Bill Hader Freaked Out Watching Tom Cruise Without Makeup After Shooting Tropic Thunder With Him
The 2008 movie Tropic Thunder had a star-studded cast including Ben Stiller, Robert Downey Jr., Tom Cruise, Bill Hader, and Jack Black. Directed by Ben Stiller, the satirical action comedy flick follows a film’s shoot schedule where the lead actor gets abducted by the local mafia.
It seems like the cast had a lot of fun while making the movie as it shows in their characters, too. In an ensemble like this, the actors need to have a certain chemistry to reflect well on-screen.
Bill Hader’s Experience With Tom Cruise
While all the actors in Tropic Thunder are successful in their own right, Tom Cruise was an exceptional addition to the movie who left everyone star-struck, especially Bill Hader. Being such a great actor with iconic filmography, Cruise played the role of Les Grossman in the movie.
Initially, Ben Stiller invited Cruise to have a cameo in the movie as his character’s agent. However, Cruise put forth the idea that he should play a middle-aged businessman with no mercy.
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In an interview, Hader reminisces how Cruise made everyone feel on set. His character is a mean businessman who knows the intricacies of the business as a studio head. For Cruise’s character, nothing came above seeing his movie be successful.
“I did the reading a couple of times and did an impression of a guy while auditioning for the role. The table read for Tropic Thunder was insane, Tom Cruise walked in. You know what, when he had all of that makeup on, it was really easy to chat with him. Because you forgot it was Tom Cruise. You know, he would give you really great advice through great stories. Then it wasn’t until the premiere of the movie that I saw him again without makeup on. And he was like ‘Hey, man.’ and I was like ‘Oh god, you’re Tom Cruise.’”
For his role in the movie, Cruise had to wear a fat suit, prosthetic fingers, and a cap to make a bald head. The makeup completely changed his appearance and lessened his disarming good looks, which made Hader more comfortable in talking to him and forgetting his stardom. In fact, Stiller wanted to keep Cruise’s character a surprise for the fans.
He was almost unrecognizable, and fans would have been delighted to see him in such a twisted role. However, the paparazzi released some photos of Cruise in costume ahead of the release and eventually faced a lawsuit by Cruise on the matter.
Tom Cruise Is Known to Starstruck Celebrities
Bill Hader is not the only actor who got charmed by the Mission Impossible hero. Even at 61 years old, Cruise continues to charm his co-actors and leave them in awe. In Mission Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One, Hayley Atwell played a central role along with Cruise. In an interview with Yahoo News, she expresses her overwhelming emotions at shooting scenes with the actor.
“I had a couple of pinch-me moments,” said Atwell when sharing how she witnessed Cruise doing dangerous stunts by himself.
“I just remember looking at him when the camera was being set up and I said, ‘You’re Tom Cruise!’ He is so enthusiastic and when someone is excited, he celebrates with them even more.”
Atwell also revealed that Cruise does not like sitting in the passenger seat, but he had to for one scene in the movie where Atwell is driving. Being so humble and kind at the peak of stardom is never easy. It’s great to see Cruise being a charming person both on-screen and in real life.
