Tom Cruise has been the topic of conversation in the cinematic world after the ground-breaking success of his newest ventureTop Gun: Maverick, which follows the story of Pete ‘Maverick’ Mitchell 36 years after the release of the iconic 1986 original film. However, despite the film’s box office achievement, veteran actor Mickey Rourke remains unimpressed with Cruise, calling him ‘irrelevant’ for not trying to stretch himself as an actor.
Top Gun: Maverickhas quickly become the best-performing film of the year, with a combined box office total that puts the Paramount film over the $1 billion mark worldwide, making it only the second film in the pandemic era to do so, behindMarvel Studios’Spider-Man: No Way Home. The impressive global number is also the first time Cruise has crossed the $1 billion milestone throughout his career.
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Unfortunately, Academy Award-nominated actor Rourke finds the Paramount film less than impressive, along with its well-known leading star. TheIron Man 2villainrecently made an appearance onPiers Morgan Uncensoredand didn’t mince words when asked about the year’s highest-grossing film. “That doesn’t mean s*** to me,” stated Rourke about the film’s $1 billion success. “Tom Cruise has been doing the same part for 35 effing years. I got no respect for that.”
Rourke noted that Cruise’s inability to truly stretch himself as an actor over the past three decades is the reason he finds theTop Gun: Maverickleading star’s well established acting career to be ‘irrelevant’ in his eyes. “I don’t care about money or power,” expressed Rourke. “I care about…when I watch Al Pacino or Christopher Walken working, or De Niro’s early work and Richard Harris and Ray Winstone, that’s the kind of actor I want to be like. A lot of guys that tried to stretch as actors.”
Cruise is well-known for his roles in the action genre, but the veteran actor has earned his fair share of Academy Award nominations throughout his career. In the category of Best Actor in a Leading Role, Cruise was nominated twice for his roles inBorn on the Fourth of JulyandJerry Maguire. In the Best Actor in a Supporting Role category, theTop Gun: Maverickstar was nominated once for his performance inMagnolia. On the other hand, Rourke only has oneAcademy Award nomination, which came in 2009 for this performance inThe Wrestler. Cruise may find comfort in a genre familiar to him that has proven to be financially beneficial, but some may find it unfair to say the actor hasn’t stretched himself throughout his career.
Top Gun: Maverickdoesn’t appear to be slowing at the box office and is proving to be a film that will be hard to outgross by the end of the year.Black Panther: Wakanda ForeverandAvatar: The Way of Watermay emerge as solid competition, but only time will tell if they can match such a performance. Cruise will make his on-screen appearance again in July 2023 withMission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One. Rourke may find the outstanding performance ofTop Gun: Maverickto be unimpressive, but audiences and critics would say otherwise. The film is Cruise’s career-best and may potentially open the door for a third installment to the iconic film series.
