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7 Essential Tom Cruise Performances That Aren’t Action Movies

Tom Cruise is a legend. He is know for his thrilling action movies, but here are 7 essential Tom Cruise performances that aren’t action movies.

7 Essential Tom Cruise Performances That Aren’t Action Movies

Tom Cruise is Hollywood royalty. He’s a superstar through and through; whether he’s jumping across rooftops or scaling the tallest building in the world, we can’t take our eyes off him – not that we’d want to!

Outside of the adrenaline and heart-stopping action, Cruise has given us some of cinema’s greatest performances. The star devotes himself to his craft; he’s not afraid to get vulnerable, and his dedication to each of his roles is admirable.

7 Essential Tom Cruise Performances That Aren’t Action Movies

Lestat – Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles

Cruise takes to the screen as infamous egomaniacal, cunning vampire Lestat in his bid to corrupt good-willed protégé Louis (Brad Pitt). Interview with the Vampire is a creatively clever take on vampirism and immortality with Louis grasping onto his humanity when all hope seems to be lost.

The star gives a sinister performance. Lestat is evil incarnate, and yet we can’t help but feel enticed by his presence. Both he and Pitt are matched in talent by a young Kirsten Dunst as Claudia, who boldly confronts the pair over her loss of innocence. Interview with the Vampire works because it elevates traditional horror conventions with sentimental undertones driven by Louis’ self-hatred and Lestat’s conniving methods of eternal torture.

7 Essential Tom Cruise Performances That Aren’t Action Movies

Lt. Daniel Kaffee – A Few Good Men

Any Tom Cruise film is sure to leave a mark on the hearts of viewers, especially when you consider how quotable a lot of them are. A Few Good Men is a top contender here for this reason alone, and that’s before even touching on the story and noteworthy ensemble cast.

Can Cruise’s Lt. Kaffee handle the truth? Indeed he can. You’d think having too much star power would disparage and distract from a hard-hitting premise, however, A Few Good Men delivers in all areas. The plot is sophisticated and thought-provoking in the sense that it will keep you guessing until the very end; Cruise brings everything he has to the table, it pays off!

7 Essential Tom Cruise Performances That Aren’t Action Movies

Joel Goodson – Risky Business

Admit it, we’ve all cranked up the speaker and channelled our inner Joel Goodson whenever we’re left alone in the house. Before becoming one of Hollywood’s leading action stars, Cruise was sliding around in his underwear to ‘Old Time Rock & Roll’ and it’s still as iconic now as it was back then.

Risky Business put Cruise on the map. His character transitions from a straight-laced, over-achiever to a slick tycoon-wannabe as he tries his hand at living the dream. Not one to shy away from exploring darker themes, the coming-of-age drama looks at Goodson’s uncertainty with his future and pits him straight into the deep end while he figures out where he wants his life to go.

7 Essential Tom Cruise Performances That Aren’t Action Movies

Vincent Lauria – The Color of Money

In this 1986 sequel to The Hustler, Cruise pairs up with Hollywood veteran Paul Newman who takes the naïve pool player under his wing and teaches him the art of hustling.

Before he became renowned for climbing buildings and diving out of planes, Cruise mastered the pool table and shows off his skill with his nifty trick shots in The Color of Money. Though the plot isn’t as strong as it’s predecessor, this sequel manages to stand well on its own two feet with Newman dominating the screen before passing the mantle onto Cruise – it might initially look like the young star is out of his depth when teaming up with the big guns but The Color of Money proves Cruise is never one to back down from a challenge.

7 Essential Tom Cruise Performances That Aren’t Action Movies

Stacee Jaxx – Rock of Ages

Rock of Ages isn’t the greatest movie of all time; it’s not even the greatest musical adaptation of all time; in fact, Rock of Ages sadly fails to live up to the popular success of its Broadway predecessor. The ensemble cast is maybe the film’s saving grace, but Cruise undoubtedly steals the show as washed up, tattoo-covered rockstar Stacee Jaxx.

He is hilarious in the role. From his first on-screen appearance, it’s easy to see that Cruise has fully committed himself to becoming Stacee Jaxx. Then, he sings with a voice that’s probably been gifted to him by the musical gods. It really makes you question whether there’s anything the Hollywood star can’t do. Sleazy Jaxx may be, this iteration of the star is far more likeable than his stage counterpart and comes across as the endearing rogue who lost his way rather than an overzealous misogynist. Jaxx is almost as cool as Cruise himself.

7 Essential Tom Cruise Performances That Aren’t Action Movies

Charlie Babbitt – Rain Man

Cruise can play the arrogant, self-absorbed d-bag down to perfection; usually when he’s tasked with this type of character, you know you’re in for a wild ride of reflection and evolution, and by the end of the film, Cruise has gone from egocentric to beloved hero; Rain Man is a fine example of this trope.

Charlie Babbitt is one of Cruise’s most well-rounded, touching performances that he’s given throughout his whole career. He’s charismatic, clever, and generally unlikeable for the most part until Cruise breaks down his barriers and brings a great deal of humanity to Charlie. While Dustin Hoffman steals the show, Cruise’s Charlie is a character of complexities; Rain Man is a rollercoaster from beginning to end thanks to the dynamic between Hoffman and Cruise.

7 Essential Tom Cruise Performances That Aren’t Action Movies

Jerry Maguire – Jerry Maguire

It’s hard to talk about Jerry Maguire without yelling out “show me the money!” The line is unforgettable, and thanks to Cruise’s heartfelt performance as the eponymous sports agent, so is the film.

Jerry Maguire is a must-watch for every movie lover. It is a classic, and is bound to to make you feel something whether it’s laughing out loud at its absurdity or bawling your eyes out at its emotional climax. The movie runs deeper than the average sports-drama; instead, we are taken through an inspirational journey of Jerry’s self-discovery following a life-altering epiphany. It’s feel-good at its finest.

NEXT: 9 Essential Ewan McGregor Performances: From Trainspotting to Star Wars

Top Gun: Maverick IMAX poster

About Top Gun: Maverick

After more than thirty years of service as one of the Navy’s top aviators, Pete “Maverick” Mitchell (Tom Cruise) is where he belongs, pushing the envelope as a courageous test pilot and dodging the advancement in rank that would ground him. When he finds himself training a detachment of TOP GUN graduates for a specialized mission the likes of which no living pilot has ever seen, Maverick encounters Lt. Bradley Bradshaw (Miles Teller), call sign: “Rooster,” the son of Maverick’s late friend and Radar Intercept Officer Lt. Nick Bradshaw, aka “Goose.”

Facing an uncertain future and confronting the ghosts of his past, Maverick is drawn into a confrontation with his own deepest fears, culminating in a mission that demands the ultimate sacrifice from those who will be chosen to fly it.

Top Gun: Maverick hits theaters on May 27th!