WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.480 Welcome to the Deep Dive. Today we've got quite 00:00:03.480 --> 00:00:06.139 a stack of sources here. Biographies, public 00:00:06.139 --> 00:00:08.880 records, financial deep dives, all focused on 00:00:08.880 --> 00:00:11.259 one person. Yeah, a figure who's really synonymous 00:00:11.259 --> 00:00:13.560 with Hollywood itself, isn't he? Thomas Cruise, 00:00:13.800 --> 00:00:16.780 Mapaldo IV. Tom Cruise. And our mission really 00:00:16.780 --> 00:00:18.719 is to try and cut through all the noise, you 00:00:18.719 --> 00:00:22.059 know, the constant media swirl. Exactly. We want 00:00:22.059 --> 00:00:24.199 to get down to the facts. Look at his, what, 00:00:24.260 --> 00:00:27.399 nearly 45 -year career, unpack the business side, 00:00:27.519 --> 00:00:31.179 the, um... the immense financial power he wields. 00:00:31.339 --> 00:00:33.320 And of course, we have to talk about the controversies, 00:00:33.340 --> 00:00:36.340 especially his role in the Church of Scientology. 00:00:36.420 --> 00:00:39.439 That's just inseparable from his story, really. 00:00:39.579 --> 00:00:41.979 It is. So let's ground this. Where does he stand 00:00:41.979 --> 00:00:44.740 right now in 2025? The numbers are just huge. 00:00:44.939 --> 00:00:47.920 Okay, yeah, the raw stats. His films. Over $13 00:00:47.920 --> 00:00:51.479 .3 billion worldwide gross. That's billion with 00:00:51.479 --> 00:00:53.960 a B. Which puts him right up there. I mean, truly 00:00:53.960 --> 00:00:56.759 in the highest tier of actors. And it's not just 00:00:56.759 --> 00:00:58.840 money, right? There's the recognition, too. An 00:00:58.840 --> 00:01:01.340 honorary Palme d 'Or at Cannes, three Golden 00:01:01.340 --> 00:01:04.159 Globes. Four Oscar nominations spanning different 00:01:04.159 --> 00:01:06.579 kinds of roles and just recently some really 00:01:06.579 --> 00:01:09.540 significant honors. Like the U .S. Navy's highest 00:01:09.540 --> 00:01:12.159 civilian award, the Distinguished Public Service 00:01:12.159 --> 00:01:15.480 Award, end of 2024. Yeah. And then the BFI Fellowship 00:01:15.480 --> 00:01:18.560 British Film Institute in early 2025. That's 00:01:18.560 --> 00:01:21.319 serious industry respect sustained over decades. 00:01:21.459 --> 00:01:24.239 Few people ever achieved that kind of longevity 00:01:24.239 --> 00:01:27.459 and influence. So you've got this picture, right? 00:01:27.540 --> 00:01:30.079 The ultimate movie star, the guy who risks everything. 00:01:30.569 --> 00:01:33.250 For the shot. The showman. Exactly. But then 00:01:33.250 --> 00:01:35.150 constantly there's this other narrative running 00:01:35.150 --> 00:01:38.250 alongside it, the Scientology advocate, the controversy 00:01:38.250 --> 00:01:41.250 magnet. It's this duality that makes him so fascinating, 00:01:41.349 --> 00:01:44.310 I think. So let's trace it back. How did it all 00:01:44.310 --> 00:01:46.730 start? Because his childhood was nothing like 00:01:46.730 --> 00:01:48.689 the life he leads now. Right. Let's get into 00:01:48.689 --> 00:01:51.150 the genesis of the superstar, the early life, 00:01:51.269 --> 00:01:53.549 the 80s breakthrough. OK, so the sources are 00:01:53.549 --> 00:01:57.090 pretty clear. Born July 3rd, 1962, Syracuse, 00:01:57.090 --> 00:02:00.340 New York. And the childhood, marked by, well, 00:02:00.379 --> 00:02:03.079 near poverty and just constant moving. How much 00:02:03.079 --> 00:02:07.819 moving? 15 schools in 14 years before finishing 00:02:07.819 --> 00:02:09.900 high school. Whoa. Just imagine that instability. 00:02:10.139 --> 00:02:12.979 And a lot of that stemmed from his father, Thomas 00:02:12.979 --> 00:02:16.699 Cruz Mapofa III, an electrical engineer. But 00:02:16.699 --> 00:02:19.780 the descriptions Cruz uses, they're pretty bleak. 00:02:19.900 --> 00:02:22.080 Yeah. I saw those quotes. He called him a merchant 00:02:22.080 --> 00:02:25.039 of chaos. A bully. A coward. Said he beat the 00:02:25.039 --> 00:02:27.620 kids. That's incredibly dark. And Cruz himself 00:02:27.620 --> 00:02:30.240 drew a lesson from it, didn't he? About trust. 00:02:30.740 --> 00:02:33.199 Yeah, he described his father as someone who'd 00:02:33.199 --> 00:02:35.699 lull you in, make you feel safe, and then bang. 00:02:36.020 --> 00:02:39.060 It taught him, basically, don't trust him. Be 00:02:39.060 --> 00:02:41.400 careful. That kind of early experience, that 00:02:41.400 --> 00:02:44.860 chaos, you have to think it instilled a need 00:02:44.860 --> 00:02:47.949 for control later on. For precision. It seems 00:02:47.949 --> 00:02:50.090 likely, doesn't it? That need for structure, 00:02:50.210 --> 00:02:52.530 self -reliance. His father passed away in 84, 00:02:52.789 --> 00:02:55.650 but that early impact seems profound. Now, before 00:02:55.650 --> 00:02:57.810 acting really took hold, there was this brief 00:02:57.810 --> 00:03:01.750 detour, wasn't there, into religion. Right, yeah. 00:03:01.830 --> 00:03:03.789 He had a Catholic upbringing. And for about a 00:03:03.789 --> 00:03:05.590 year, he was actually at St. Francis Seminary 00:03:05.590 --> 00:03:07.610 in Cincinnati. Thinking of becoming a priest. 00:03:07.949 --> 00:03:10.310 Apparently so. Franciscan order. He was on a 00:03:10.310 --> 00:03:13.030 scholarship. But only for a year. Why'd he leave? 00:03:13.550 --> 00:03:15.770 Well, accounts vary. Some say the family moved 00:03:15.770 --> 00:03:18.389 again, which, given the track record, sounds 00:03:18.389 --> 00:03:21.289 plausible. But there's another story from a former 00:03:21.289 --> 00:03:24.349 classmate, actually, claimed Cruz got caught 00:03:24.349 --> 00:03:27.409 taking liquor from the seminary and was asked 00:03:27.409 --> 00:03:30.830 to leave. Huh. Okay, so maybe not quite the path 00:03:30.830 --> 00:03:33.469 to priesthood. Either way, by 18, he'd made a 00:03:33.469 --> 00:03:35.889 different choice. Moved to New York City, wanted 00:03:35.889 --> 00:03:38.009 to be an actor. His mom and stepfather supported 00:03:38.009 --> 00:03:40.129 the move. And started right at the bottom. Oh, 00:03:40.129 --> 00:03:43.110 yeah. Buzz Boy in New York, then shifted to L 00:03:43.110 --> 00:03:45.550 .A. trying for TV roles. His very first film 00:03:45.550 --> 00:03:49.449 role was tiny. Endless Love, 1981, just a bit 00:03:49.449 --> 00:03:51.770 part. But things moved fast after that. Very 00:03:51.770 --> 00:03:55.069 fast. Taps later in 81. That was the real launch 00:03:55.069 --> 00:03:57.750 pad. Military Academy drama. He wasn't meant 00:03:57.750 --> 00:03:59.909 to have a big part initially, was he? No, he 00:03:59.909 --> 00:04:02.550 was hired basically as an extra background cadet. 00:04:02.550 --> 00:04:04.849 But the director, Harold Becker, was apparently 00:04:04.849 --> 00:04:08.060 just blown away by his intensity on set. So they 00:04:08.060 --> 00:04:10.280 expanded the role. Significantly. Turned him 00:04:10.280 --> 00:04:13.159 into David Shawn, that sort of crazed standout 00:04:13.159 --> 00:04:15.699 cadet, a major supporting character. People noticed 00:04:15.699 --> 00:04:18.779 him in that. And that really set the stage for 00:04:18.779 --> 00:04:21.639 the 80s explosion. 1983 feels like the pivotal 00:04:21.639 --> 00:04:24.519 year. Definitely. First, Coppola's The Outsiders. 00:04:24.759 --> 00:04:27.699 Huge ensemble cast, packed with future stars 00:04:27.699 --> 00:04:30.560 Matt Dillon, Rob Lowe, Patrick Swayze. A real 00:04:30.560 --> 00:04:34.139 who's who. Yeah. And then later that same year. 00:04:34.649 --> 00:04:38.410 Risky business. Ah, yes. The sunglasses, the 00:04:38.410 --> 00:04:40.750 underwear scene. It was instantly labeled, you 00:04:40.750 --> 00:04:43.470 know, a Generation X classic, a career maker. 00:04:43.629 --> 00:04:46.269 It just perfectly captured his energy, that mix 00:04:46.269 --> 00:04:49.720 of. charm and rebellion. And that just catapulted 00:04:49.720 --> 00:04:51.540 him, didn't it? Straight towards Top Gun. Exactly. 00:04:51.740 --> 00:04:54.420 1986. Top Gun wasn't just a hit, it was a phenomenon. 00:04:54.819 --> 00:04:57.740 It cemented him as a global superstar, a sex 00:04:57.740 --> 00:05:00.519 symbol. It really set the template for that high 00:05:00.519 --> 00:05:02.879 -octane, charismatic action hero he'd become 00:05:02.879 --> 00:05:05.220 known for. But what's interesting looking back 00:05:05.220 --> 00:05:08.300 is he didn't just stick to that, did he? He immediately 00:05:08.300 --> 00:05:10.879 used that clout to work with serious directors. 00:05:11.139 --> 00:05:13.660 Right. That's a smart move. Straight after Top 00:05:13.660 --> 00:05:15.759 Gun, he does The Color of Money with Martin Scorsese. 00:05:15.839 --> 00:05:17.519 Playing pool against Paul Nimmin. I mean, talk 00:05:17.519 --> 00:05:19.800 about holding your own. And critics noticed. 00:05:19.860 --> 00:05:22.160 They praised the chemistry. So you really believe 00:05:22.160 --> 00:05:25.199 these guys were top pool players. It showed he 00:05:25.199 --> 00:05:28.040 had dramatic chocks, not just star power. And 00:05:28.040 --> 00:05:30.100 he followed that up quickly. Rain Man in 88. 00:05:30.360 --> 00:05:33.199 Yeah. Opposite Dustin Hoffman. And Rain Man wins 00:05:33.199 --> 00:05:35.459 Best Picture. Cruz is in a complex supporting 00:05:35.459 --> 00:05:38.360 role there, showing he could play alongside another 00:05:38.360 --> 00:05:41.019 huge talent without, you know, just dominating 00:05:41.019 --> 00:05:44.060 through sheer charisma. It broadened his range 00:05:44.060 --> 00:05:46.959 again. But the real turning point. Critically 00:05:46.959 --> 00:05:50.779 speaking, the moment he went from star to maybe 00:05:50.779 --> 00:05:54.240 respected actor, that was 89, right? Absolutely. 00:05:54.540 --> 00:05:57.079 Oliver Stone's Born on the Fourth of July, playing 00:05:57.079 --> 00:06:00.079 Ron Kovach, the paralyzed Vietnam vet. That was 00:06:00.079 --> 00:06:02.579 a huge swing for him. Massive. And the reviews 00:06:02.579 --> 00:06:04.879 were incredible. Roger Ebert wrote something 00:06:04.879 --> 00:06:07.259 like, nothing Cruise has done will prepare you 00:06:07.259 --> 00:06:09.339 for what he does in this film. So the performance 00:06:09.339 --> 00:06:11.579 was so convincing, the movie lived through it. 00:06:11.699 --> 00:06:13.279 And that's when the awards really started coming 00:06:13.279 --> 00:06:15.759 in. First Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Drama. 00:06:16.429 --> 00:06:19.529 And, crucially, his first Oscar nomination for 00:06:19.529 --> 00:06:22.509 Best Actor. He'd done it. He'd used his box office 00:06:22.509 --> 00:06:25.230 power to get taken seriously as a dramatic actor. 00:06:25.550 --> 00:06:28.689 So as we move into the 1990s, his personal life 00:06:28.689 --> 00:06:31.370 starts becoming much more public, right? Especially 00:06:31.370 --> 00:06:33.930 his marriage to Nicole Kidman. Yeah, they met 00:06:33.930 --> 00:06:36.250 filming Days of Thunder in 1990s, got married 00:06:36.250 --> 00:06:39.509 that year, and his next two big films co -start 00:06:39.509 --> 00:06:42.509 her. Days of Thunder, the racing movie, and then 00:06:42.509 --> 00:06:46.000 Far and Away in 92, that historical epic. Those 00:06:46.000 --> 00:06:48.459 were solid hits, but the rest of the 90s really 00:06:48.459 --> 00:06:50.959 shows him refusing to be pinned down. He kept 00:06:50.959 --> 00:06:53.480 stretching. Like The Firm in 93. That was huge, 00:06:53.579 --> 00:06:56.480 wasn't it? The John Grisham legal thriller? Massive. 00:06:56.699 --> 00:06:58.759 Critically acclaimed, commercially successful, 00:06:59.180 --> 00:07:01.980 proved he could carry a complex talking movie 00:07:01.980 --> 00:07:04.899 entirely on his shoulders. And then, again, this 00:07:04.899 --> 00:07:08.360 almost whiplash -inducing turn from legal thriller 00:07:08.360 --> 00:07:10.899 to gothic horror. Interview with the Vampire, 00:07:11.019 --> 00:07:14.029 1994. playing Lestat. And this is where we get 00:07:14.029 --> 00:07:16.290 that amazing story about Anne Rice, the author. 00:07:16.449 --> 00:07:18.250 Right. She was really against him being cast, 00:07:18.410 --> 00:07:20.410 wasn't she? Very publicly. Extremely publicly. 00:07:20.470 --> 00:07:23.050 She wanted Julian Sands, thought Cruise was too, 00:07:23.189 --> 00:07:25.550 you know, all -American, too top gun for the 00:07:25.550 --> 00:07:27.509 decadent Lestat. But then she saw the movie. 00:07:27.709 --> 00:07:30.889 And did a complete 180. She was apparently just 00:07:30.889 --> 00:07:33.290 stunned by his performance, how he captured the 00:07:33.290 --> 00:07:36.329 character. And she didn't just say it. She paid 00:07:36.329 --> 00:07:38.790 to say it. That's the incredible part. Took out 00:07:38.790 --> 00:07:41.490 a two -page ad in Daily Variety, cost nearly 00:07:41.490 --> 00:07:45.089 $8 ,000 back then, just to publicly apologize 00:07:45.089 --> 00:07:48.189 and praise his performance, a huge public admission 00:07:48.189 --> 00:07:50.730 that she was wrong. That says a lot about his 00:07:50.730 --> 00:07:56.300 focus, his ability to transform. 1996. That feels 00:07:56.300 --> 00:07:58.439 like another massive turning point. Maybe the 00:07:58.439 --> 00:08:01.100 biggest strategic. Oh, absolutely. 1996 is the 00:08:01.100 --> 00:08:03.439 year he launches Mission Impossible. And crucially, 00:08:03.540 --> 00:08:06.399 he's not just the star, Ethan Hunt. He's the 00:08:06.399 --> 00:08:09.220 producer. Exactly. It was the first big project 00:08:09.220 --> 00:08:11.339 for Cruz Wagner Productions, the company he'd 00:08:11.339 --> 00:08:13.620 set up with his former agent, Paula Wagner, back 00:08:13.620 --> 00:08:16.600 in 93. This shift from just actor to actor producer. 00:08:17.230 --> 00:08:19.230 That's the foundation of the power he has now, 00:08:19.310 --> 00:08:22.410 isn't it? Completely. It gave him control, creative, 00:08:22.509 --> 00:08:24.170 and financial. We'll definitely get more into 00:08:24.170 --> 00:08:26.230 that. But even while building this franchise 00:08:26.230 --> 00:08:28.750 machine, he kept chasing the critical hits, too. 00:08:28.970 --> 00:08:31.990 Like later in 96, Jerry Maguire? Yeah, with Cameron 00:08:31.990 --> 00:08:34.690 Crowe. Show me the money. Iconic. And another 00:08:34.690 --> 00:08:37.110 massive success, right? Both box office and awards. 00:08:37.330 --> 00:08:41.620 Totally. Over $273 million worldwide. showed 00:08:41.620 --> 00:08:44.600 he could absolutely nail romantic dramedy, got 00:08:44.600 --> 00:08:46.740 him his second Golden Globe, this time for musical 00:08:46.740 --> 00:08:49.580 or comedy, and his second best actor Oscar nomination. 00:08:50.000 --> 00:08:53.279 He was really balancing the blockbuster and the 00:08:53.279 --> 00:08:56.019 prestige picture perfectly. And he finished the 00:08:56.019 --> 00:08:58.240 decade working with absolute legends. Stanley 00:08:58.240 --> 00:09:01.799 Kubrick, Eyes Wide Shut, 1999, reuniting with 00:09:01.799 --> 00:09:04.879 Kidman on screen, a notoriously difficult long 00:09:04.879 --> 00:09:07.279 shoot. But his performance was praised, right, 00:09:07.340 --> 00:09:09.389 for the commitment. Yeah, critics noted that 00:09:09.389 --> 00:09:11.490 sort of fierce dedication he brings to everything, 00:09:11.629 --> 00:09:13.730 and then almost immediately after Kubrick. Paul 00:09:13.730 --> 00:09:16.490 Thomas Anderson. Magnolia. And in a supporting 00:09:16.490 --> 00:09:19.090 role, which was a surprise for a star of his 00:09:19.090 --> 00:09:21.559 magnitude then. Playing Frank T .J. Mackey, that 00:09:21.559 --> 00:09:24.000 toxic motivational speaker. That role was something 00:09:24.000 --> 00:09:26.799 else. So intense. And universally acclaimed. 00:09:26.919 --> 00:09:29.360 Rolling Stone called him a revelation, said he 00:09:29.360 --> 00:09:31.679 was fully deserving of the shower of superlatives, 00:09:31.820 --> 00:09:34.779 described his energy as like a wounded animal. 00:09:35.000 --> 00:09:37.700 Wow. And that got him more awards buzz. Third 00:09:37.700 --> 00:09:40.820 Golden Globe, third Oscar nomination, this time 00:09:40.820 --> 00:09:43.000 for supporting actor. It proved he was willing 00:09:43.000 --> 00:09:45.379 to take risks, work with challenging directors, 00:09:45.639 --> 00:09:47.720 even step out of the leading man spotlight for 00:09:47.720 --> 00:09:50.980 the right role. He truly diversified his portfolio, 00:09:51.200 --> 00:09:53.340 you could say. So, okay, entering the 2000s, 00:09:53.340 --> 00:09:54.980 he's got the critical respect, he's got the production 00:09:54.980 --> 00:09:58.100 company. Now what? Now he seems to fully embrace 00:09:58.100 --> 00:10:00.639 becoming the undisputed king of the blockbuster, 00:10:00.779 --> 00:10:03.639 leveraging all that capital he'd built up. Mission 00:10:03.639 --> 00:10:06.899 Impossible 2 kicks off the decade in 2000. Directed 00:10:06.899 --> 00:10:09.610 by John Woo. Very different style. Very different. 00:10:09.730 --> 00:10:11.690 And it was the biggest film in the world that 00:10:11.690 --> 00:10:16.429 year, $547 million globally. That really cemented 00:10:16.429 --> 00:10:18.870 the MI franchise as his core action vehicle. 00:10:19.070 --> 00:10:20.730 This is also when he starts working with Spielberg. 00:10:20.850 --> 00:10:23.529 Yeah, a major collaboration. First, Vanilla Sky 00:10:23.529 --> 00:10:25.990 in 2001, which was kind of a remake, a bit more 00:10:25.990 --> 00:10:28.549 experimental. And then the big one, Minority 00:10:28.549 --> 00:10:31.250 Report in 2002. Which is still considered a classic 00:10:31.250 --> 00:10:34.129 sci -fi film. Absolutely. Often ranks among the 00:10:34.129 --> 00:10:36.850 greats. It showed he could anchor these big, 00:10:36.850 --> 00:10:40.279 intelligent, complex blockbusters, not just pure 00:10:40.279 --> 00:10:43.279 action. But he kept mixing it up, even within 00:10:43.279 --> 00:10:45.940 the action genre. Definitely. The Last Samurai 00:10:45.940 --> 00:10:49.340 in 2003, historical action drama, got him another 00:10:49.340 --> 00:10:52.039 Golden Globe nomination. And then a really interesting 00:10:52.039 --> 00:10:55.009 move in 2004. Collateral. Playing the villain. 00:10:55.129 --> 00:10:57.629 Yeah. Vincent, the gray -haired hitman, directed 00:10:57.629 --> 00:11:01.070 by Michael Mann. Such a cool, sleek, neo -noir 00:11:01.070 --> 00:11:04.549 film. And critics loved him in it. Showed a darker 00:11:04.549 --> 00:11:07.309 side. Totally subverted his usual hero image. 00:11:07.590 --> 00:11:10.070 It was seen as a really strong performance and 00:11:10.070 --> 00:11:12.789 a great thriller. And all this time, Cruz Wagner 00:11:12.789 --> 00:11:14.889 Productions is humming along behind the scenes. 00:11:15.049 --> 00:11:17.820 Right. co -producing almost all his films, but 00:11:17.820 --> 00:11:20.279 also backing other interesting projects where 00:11:20.279 --> 00:11:22.980 he didn't even appear, like the others that Nicole 00:11:22.980 --> 00:11:25.700 Kidman, Ghost Story or Shattered Glass. So his 00:11:25.700 --> 00:11:27.460 influence was really growing beyond just his 00:11:27.460 --> 00:11:29.840 own stardom. Massively. This is when people like 00:11:29.840 --> 00:11:31.980 Edward J. Epstein, the Hollywood economist, started 00:11:31.980 --> 00:11:34.100 calling him one of the most powerful and richest 00:11:34.100 --> 00:11:36.720 forces in Hollywood. Epstein said he was in that 00:11:36.720 --> 00:11:39.179 tiny group like Spielberg or Lucas who could 00:11:39.179 --> 00:11:41.399 basically guarantee a billion dollar franchise 00:11:41.399 --> 00:11:44.460 success, right? Exactly. And Epstein made that 00:11:44.460 --> 00:11:47.019 crucial point. The public gets so caught up in 00:11:47.019 --> 00:11:49.159 the tabloid stuff. Right, the controversies. 00:11:49.279 --> 00:11:52.360 That they often miss the exceptional commercial 00:11:52.360 --> 00:11:55.600 prowess, the sheer strategic brilliance of his 00:11:55.600 --> 00:11:57.799 business operation. Which leads us directly to 00:11:57.799 --> 00:12:01.360 that big rupture in 2006, the split with Paramount. 00:12:01.480 --> 00:12:04.580 Yeah, that was huge news. Sumner Redstone, the 00:12:04.580 --> 00:12:07.039 Viacom chairman back then, publicly announced 00:12:07.039 --> 00:12:09.100 they were ending their 14 -year relationship 00:12:09.100 --> 00:12:11.519 with Cruz Wagner. And the reason given was his 00:12:11.519 --> 00:12:14.679 public behavior. The Oprah couch jump. The Scientology 00:12:14.679 --> 00:12:17.379 comment. That was the official line, yeah. Redstone 00:12:17.379 --> 00:12:19.779 claimed Cruz's antics were costing the studio 00:12:19.779 --> 00:12:22.850 money. But was that the real reason? The sources 00:12:22.850 --> 00:12:25.129 suggest maybe not. Well, industry analysts at 00:12:25.129 --> 00:12:27.730 the time, and looking back, felt that the public 00:12:27.730 --> 00:12:30.470 stuff was more of a convenient excuse. The deeper 00:12:30.470 --> 00:12:33.809 issue, reportedly, was money. Specifically, the 00:12:33.809 --> 00:12:36.169 money from the mission. Impossible DVDs. Exactly. 00:12:36.990 --> 00:12:39.710 Cruz -Wagner had negotiated an incredible deal, 00:12:39.789 --> 00:12:42.409 giving them a huge chunk of the home video revenue, 00:12:42.669 --> 00:12:46.250 the back -end cuts. DVDs were massive then, and 00:12:46.250 --> 00:12:48.750 Paramount was apparently furious about how much 00:12:48.750 --> 00:12:51.029 Cruise's company was taking from this incredibly 00:12:51.029 --> 00:12:53.490 valuable franchise. So it was really a fight 00:12:53.490 --> 00:12:56.230 over profit sharing disguised as a reaction to 00:12:56.230 --> 00:12:58.190 his personal life. That's what many analysts 00:12:58.190 --> 00:13:00.509 contend. It was about the revolutionary nature 00:13:00.509 --> 00:13:03.190 of his deal structure. So what did Cruise and 00:13:03.190 --> 00:13:05.870 Wagner do after the Paramount split? They made 00:13:05.870 --> 00:13:08.340 a power move. took over the management of United 00:13:08.340 --> 00:13:11.639 Artists, the historic studio, in late 2006. So 00:13:11.639 --> 00:13:13.559 they became studio heads, essentially. Pretty 00:13:13.559 --> 00:13:15.840 much. Cruise produced and starred in films there, 00:13:15.899 --> 00:13:18.440 like Lions for Lambs and Valkyrie. Wagner eventually 00:13:18.440 --> 00:13:21.139 stepped down from the day -to -day in 2008, but 00:13:21.139 --> 00:13:23.519 kept her stake. But the split with Paramount 00:13:23.519 --> 00:13:26.259 didn't last forever, did it? No. Business logic 00:13:26.259 --> 00:13:28.340 tends to win out in Hollywood. Cruise eventually 00:13:28.340 --> 00:13:30.740 went back to Paramount, both as producer and 00:13:30.740 --> 00:13:33.960 star. Mission Impossible Ghost Protocol in 2011 00:13:33.960 --> 00:13:36.720 really marked the big return. And launched the 00:13:36.720 --> 00:13:38.799 modern era of that franchise, which has been 00:13:38.799 --> 00:13:41.840 incredibly successful. Hugely successful. And 00:13:41.840 --> 00:13:44.720 he's still making strategic moves. January 2024, 00:13:45.179 --> 00:13:47.279 he announced a new partnership with Warner Bros. 00:13:48.000 --> 00:13:51.179 Discovery. Developing and producing films there, 00:13:51.279 --> 00:13:53.659 both original stuff and potential franchises. 00:13:53.899 --> 00:13:56.639 It shows the industry still sees him as a major 00:13:56.639 --> 00:14:00.899 creative and financial force. So the 2010s, 2020s. 00:14:01.159 --> 00:14:04.460 This is peak Tom Cruise, the global action phenomenon. 00:14:04.799 --> 00:14:07.879 Absolutely. Box office juggernaut. He even holds 00:14:07.879 --> 00:14:09.779 a Guinness World Record for the most consecutive 00:14:09.779 --> 00:14:12.600 movies grossing over $100 million. How many is 00:14:12.600 --> 00:14:15.539 that? Seven films in a row between 2011 and 2018. 00:14:15.720 --> 00:14:18.320 Just an incredible run of commercial fits. And 00:14:18.320 --> 00:14:20.879 then the biggest of them all, Top Gun Maverick 00:14:20.879 --> 00:14:23.720 in 2022. Yeah, just blew everyone away. Huge 00:14:23.720 --> 00:14:25.919 critical acclaim, broke box office records left 00:14:25.919 --> 00:14:28.299 and right. Over a billion dollars worldwide, 00:14:28.419 --> 00:14:30.590 his highest grossing film ever. And his personal 00:14:30.590 --> 00:14:32.710 payday from that was reported to be enormous, 00:14:32.929 --> 00:14:34.789 wasn't it? Estimated at around $100 million. 00:14:35.230 --> 00:14:37.190 How does that work? How does he make that much 00:14:37.190 --> 00:14:39.289 from one movie? It goes back to those back -end 00:14:39.289 --> 00:14:41.529 deals. He doesn't just take a salary up front. 00:14:41.570 --> 00:14:43.629 He gets a percentage of the film's total revenue 00:14:43.629 --> 00:14:46.269 after the studio makes back its costs. So not 00:14:46.269 --> 00:14:49.210 just ticket sales. No, everything. Rentals, streaming 00:14:49.210 --> 00:14:53.259 deals, Blu -ray sales, TV rights. across the 00:14:53.259 --> 00:14:55.580 entire life of the film it's a structure that 00:14:55.580 --> 00:14:58.240 gives him immense earning potential and frankly 00:14:58.240 --> 00:15:00.840 leverage it's incredible financial engineering 00:15:00.840 --> 00:15:03.299 really but even he can't control everything right 00:15:03.299 --> 00:15:06.279 like what happened with the last mission impossible 00:15:06.279 --> 00:15:09.980 right dead reckoning part one in 2023 critically 00:15:09.980 --> 00:15:12.559 it was well received people liked the movie but 00:15:12.559 --> 00:15:15.960 the box office was disappointing Yeah. Compared 00:15:15.960 --> 00:15:18.200 to expectations. Yeah. And largely because of 00:15:18.200 --> 00:15:20.879 timing. It ran straight into the Barbenheimer 00:15:20.879 --> 00:15:23.440 phenomenon. The simultaneous release of Barbie 00:15:23.440 --> 00:15:26.100 and Oppenheimer. Exactly. That cultural moment 00:15:26.100 --> 00:15:29.000 just sucked up all the oxygen, all the screens. 00:15:29.080 --> 00:15:31.200 It showed that even Tom Cruise can get caught 00:15:31.200 --> 00:15:33.200 in the cross currents of unexpected cultural 00:15:33.200 --> 00:15:36.559 trends. He guarantees spectacle, but not always 00:15:36.559 --> 00:15:38.659 the release window. So what's next? He's got 00:15:38.659 --> 00:15:41.669 another. Mission Impossible coming. Mission Impossible, 00:15:41.970 --> 00:15:45.029 The Final Reckoning, set for 2025. And he said 00:15:45.029 --> 00:15:47.769 this will be his last time playing Ethan Hunt. 00:15:47.889 --> 00:15:50.230 The end of an era for that character. Definitely. 00:15:50.370 --> 00:15:52.590 But he's not stopping. He's already lining up 00:15:52.590 --> 00:15:55.009 other big projects, like that untitled film with 00:15:55.009 --> 00:15:57.289 director Alejandro Gonzalez Iñárritu at Warner 00:15:57.289 --> 00:16:00.529 Bros. High prestige stuff. And still doing crazy 00:16:00.529 --> 00:16:02.330 stunts. I saw something about him jumping off 00:16:02.330 --> 00:16:05.149 a stadium roof. Yeah. Stade de France in Paris, 00:16:05.269 --> 00:16:08.090 apparently, for a promo shoot for the L .A. 2028 00:16:08.090 --> 00:16:10.730 Olympics. The commitment to spectacle is just 00:16:10.730 --> 00:16:14.669 undimmed. OK, so that's the professional side, 00:16:14.950 --> 00:16:18.350 unparalleled success, strategic genius, physical 00:16:18.350 --> 00:16:20.750 commitment. But we have to turn to the other 00:16:20.750 --> 00:16:24.549 side now, the public life, the personal controversies 00:16:24.549 --> 00:16:27.759 mainly revolving around Scientology. Right. And 00:16:27.759 --> 00:16:30.519 his involvement there goes way back, since 1986. 00:16:31.019 --> 00:16:33.019 It's been a constant thread and a constant source 00:16:33.019 --> 00:16:35.220 of media scrutiny. Let's trace the relationships 00:16:35.220 --> 00:16:38.299 again, but through that lens. His first wife, 00:16:38.500 --> 00:16:41.840 Mimi Rogers. Married 87 to 90. She was actually 00:16:41.840 --> 00:16:44.019 a second generation Scientologist, one of their 00:16:44.019 --> 00:16:46.259 auditors. That's their term for counselors, basically. 00:16:46.419 --> 00:16:48.000 She's the one who introduced him to Scientology. 00:16:48.159 --> 00:16:50.740 And after they divorced, she gave that Playboy 00:16:50.740 --> 00:16:54.440 interview. Yeah, in 93. Suggested Cruz had considered 00:16:54.440 --> 00:16:56.860 becoming a monk and that it affected their intimacy, 00:16:57.179 --> 00:16:59.960 but she later retracted those specific comments. 00:17:00.279 --> 00:17:03.279 Under pressure. Sources suggest yes. Friends 00:17:03.279 --> 00:17:07.240 claimed Tom, agents, studios were furious, told 00:17:07.240 --> 00:17:09.279 her career was basically over unless she walked 00:17:09.279 --> 00:17:11.640 it back. She did end up getting a substantial 00:17:11.640 --> 00:17:14.819 divorce settlement, around $4 million. Then came 00:17:14.819 --> 00:17:18.059 Nicole Kidman. Met on Days of Thunder, married 00:17:18.059 --> 00:17:22.109 1990, adopted two children. Divorced 2001. Right. 00:17:22.329 --> 00:17:24.670 Publicly, Kidman mentioned suffering an ectopic 00:17:24.670 --> 00:17:26.809 pregnancy and a later miscarriage during the 00:17:26.809 --> 00:17:28.910 marriage. But behind the scenes, there were allegations 00:17:28.910 --> 00:17:31.710 about Scientology's role in the breakup. Yeah, 00:17:31.750 --> 00:17:33.789 this comes from former high -ranking Scientologist 00:17:33.789 --> 00:17:36.809 Mike Rinder. He claimed the church actively worked 00:17:36.809 --> 00:17:39.750 to break them up. Alleged pressure on Cruz increased 00:17:39.750 --> 00:17:43.230 auditing. And even phone tapping on Kidman. Rinder 00:17:43.230 --> 00:17:46.210 alleged that, yeah, to monitor her. Now, Cruz's 00:17:46.210 --> 00:17:49.150 lawyer vehemently denied any wiretapping. But 00:17:49.150 --> 00:17:51.250 the claim itself points to the perception of 00:17:51.250 --> 00:17:53.490 the church's deep influence in his personal life. 00:17:53.710 --> 00:17:56.589 After Kidman, he dated Penelope Cruz for about 00:17:56.589 --> 00:18:01.069 three years, until 2004. Then things got really 00:18:01.069 --> 00:18:03.589 intense regarding his relationships in Scientology, 00:18:03.670 --> 00:18:05.569 didn't they? That's when Vanity Fair published 00:18:05.569 --> 00:18:08.390 that explosive article, alleging that after the 00:18:08.390 --> 00:18:10.430 crew's breakup, Scientology leaders launched 00:18:10.430 --> 00:18:13.230 a secret project. A project to find him a new 00:18:13.230 --> 00:18:17.089 girlfriend. Essentially, yes. To audition Scientologist 00:18:17.089 --> 00:18:20.029 actresses. The article described a process, interviewing 00:18:20.029 --> 00:18:22.329 candidates, asking deeply personal questions. 00:18:22.650 --> 00:18:24.690 And this allegedly led to a brief relationship 00:18:24.690 --> 00:18:27.839 with actress Nazanin Bonaidi. That was the claim. 00:18:28.039 --> 00:18:30.259 Bonatti later left Scientology and described 00:18:30.259 --> 00:18:33.240 the whole process, her time with Cruz, in very 00:18:33.240 --> 00:18:36.359 harsh terms comparing it to white slavery. Wow. 00:18:36.500 --> 00:18:39.279 How did Scientology and Cruz respond? Strong 00:18:39.279 --> 00:18:41.779 denials. Threatened lawsuits against Vanity Fair, 00:18:41.920 --> 00:18:44.339 called it religious bigotry. But the story stuck, 00:18:44.619 --> 00:18:47.099 adding to the narrative of intense church involvement 00:18:47.099 --> 00:18:50.859 in his life. And then Tomcat. Ah, yes. Katie 00:18:50.859 --> 00:18:54.240 Holmes. Starting in April 2005. And the couch 00:18:54.240 --> 00:18:56.799 jump. The Oprah couch jump. That became the defining 00:18:56.799 --> 00:18:58.880 image, didn't it? That public declaration of 00:18:58.880 --> 00:19:01.079 love. It was a lot. They got married in November 00:19:01.079 --> 00:19:05.119 2006. A big Scientology ceremony in Italy. With 00:19:05.119 --> 00:19:07.740 David Miscavige, the leader of Scientology, as 00:19:07.740 --> 00:19:11.039 his best man. Very high profile. But the marriage 00:19:11.039 --> 00:19:13.740 didn't last. Holmes filed for divorce in 2012. 00:19:14.670 --> 00:19:16.970 And the reason became public later. Yeah. During 00:19:16.970 --> 00:19:19.450 subsequent legal proceedings, Cruz himself admitted 00:19:19.450 --> 00:19:22.470 under deposition that Holmes divorced him partly 00:19:22.470 --> 00:19:25.250 to protect their daughter, Suri, from Scientology. 00:19:25.450 --> 00:19:28.410 That's a huge admission. Massive. He also confirmed 00:19:28.410 --> 00:19:30.769 Suri is no longer a practicing Scientologist. 00:19:31.069 --> 00:19:33.589 It really laid bare the personal cost and family 00:19:33.589 --> 00:19:35.849 conflict stemming from his deep commitment to 00:19:35.849 --> 00:19:37.650 the church. And that commitment, as you said, 00:19:37.690 --> 00:19:40.549 started in 86. He's known to be very close to 00:19:40.549 --> 00:19:42.950 Miscavige. Yes. And he credits Scientology's 00:19:42.950 --> 00:19:45.180 methods specifically. something called study 00:19:45.180 --> 00:19:48.059 technology with helping him overcome his dyslexia. 00:19:48.079 --> 00:19:50.559 What is study technology exactly? It's Scientology's 00:19:50.559 --> 00:19:53.000 approach to learning. Focuses on identifying 00:19:53.000 --> 00:19:55.960 barriers like misunderstood words to improve 00:19:55.960 --> 00:19:58.559 comprehension. He genuinely believes it helped 00:19:58.559 --> 00:20:02.240 him significantly. But his public advocacy for 00:20:02.240 --> 00:20:05.230 Scientology has often backfired, hasn't it? Consistently. 00:20:05.390 --> 00:20:07.930 After 9 -11, for instance, he co -founded this 00:20:07.930 --> 00:20:11.349 group, Downtown Medical, offered detoxification 00:20:11.349 --> 00:20:14.190 therapy to rescue workers. Based on Scientology 00:20:14.190 --> 00:20:16.390 principles. Yeah, L. Ron Hubbard's purification 00:20:16.390 --> 00:20:20.490 rundown. Saunas, vitamins, oils. But it drew 00:20:20.490 --> 00:20:23.569 immediate strong criticism from doctors and firefighters. 00:20:23.950 --> 00:20:26.390 Called it pseudoscience, potentially harmful. 00:20:26.690 --> 00:20:29.069 Yet he received an award from Scientology for 00:20:29.069 --> 00:20:31.250 it. Yeah, Miscavige gave him the Scientology 00:20:31.250 --> 00:20:34.589 Freedom Medal of Valor for that initiative. highlighted 00:20:34.589 --> 00:20:36.910 the disconnect between how the church viewed 00:20:36.910 --> 00:20:39.289 his actions and how the outside world, particularly 00:20:39.289 --> 00:20:42.150 the medical community, saw them. His lobbying 00:20:42.150 --> 00:20:44.539 efforts have caused issues, too. Like in France. 00:20:44.579 --> 00:20:48.140 Right. 2005, he lobbied the French interior minister, 00:20:48.440 --> 00:20:51.500 Nicolas Sarkozy, at the time, trying to get Scientology 00:20:51.500 --> 00:20:53.839 recognized officially as a religion there. And 00:20:53.839 --> 00:20:55.940 the reaction? The Council of Paris basically 00:20:55.940 --> 00:20:58.319 said, no more dealings with this guy, called 00:20:58.319 --> 00:21:00.880 him a militant spokesman for Scientology, showed 00:21:00.880 --> 00:21:03.019 his activism could have real diplomatic consequences. 00:21:03.480 --> 00:21:05.880 We also know he turned down a Kennedy Center 00:21:05.880 --> 00:21:09.410 honor from President Trump in 2025. But. The 00:21:09.410 --> 00:21:11.450 biggest public controversy, the one everyone 00:21:11.450 --> 00:21:14.349 remembers, has to be the anti -psychiatry stuff. 00:21:14.569 --> 00:21:16.950 Oh, absolutely. His statement that psychiatry 00:21:16.950 --> 00:21:19.230 should be outlawed. Right. His claim that there's 00:21:19.230 --> 00:21:22.069 no such thing as a chemical imbalance. And specifically 00:21:22.069 --> 00:21:25.309 calling out Brooke Shields for using Paxil for 00:21:25.309 --> 00:21:28.470 postpartum depression. Yes. That led to her famous 00:21:28.470 --> 00:21:31.640 response. Tom should stick to saving the world 00:21:31.640 --> 00:21:33.940 from aliens and let women who are experiencing 00:21:33.940 --> 00:21:37.059 postpartum depression decide what treatment options 00:21:37.059 --> 00:21:39.059 are best for them. And it culminated in that 00:21:39.059 --> 00:21:42.140 incredibly awkward, heated interview with Matt 00:21:42.140 --> 00:21:45.240 Lauer on the Today Show in 2005. Yeah, where 00:21:45.240 --> 00:21:48.160 Cruz called Lauer glib for questioning his stance 00:21:48.160 --> 00:21:51.000 on psychiatric drugs. It was a major media moment. 00:21:51.380 --> 00:21:54.140 How did the medical world react? Very negatively. 00:21:54.759 --> 00:21:57.019 Medical authorities felt his comments were actively 00:21:57.019 --> 00:21:59.220 harmful, increasing the stigma around mental 00:21:59.220 --> 00:22:01.160 illness, potentially stopping people from seeking 00:22:01.160 --> 00:22:03.640 help. The Lancet, the medical journal, basically 00:22:03.640 --> 00:22:05.299 said, look, maybe drugs are overused sometimes, 00:22:05.519 --> 00:22:08.140 but a celebrity shouldn't be adding to the burden 00:22:08.140 --> 00:22:10.319 of the mentally ill. Did he ever walk that back? 00:22:10.559 --> 00:22:13.220 He did eventually apologize personally to Brooke 00:22:13.220 --> 00:22:16.319 Shields in 2006, but the public perception damage 00:22:16.319 --> 00:22:19.119 was significant and long -lasting. And finally, 00:22:19.240 --> 00:22:22.069 there's the pattern of litigation. He seems quick 00:22:22.069 --> 00:22:25.470 to sue to protect his image. Very much so. He 00:22:25.470 --> 00:22:28.009 successfully sued tabloids over false claims 00:22:28.009 --> 00:22:31.849 about his sexuality, won a huge $10 million default 00:22:31.849 --> 00:22:34.670 judgment against a porn actor who falsely claimed 00:22:34.670 --> 00:22:37.190 an affair. But the lawsuit about abandoning his 00:22:37.190 --> 00:22:39.960 daughter Suri... That one backfired a bit, didn't 00:22:39.960 --> 00:22:42.380 it? In a way, he sued In Touch and Life and Style 00:22:42.380 --> 00:22:44.819 magazines for defamation over headlines claiming 00:22:44.819 --> 00:22:47.420 he'd abandoned Suri after the divorce. But during 00:22:47.420 --> 00:22:49.700 the deposition for that case... He had to admit 00:22:49.700 --> 00:22:52.200 under oath that he hadn't actually seen his daughter 00:22:52.200 --> 00:22:55.960 in 110 days at that point. Oof. Yeah. While he 00:22:55.960 --> 00:22:58.019 eventually settled the suit, that admission revealed 00:22:58.019 --> 00:23:00.579 a difficult personal reality behind the public 00:23:00.579 --> 00:23:03.720 image he fought so hard to control. It just highlights 00:23:03.720 --> 00:23:05.819 this constant battle to manage the narrative. 00:23:06.160 --> 00:23:08.990 Okay, so weaving this all together, The incredible 00:23:08.990 --> 00:23:12.490 career, the controversies. How do we understand 00:23:12.490 --> 00:23:15.049 his enduring legacy? Roger Ebert had a theory, 00:23:15.130 --> 00:23:17.569 didn't he? Yeah. About a formula. Yeah. Ebert 00:23:17.569 --> 00:23:19.710 identified what he called the Tom Cruise picture 00:23:19.710 --> 00:23:21.970 formula, especially looking at those 80s hits. 00:23:22.029 --> 00:23:24.009 But you can see elements of it recurring throughout 00:23:24.009 --> 00:23:26.250 his career. A formula for success. What were 00:23:26.250 --> 00:23:28.869 the ingredients? Ebert listed nine key things. 00:23:29.009 --> 00:23:30.650 Let's see if I can remember them. Okay. One, 00:23:30.809 --> 00:23:33.269 the Cruise character, usually the hotshot, maybe 00:23:33.269 --> 00:23:35.990 an underachiever initially. Right. Two, the mentor 00:23:35.990 --> 00:23:39.400 figure who guides him. Three. The superior woman, 00:23:39.599 --> 00:23:41.700 often the love interest, sometimes a superior 00:23:41.700 --> 00:23:45.359 officer or professional. Four. The craft, the 00:23:45.359 --> 00:23:49.160 skill he has to master, like flying, pool, lawyering. 00:23:49.500 --> 00:23:53.299 Five. The arena, the specific world or institution, 00:23:53.559 --> 00:23:57.299 like Top Gun school, a courtroom. Six. The arcana, 00:23:57.380 --> 00:23:59.319 the secret knowledge or jargon of that world. 00:23:59.740 --> 00:24:02.259 Seven. The trail, the journey or process of learning. 00:24:02.460 --> 00:24:05.410 Eight. The proto -enemy, often internal flaw, 00:24:05.589 --> 00:24:08.210 like recklessness or an early rival. Like Iceman 00:24:08.210 --> 00:24:11.289 and Top Gun. Exactly. And finally, nine, the 00:24:11.289 --> 00:24:13.789 eventual enemy, the external threat or antagonist 00:24:13.789 --> 00:24:15.769 he has to overcome. If you apply that to Top 00:24:15.769 --> 00:24:18.329 Gun, it fits perfectly. Maverick's the hotshot, 00:24:18.450 --> 00:24:21.009 needs to hone flying, the craft in the arena. 00:24:21.029 --> 00:24:24.150 Top Gun's school, mentored by Viper, deals with 00:24:24.150 --> 00:24:27.349 his recklessness, proto -enemy. And Iceman takes 00:24:27.349 --> 00:24:30.420 on the MiGs. Eventual enemy. Precisely. But what's 00:24:30.420 --> 00:24:33.559 clever, as Ebert pointed out, is how Cruz sometimes 00:24:33.559 --> 00:24:36.279 uses the formula but flips the emotional core. 00:24:36.519 --> 00:24:39.940 How so? Take a few good men. Caffey is the hotshot 00:24:39.940 --> 00:24:42.880 lawyer, the underachiever who coasts. The craft 00:24:42.880 --> 00:24:44.839 he needs to hone isn't about gaining discipline 00:24:44.839 --> 00:24:47.140 like Maverick. It's about letting go of his cynical 00:24:47.140 --> 00:24:50.059 detachment and actually committing, challenging 00:24:50.059 --> 00:24:52.839 the system. Ah, I see. So the formula provides 00:24:52.839 --> 00:24:55.160 structure, but the internal journey can change. 00:24:55.180 --> 00:24:58.349 Right. or Rain Man. Charlie Babbitt is the hotshot 00:24:58.349 --> 00:25:00.630 hustler. The craft isn't business, it's learning 00:25:00.630 --> 00:25:03.130 empathy, connecting with his brother. The arcana 00:25:03.130 --> 00:25:05.910 is understanding Raymond's world. The arena is 00:25:05.910 --> 00:25:08.630 the road trip. The proto -enemy is his own greed. 00:25:08.950 --> 00:25:11.390 It's adaptable. That's fascinating. Explain some 00:25:11.390 --> 00:25:13.750 of that consistent appeal. Beyond the films, 00:25:13.829 --> 00:25:15.890 his personal passions have become part of his 00:25:15.890 --> 00:25:18.470 image too, right? Like aviation. Definitely. 00:25:18.589 --> 00:25:21.910 He's been a licensed pilot since 94. Flies aerobatics. 00:25:22.430 --> 00:25:25.950 owns his own P -51 Mustang Warbird. He was inducted 00:25:25.950 --> 00:25:27.849 into the Living Legends of Aviation Group in 00:25:27.849 --> 00:25:30.210 2010. It's not just an on -screen thing. And 00:25:30.210 --> 00:25:32.650 he has this unique international standing, especially 00:25:32.650 --> 00:25:35.990 in Japan. Yeah, remarkably so. Apparently, his 00:25:35.990 --> 00:25:38.210 connection with Japan is so strong that back 00:25:38.210 --> 00:25:41.210 in 2006, October 10th was officially declared 00:25:41.210 --> 00:25:43.710 Tom Cruise Day there. That's a pretty unique 00:25:43.710 --> 00:25:46.049 honor for a Western celebrity. And the industry 00:25:46.049 --> 00:25:48.309 continues to recognize his power, not just as 00:25:48.309 --> 00:25:50.599 an actor, but as a producer. Right. Receiving 00:25:50.599 --> 00:25:52.400 the David O. Selznick Achievement Award from 00:25:52.400 --> 00:25:55.660 the Producers Guild in 2022, that's a major acknowledgement 00:25:55.660 --> 00:25:58.519 of his business impact. And the most recent awards 00:25:58.519 --> 00:26:01.079 really lean into the action star persona. Seems 00:26:01.079 --> 00:26:03.680 like it. Winning the Critics' Choice Super Award 00:26:03.680 --> 00:26:06.160 for Best Actor in an Action Movie three years 00:26:06.160 --> 00:26:10.500 running 2023, 2024, 2025, even in his 60s, he's 00:26:10.500 --> 00:26:12.839 still seen as the absolute benchmark for action 00:26:12.839 --> 00:26:15.059 performance. So wrapping this all up for you, 00:26:15.119 --> 00:26:17.170 the listener. What are we seeing here? We've 00:26:17.170 --> 00:26:19.069 tracked this journey from, frankly, a really 00:26:19.069 --> 00:26:21.849 tough childhood. Yeah, chaotic, unstable. To 00:26:21.849 --> 00:26:25.230 this global figure defined by an almost obsessive 00:26:25.230 --> 00:26:28.230 need for control. Control over the finances, 00:26:28.369 --> 00:26:30.849 the back end deals. Control over the stunts, 00:26:30.849 --> 00:26:33.250 the production, the physical performance. And 00:26:33.250 --> 00:26:35.769 often. trying desperately to control the public 00:26:35.769 --> 00:26:38.490 narrative, especially around his personal life 00:26:38.490 --> 00:26:41.009 and beliefs. And that duality is the core, isn't 00:26:41.009 --> 00:26:43.490 it? The absolute mastery of filmmaking craft 00:26:43.490 --> 00:26:46.589 and commercial strategy on one hand. Contrasted 00:26:46.589 --> 00:26:48.930 with a personal life constantly under a microscope, 00:26:49.150 --> 00:26:52.130 often defined by controversial affiliations and 00:26:52.130 --> 00:26:55.170 legal fights, like Epstein said, the noise often 00:26:55.170 --> 00:26:57.730 drowns out appreciation for the sheer scale of 00:26:57.730 --> 00:26:59.789 his professional achievement. The sources are 00:26:59.789 --> 00:27:02.990 clear. He's one of maybe a tiny handful of people 00:27:02.990 --> 00:27:06.009 left who can reliably open a massive billion 00:27:06.009 --> 00:27:08.690 dollar potential movie purely on his name and 00:27:08.690 --> 00:27:11.210 commitment. So given that undeniable bankability, 00:27:11.369 --> 00:27:13.730 that dedication to spectacle, the unique financial 00:27:13.730 --> 00:27:16.690 power he holds, we have to leave you with a question 00:27:16.690 --> 00:27:19.250 to think about. With Mission impossible supposedly 00:27:19.250 --> 00:27:22.470 ending for him in 2025, does the entire concept 00:27:22.470 --> 00:27:25.029 of the singular, globally bankable movie star 00:27:25.029 --> 00:27:27.710 now rest primarily on his shoulders? And if it 00:27:27.710 --> 00:27:29.930 does, what happens to the blockbuster landscape 00:27:29.930 --> 00:27:32.329 when Ethan Hunt finally hangs it up? What does 00:27:32.329 --> 00:27:34.349 that future look like? Something for you to chew 00:27:34.349 --> 00:27:34.549 on.