“The Last Movie Star” This director is full of praise for Tom Cruise, only he can do that

News culture “The Last Movie Star” This director is full of praise for Tom Cruise, only he can do that

In 1994, Neil Jordan directed Interview With The Vampire, a film that became an icon thanks to Tom Cruise’s performance as Lestat de Lioncourt. The choice of this actor to play this charismatic and complex vampire sparked considerable controversy. Fans of Anne Rice’s books, from which the feature film was adapted, and the author herself have expressed doubts about her ability to play this character. Anne Rice described this choice as “so strange that it is hard to imagine how it will work“. This initial criticism was widely shared by the public and the press.

Despite these reservations, Tom Cruise approached the role with his usual commitment. Neil Jordan has expressed his admiration for him. He acknowledged that this controversy must have been difficult for the actor to endure, but he always believed in his talent. According to Jordan, Cruise has the unique ability to surprise audiences, saying that when he decides to do something, he does it in a way that shocks and impresses the audience.. Jordan even goes so far as to describe Tom Cruise as “last movie star“, in an interview for The guardwhich highlights the rarity of this kind of charisma and presence in today’s film industry.

It must have been very difficult for him. The whole world said: “ You made a mistake. » Tom became the last remaining movie star. It’s a bit strange.

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The development of Anne Rice’s opinion and the success of the film

Neil Jordan had a very good intuition when he followed his choice. When the film came out, Anne Rice changed her mind. After seeing Cruise’s performance, she called him personally to apologize for his previous comments. She praised Cruise for capturing the essence of Lestat in a way that exceeded her and fans’ expectations. This turnaround helped improve the public perception of Tom Cruise in the role. Interview With The Vampire was financially successful, grossing $223.7 million against an original budget of $60 million. Much of this success was attributed to the chemistry between Cruise and Brad Pitt, who played Louis de Pointe du Lac, Lestat’s vampiric protégé.

Neil Jordan and his team then began thinking about a sequel centered on Lestat by adapting The Vampire Lestat, the second book in Rice’s series. Unfortunately, this project was never realized. The success of the first film was not enough to launch an immediate sequel, and various complications prevented Cruise from returning to the role.

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Lestat’s legacy and attempted sequels

In 2002, an attempt was made to continue the story with Queen of the Damned, a film that fused elements from Rice’s second and third books. However, this adaptation did not have the critical and commercial success hoped for.Stuart Townsend replaced Tom Cruise as Lestat and the film was widely criticized. Anne Rice herself disliked this film and urged her fans to forget it. This negative reaction highlighted the importance of Cruise’s performance and the difficulty of replicating his impact in this role.

Tom Cruise’s performance in “Interview With The Vampire” therefore remains an example of his ability to embody complex and fascinating characters: He was the only one to be congratulated on this point. Neil Jordan continues to view him as a unique figure in contemporary cinema, capable of captivating audiences in a way that few actors can replicate. According to Jordan, Cruise represents a kind of disappearing movie star whose presence and talent transcend criticism and expectationsThis legacy cements Cruise’s position not only as a talented actor, but also as one of the last true icons of cinema.