. (born December 28, 1954) is a two-time Academy Award and Golden Globe Award-winning American actor and director. He has garnered much critical acclaim for his portrayals of several real-life figures, such as Steve Biko, Malcolm X, Rubin "Hurricane" in 'Training Day,' the results can be stunning,'' said box office analyst Paul Dergarabedian, president of Exhibitor Relations Co. ``But whether or not they are very big at the box office, that remains to be seen.'' DreamWorks marketing head Terry Press acknowledged that playing an assassin is a departure for the 42-year-old Cruise. ``He looks different in the movie but the character he is playing, even though he's a killer, is every bit as charming as the other characters Tom Cruise has played. The (character) is funny and charming and women find him very sexy. He just happens to have not a very heroic occupation.'' Cruise, who has been nominated for three Academy Awards (``Born on the Fourth of July Fourth of July, Independence Day, or July Fourth, U.S. holiday, commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence. Celebration of it began during the American Revolution. ,'' ``Jerry Maguire'' and ``Magnolia''), said maintaining his movie-star image was not a consideration when taking on the part. ``When I'm creating a role, I'm not thinking of, 'How are people going to accept me?' It's, what is going to work for this character, and committing totally to those choices,'' Cruise said while promoting the movie this week. ``When you're working on something, you just hope it works.'' Still, to ensure big opening weekend grosses, the usual Cruise publicity machine has kicked into high gear. This week alone, the actor has appeared on ``The Late Show With David Letterman “Late Show” redirects here. For other uses, see The Late Show. The Late Show with David Letterman is a multiple Emmy Award-winning hour-long weeknight comedy talk show broadcast by CBS from the Ed Sullivan Theater on Broadway in New York City. ,'' ``The View,'' ``Live with Regis and Kelly Live with Regis and Kelly is a syndicated American television talk show, hosted by Regis Philbin and Kelly Ripa. Before 2000, the show was known as Live with Regis and Kathie Lee, with Kathie Lee Gifford co-hosting with Philbin. ,'' and on the syndicated programs ``Entertainment Tonight,'' ``Access Hollywood'' and ``Extra.'' ``He takes his job and his responsibility to sell the movie very seriously,'' said Press. Cruise is also set to drop in on Jay Leno's ``The Tonight Show'' on Monday and he and Foxx grace the cover of this week's Entertainment Weekly magazine. Because of Cruise's superstar status, Monday's premiere at downtown Los Angeles' Orpheum Theater received widespread media coverage and drew a heavy A-list contingent ranging from Muhammad Ali Muhammad Ali, pasha of Egypt Muhammad Ali, 1769?–1849, pasha of Egypt after 1805. He was a common soldier who rose to leadership by his military skill and political acumen. to Diana Ross. Two days later, the film made its New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of debut in Harlem at the Magic Johnson Theater to open the Urbanworld Film Festival. But in some ways, DreamWorks has departed from the usual Cruise marketing campaign by including co-star Foxx prominently alongside Cruise on billboards and posters. ``We are treating the movie as a Tom Cruise movie and a Jamie Foxx movie,'' Press said. ``We're just trying to make it look exciting to people. The idea to have Tom Cruise portraying another type of character has proven to be exciting to audiences.'' From the days of 1983's ``Risky Business'' to last December's ``The Last Samarai,'' it is usually Cruise's famous mug alone that adorns a movie poster. According to DreamWorks, the decision to feature both Cruise and Foxx on the advertising for ``Collateral'' was made in cooperation with the star ``because Tom really felt like it was an ensemble movie,'' Press said. The studio has full confidence that the strongly reviewed movie will open at No. 1 this weekend as it bows in 3,180 theaters nationwide, the biggest launch of Cruise's career. ``Tom obviously is an immensely popular actor so we are going very wide with the movie,'' said Jim Tharp, head of distribution for DreamWorks. Dergarabedian attributes Cruise's commercial longevity to the actor's mixing roles and genres from the comedy of ``Jerry Maguire,`` to the action of the ``Mission Impossible'' films to thrillers like ``The Firm.'' He has also aligned himself with many of Hollywood's great directors, including Michael Mann on ``Collateral'' as well as Steven Spielberg, Stanley Kubrick, Martin Scorsese, Oliver Stone, Ron Howard and Francis Ford Coppola Noun 1. Francis Ford Coppola - United States filmmaker (born in 1939) Coppola , among others. ``Tom Cruise is at a point in his career where he can pick and choose his projects and work with whoever he wants, and he does,'' Dergarabedian said. ``The reason I believe he's still so successful is because of his hands-on approach to every aspect of his career. This guy leaves nothing to chance.'' Greg Hernandez, (818) 713-3758 greg.hernandez(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): 4 photos, box Photo: (1 -- 4 -- color) no caption (Tom Cruise photo collage) Box: HOLLYWOOD'S TOP GUN Jon Gerung/Staff Artist Source: Exhibitor Relations Co. |
|
||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion