tom cruise why not at oscars

Why Tom Cruise Wasn't At the Oscars

The Top Gun: Maverick star didn't turn up for the big awards night, despite the film's multiple nominations.

The long-awaited sequel to the 1986 film Top Gun , Top Gun: Maverick , became a must-watch film in 2022. But while the blockbuster garnered five Academy Award nominations, including a nod for Best Picture, along with Best Adapted Screenplay, sound and film editing, visual effects and Best Original Song, one major player was missing from the festivities tonight: the franchise's star, Tom Cruise.

Despite starring in both the original film, as well as the long-anticipated sequel, Cruise did not make an appearance on the red carpet at the 2023 Oscars tonight. Though the film became an awards show darling, Cruise himself did not receive any Academy Award nominations for his performance. Nonetheless, it was expected by many that the star would turn up for any potential wins for the film.

On Sunday, however, a representative for Cruise told People that Cruise would not be in attendance on the big night due to scheduling obligations for Cruise's currently in the works sequel known as Mission Impossible 8 . According to the publication, producer Jerry Bruckheimer is slated to accept the award if Top Gun: Maverick recieves the Best Picture Nomination

Lauren Hubbard is a freelance writer and Town & Country contributor who covers beauty, shopping, entertainment, travel, home decor, wine, and cocktails.

@media(min-width: 40.625rem){.css-1jdielu:before{margin:0.625rem 0.625rem 0;width:3.5rem;-webkit-filter:invert(17%) sepia(72%) saturate(710%) hue-rotate(181deg) brightness(97%) contrast(97%);filter:invert(17%) sepia(72%) saturate(710%) hue-rotate(181deg) brightness(97%) contrast(97%);height:1.5rem;content:'';display:inline-block;-webkit-transform:scale(-1, 1);-moz-transform:scale(-1, 1);-ms-transform:scale(-1, 1);transform:scale(-1, 1);background-repeat:no-repeat;}.loaded .css-1jdielu:before{background-image:url(/_assets/design-tokens/townandcountrymag/static/images/diamond-header-design-element.80fb60e.svg);}}@media(min-width: 64rem){.css-1jdielu:before{margin:0 0.625rem 0.25rem;}} Best Movies @media(min-width: 40.625rem){.css-128xfoy:before{margin:0.625rem 0.625rem 0;width:3.5rem;-webkit-filter:invert(17%) sepia(72%) saturate(710%) hue-rotate(181deg) brightness(97%) contrast(97%);filter:invert(17%) sepia(72%) saturate(710%) hue-rotate(181deg) brightness(97%) contrast(97%);height:1.5rem;content:'';display:inline-block;background-repeat:no-repeat;}.loaded .css-128xfoy:before{background-image:url(/_assets/design-tokens/townandcountrymag/static/images/diamond-header-design-element.80fb60e.svg);}}@media(min-width: 64rem){.css-128xfoy:before{margin:0 0.625rem 0.25rem;}}

Sam McAlister Cried at Billie Piper’s Performance

Everything We Know About the Wicked Movies

Everything We Know About Kevin Costner's Horizon

Watch Prince Andrew's BBC Interview About Epstein

'Scoop' Cast vs. Real-Life Counterparts

Is 'Scoop' a True Story?

Timeline of Prince Andrew and Epstein's Friendship

Rufus Sewell on Playing Prince Andrew in 'Scoop'

The 30 Best Movies on Paramount+

Who Will Be the Next James Bond?

Zendaya Kicks Off 'Challengers' Press Tour

Why Tom Cruise Is Not at the 2023 Oscars

Jay ellis reacts to tom cruise missing 'top gun: maverick's oscars moment (exclusive), how zendaya feels having tom holland's support during ‘challengers’ press tour (exclusive), halle bailey's 4-month-old son halo shocks her by saying this, paris jackson thinks kathy hilton made this pact with her dad michael, celine dion shares first look at ‘i am: celine dion’ documentary, cheryl burke gets choked up over not being part of len goodman’s 'dancing with the stars' tribute, blake lively dresses as bride in 'a simple favor 2' henry golding spills sequel secrets (exclusive), jenna jameson and wife jessi lawless call it quits before one-year anniversary, courtney love shades taylor swift, beyoncé, madonna and more stars, colin jost makes rare comments about bonding with his and scarlett johansson's son cosmo, dior 2024 fashion show: naomi watts, anya taylor-joy and more celebs stun, ‘the spiderwick chronicles’ set tour: christian slater takes fans inside the new series (exclusive), gypsy rose blanchard's husband's hoarding habits reminded her of late mom (divorce docs), hayley erbert tears up over standing ovation as she returns to dance tour after health battle, prince william returning to royal duties following kate middleton’s cancer reveal, ryan seacrest reacts to katy perry’s ‘american idol’ exit (exclusive), inside emma roberts real-life hollywood dollhouse, 'under the bridge': lily gladstone and riley keough on 'important' true story (exclusive), ‘90 day fiancé’: mike serves natalie with divorce papers on camera, gwen stefani does farm work on tractor with blake shelton after coachella, 'hacks' jean smart and hannah einbinder on filming steamy season 3 scenes (exclusive), 'top gun: maverick' is up for six oscars, including best picture..

Tom Cruise  will not be at the 95th Academy Awards.

ET has confirmed the  Top Gun: Maverick  star's absence is due to him already being back on set overseas for Mission: Impossible -- Dead Reckoning Part II  in the United Kingdom. Top Gun: Maverick  is nominated for six Oscars. Should the film win the night's biggest category (Best Picture), producer Jerry Bruckheimer will accept the award. 

Besides Best Picture, the film is also nominated for Writing (Adapted Screenplay), Film Editing, Sound, Music (Original Song) and Visual Effects.

News that Cruise will not be in Hollywood for the event comes just hours after it was revealed Lady Gaga will, in fact, perform her Oscar-nominated Top Gun: Maverick single, "Hold My Hand." It had previously been reported she would not be able to make the event, but plans changed and she'll now not only attend but also perform her hit song.

Initially, Oscars producer Glen Weiss said Gaga was invited to perform but was unable to make the commitment at the time. 

Because she's in the middle of shooting a new movie, Weiss said Gaga didn't feel like she could deliver a performance at the caliber that she's used to doing at the annual awards show.  

That movie, of course, is  Joker: Folie à Deux , a sequel to  2019's  Joker , which started production at the end of 2022. 

Earlier this year,  Jay Ellis  spoke with ET and reflected on the film's massive success at the box office and the opportunity to work with Hollywood royalty.

"It's wild, man. It's wild," Ellis said at the premiere of his new film,  Somebody I Used to Know , explaining that when they all first started working on the sequel four years ago, "We just wanted people to go see it. We just wanted to work with Tom Cruise. We just wanted to work with [producer] Jerry Bruckheimer and [director] Joe Kosinski." 

He added, "This is a dream." 

The  2023 Academy Awards  hosted by Jimmy Kimmel will air live on Sunday, March 12 starting at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on ABC. In the meantime, keep checking back into  ETonline.com  for complete  Oscars coverage .

RELATED CONTENT:

Tom Cruise Tries Most Dangerous Stunt Yet in New 'Mission: Impossible'

Inside Tom Cruise's Rehearsal for His Most Dangerous Stunts for 'Mission: Impossible'

Tom Cruise Celebrates 'Top Gun' Success By Jumping Out of a Plane

• Top Gun: Maverick
• Mission Impossible

Latest News

Updates on celebrity news, tv, fashion and more.

• International edition
• Australia edition
• Europe edition

They saved cinema – so why weren’t Tom Cruise and James Cameron at the Oscars?

Jimmy Kimmel joked: ‘The two guys who insisted we go to the theater didn’t come the theater.’ So where were Cruise and Cameron?

They were the two men credited with saving cinema, getting bums back on seats in cinemas around the world after months and months of Covid-19 lockdowns. And yet neither James Cameron or Tom Cruise showed up to the 2023 Oscars .

Cruise’s film Top Gun: Maverick, the sequel to the 1986 hit, grossed $1.4bn at the global box office. Its huge success was widely considered a sign that the industry had recovered after months of uncertainty, showing Covid-wary audiences were willing to return for the right film.

Cruise is the star of Top Gun: Maverick, but also a producer, which meant he was nominated in the best picture category, alongside Christopher McQuarrie, David Ellison and Jerry Bruckheimer.

Sign up for the fun stuff with our rundown of must-reads, pop culture and tips for the weekend, every Saturday morning

On Sunday, a representative for Cruise confirmed the actor is filming Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part II, the action franchise’s upcoming eighth instalment, in Europe. Bruckheimer was prepared to accept the Oscar if the film had won best picture, which instead went to Everything Everywhere All At Once.

Top Gun: Maverick only won one of the six awards it was up for: best sound. It was the dark horse nominee for best picture, but has been widely credited with luring back audiences who wanted to see the big-budget action flick on a cinema screen.

Last month, director Steven Spielberg was filmed telling Cruise at the 2023 Academy Luncheon: “You saved Hollywood’s ass, and you might have saved theatrical distribution. Seriously, Maverick might have saved the entire theatrical industry.”

Cameron, meanwhile, was nominated as a producer of best picture nominee Avatar: The Way of Water, which is now the No. 3 highest-grossing movie of all time, having taken $2.29bn at the global box office . Avatar: The Way of Water was nominated for four Oscars including best picture, but only won one, for best visual effects.

Cameron’s producing partner and fellow nominee Jon Landau told The New York Times that his absence was due to “personal reasons”. Cameron had attended two Oscars functions in the days before the ceremony.

This year’s Oscars host Jimmy Kimmel joked about their absences, saying: “You know, Tom [Cruise] and James Cameron didn’t show up tonight. The two guys who insisted we go to the theatre didn’t come the theatre.”

“Everyone loved Top Gun, everyone! I mean, Tom Cruise with his shirt off and that beach football scene? L Ron hubba hubba,” Kimmel joked, referring to Scientology founder L Ron Hubbard.

He also addressed the possibility that Cameron had not attended due to not being nominated for best director, saying: “Some of the cynics are saying James Cameron isn’t here because he didn’t get a best director nomination. And while I find that very hard to believe about a man of such deep humility, he does have a point. I mean, how does the Academy not nominate the guy who directed Avatar? What do they think he is, a woman?”

“You know a show is too long when even James Cameron can’t sit through it,” he added, in reference to Avatar: The Way of Water’s 192-minute running time.

Cruise will next be on screens in Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning: Part I in July, while the next Avatar film will be released in December 2024.

• Oscars 2023
• Awards and prizes

Most viewed

Why Tom Cruise Was A No-Show At The 2023 Oscars

"Top Gun: Maverick" soared into the Oscars with six nominations, but Tom Cruise wasn't in attendance to see how well the film fared on the biggest night of the year for movies.

Deadline  was the first to confirm that Cruise would not be attending the 95th Academy Awards event because the actor returned to work. The report also stated that he had been working in Sicily and the United Kingdom and that his commitments to his craft and career forced him to miss the prestigious affair. Cruise has taken on the arduous endeavor of completing his work on "Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part Two," the follow-up to the expected upcoming 2023 summer, a film which many hope will have the same effect on the box office that the Oscar-nominated "Top: Gun Maverick" had when it grossed over $1 billion in 2022. And its exceptional run didn't end there, as the film also earned high-flying scores on Rotten Tomatoes . In addition to its successful flight in theaters, the critically acclaimed blockbuster was nominated for Best Picture, as well as several other honors, including Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Original Song, Best Sound, Best Film Editing, Best Original Song, Best Film editing, and Best Visual effects. Cruise himself even recieved an Oscar nod as one of the film's producers. 

While Cruise may not have in the audience to see how well the "Top Gun" sequel did, the Oscars were obsessed with the superstar skipping the event. 

Jimmy Kimmel called out Tom Cruise for skipping the ceremony

While Tom Cruise is hard at work delivering his next big screen spectacle, Oscars host Jimmy Kimmel couldn't help but point out how the superstar skipped the ceremony. During his opening monologue, Kimmel called out the "Top Gun: Maverick" actor and "Avatar: The Way of Water" director James Cameron for not showing up to the year's biggest celebration of cinema, despite being the two most vocal supporters of the theatrical experience. "The two guys who insisted we come to the theatre, didn't come to the [Dolby Theatre]," Kimmel said to applause and laughter.

Kimmel continued his monologue by jokingly suggesting that Cruise disguised himself as "The Fabelmans" nominee Judd Hirsch, à la "Mission: Impossible." The host wrapped up his time by pointing out Cruise's athletic body in "Top Gun: Maverick"... and tying it into his belief of Scientology. "Tom Cruise with his shirt off in that beach football scene? L. Ron Hubba Hubba!" Kimmel said. 

Cruise may not have been at the Oscars but Lady Gaga certainly was, delivering a mighty and powerful rendition of her Oscar-nominated track "Hold My Hand" from the "Maverick" soundtrack.

Lady Gaga performed 'Hold My Hand' at the Oscars

It was previously reported that Lady Gaga would be skipping the event due to her commitments to producing the Joker sequel "Joker: Folie à Deux." Hours before the 2023 Oscars,  Variety confirmed that the pop sensation would on the stage, ready to sing "Holy My Hand."  

Like the film, the song received significant amounts of critical acclaim, with Variety calling it an Oscar front-runner early on, and it was well received by fans, especially considering the music video for the song has over 155 million views on YouTube . And as far as honors go, the song has already received some awards attention with a nomination from the Grammy  Awards for Best Song Written for Media, and the soundtrack for the film itself was also nominated for Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media. While it didn't win either of those accolades, it did have a chance to win at the Oscars, and there is no denying having Lady Gaga perform the track in person will add to the enjoyable experience viewers are in for when they tune in to see the big winners.

"Top Gun: Maverick" fans will likely agree that not having Tom Cruise in the mix is a bit of a bummer, but many viewers will agree Lady Gaga is a solid backup to represent the sequel at the 95th Academy Awards.

Why Wasn't Tom Cruise At the 2023 Oscars?

I'll give Hollywood an impossible mission: get Tom Cruise to show up at your awards show.

It turns out that Cruise is too busy filming Mission: Impossible—Dead Reckoning, Part II in the UK , Entertainment Tonight reports . He's doing what he loves, folks—making movies for us. Cruise previously teased his upcoming Mission Impossible stunt where he jumps a motorcycle off of a cliff . Here's hoping he tries to blast into space next. Next time the man is up for more trophies, I'll give Hollywood an impossible mission: get Tom Cruise to show up at your awards show.

Still, that doesn't mean the Cruise jokes stopped at the 95th Academy Awards. "Everyone loved Top Gun , everyone," Oscars host Jimmy Kimmel joked at the beginning of the show. "Tom Cruise with his shirt off in that beach football scene? L. Ron Hubba Hubba!” Scientology bits! A classic Hollywood gag. "Tom (Cruise) and James Cameron didn’t show up tonight," Kimmel continued, after parachuting into the venue as part of a Top Gun skit. "The two guys who insisted we go to the theater, did not show up at the theater." I'm sure some folks at home were wondering if jokes like these were the real reason Cruise didn't show up tonight. Either way, Cruise certainly isn't feeling down. Top Gun: Maverick received six nominations at the Oscars tonight, including Best Original Song, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Picture.

@media(max-width: 73.75rem){.css-1ktbcds:before{margin-right:0.4375rem;color:#FF3A30;content:'_';display:inline-block;}}@media(min-width: 64rem){.css-1ktbcds:before{margin-right:0.5625rem;color:#FF3A30;content:'_';display:inline-block;}} The 2024 Oscars

The Best Reactions to the Oscars

Where Did the Ties Go at the 2024 Oscars?

Best Tweets About Ryan Gosling’s Oscar Performance

Watch Ryan Gosling’s ‘I’m Just Ken’ at the Oscars

Get Ready with Me: Ramy Youssef for the Oscars

Robert Downey Jr. Completed His Awards Sweep

Jimmy Kimmel Delivered a Stellar Oscars Monologue

Ryan Gosling's Oscars Red Carpet Outfit

The Best Dressed Men of the 2024 Oscars

The 20 Best Oscar-Winning Films of All Time

Esquire Presents: The 2024 Animal Oscars

• International

Oscars 2023: The 95th Academy Awards

By Tori B. Powell, Mike Hayes, Matt Meyer and Seán Federico O'Murchú, CNN

Why Tom Cruise and James Cameron aren't at the Oscars

From CNN"s Lisa Respers France

Two of the people being credited with getting audiences back in the theater apparently have skipped the biggest night that celebrates movies.

Oscars host Jimmy Kimmel mentioned in his opening monologue that both Tom Cruise and James Cameron were not in attendance, though he joked that perhaps Cruise was there, dressed as nominee Judd Hirsch.

While Cruise's blockbuster "Top Gun: Maverick" is nominated for best film, Deadline reported the star was skipping the show because of work.

Meanwhile, Kimmel mentioned there was some speculation that Cameron sat this one out because he had not been nominated in the directing category for "Avatar: The Way of Water," which is also nominated for best film.

"Avatar" producer Jon Landau said on the red carpet (which was really champagne-colored ) that Cameron was not coming for “personal reasons."

Guillermo Del Toro's "Pinocchio" wins the award for best animated feature

Guillermo Del Toro's "Pinocchio" took home the Academy Award for best animated feature. It was the first award announced of the night.

"Animation is ready to be taken to the next step," Del Toro said while accepting the award. "We are all ready for it. Please help us. Keep animation in the conversation."

The filmmaker, who used stop-motion animation to create the latest "Pinocchio" adaptation, went on to thank his family and Netflix.

Jimmy Kimmel jokes he's protecting himself this year after last year's slap

From CNN's Marianne Garvey

Oscars host Jimmy Kimmel jokes that if any audience member wants to incite violence or "get jiggy with it," in a reference to Will Smith's song, "Gettin' Jiggy Wit It," he's got backup.

Kimmel joked that they would have to get through Michelle Yeoh, Michael B. Jordan, Steven Spielberg and many others to get to him on stage.

Background: During 2022’s ceremony, Smith walked on stage at the Oscars and slapped Chris Rock, who was presenting at the time, after he made a joke about Smith’s wife’s shaved head.

Smith  later apologized , but The Academy sanctioned the actor by  banning him from attending the Oscars for the next 10 years.

Jimmy Kimmel says this year "the world finally got out of the house" to see movies in the theater

Oscars host Jimmy Kimmel opened the show by declaring this the year "when the world finally got out of the house" to see the nominated films the way they were intended to be seen: in a theater.

The host entered the stage for his opening monologue via parachute, in a reference to his opening "Top Gun" skit , cracked a joke about adjusting his "danger zone" and teased Nicole Kidman for her viral AMC Theatres campaign .

Kimmel noted there are 16 first-time nominees at this year's Oscars.

Oscars host Jimmy Kimmel's "Top Gun" call sign is Meatball

Jimmy Kimmel first appeared at the 95th Oscars ceremony in a skit where he pretended to be in the "Top Gun" movie franchise.

Sitting behind Tom Cruise in a fighter jet, he pulls off a helmet labeled with the call sign "Meatball." Cruise advised him to eject from the plane, then Kimmel dropped on to the stage via parachute.

"Top Gun: Maverick" is nominated in several categories this evening.

The 2023 Oscars are underway

The 95th Academy Awards have begun at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, California.

Jimmy Kimmel returns to host the event for a third time.

It's time to see which of Hollywood's biggest stars take home the honors.

Photos: “Everything Everywhere All at Once” on the red carpet

From CNN Style’s Stephy Chung

“Everything Everywhere All at Once” leads the Oscars with 11 nominations. And the genre-defying movie’s cast turned up in style.

Michelle Yeoh was among the night’s best-dressed celebrities in a white-feathered Dior gown, while James Hong arrived on the champagne-colored carpet wearing one of the night’s boldest accessory: a blue bowtie adorned with — in a nod to the film — a pair of googly eyes.

See the pictures below, and more of our red carpet coverage here .

Here's who's nominated for Academy Awards

The 95th Academy Awards is set to take place at Hollywood's Dolby Theatre tonight. Here's a look at the nominees:

Best picture

• “All Quiet on the Western Front”
• “Avatar: The Way of Water”
• “The Banshees of Inisherin”
• “Everything Everywhere All at Once”
• “The Fabelmans”
• “Top Gun: Maverick”
• “Triangle of Sadness”
• “Women Talking”

Actress in a supporting role

• Angela Bassett, “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”
• Hong Chau, “The Whale”
• Kerry Condon, “The Banshees of Inisherin”
• Jamie Lee Curtis, “Everything Everywhere All at Once”
• Stephanie Hsu, “Everything Everywhere All at Once”

Actor in a supporting role

• Brendan Gleeson, “The Banshees of Inisherin”
• Brian Tyree Henry, “Causeway”
• Judd Hirsch, “The Fabelmans”
• Barry Keoghan, “The Banshees of Inisherin”
• Ke Huy Quan, “Everything Everywhere All at Once”

Actor in a leading role

• Austin Butler, “Elvis”
• Colin Farrell, “The Banshees of Inisherin”
• Brendan Fraser, “The Whale”
• Paul Mescal, “Aftersun”
• Bill Nighy, “Living”

Actress in a leading role

• Cate Blanchett, “Tár”
• Ana de Armas, “Blonde”
• Andrea Riseborough, “To Leslie”
• Michelle Williams, “The Fabelmans”
• Michelle Yeoh, “Everything Everywhere All at Once”

See the full list of nominees here .

A-listers arrive on the red carpet in white

Stars are arriving dressed-to-the-nines at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles for the 95th Academy Awards. One of the trends to emerge this year is the color white — with stars like Michelle Yeoh and Halle Berry embracing the trend.

The Oscars are one of the most anticipated nights of fashion. Check out our red carpet coverage here . 

Please enable JavaScript for a better experience.

Don't miss a thing!

Our top headlines in style, culture, and more, in your inbox, daily, we respect your privacy. all data captured will be used in accordance with our privacy policy, this is why tom cruise and james cameron didn’t attend the 2023 oscars.

Both Tom Cruise and filmmaker James Cameron opted out of the 2023 Oscars despite their respective films being nominated for multiple awards. By Hayley Peppin

TWO OF THE MOST nominated people at the 2023 Oscars seemingly gave this year’s ceremony the flick. Tom Cruise of Top Gun: Maverick and James Cameron, the acclaimed filmmaker behind Avatar: The Way of Water , didn’t attend the 95th Academy Awards at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on March 12 — in spite of their insistence for people to return to the movies.

“The two guys who insisted you go to the theatre, didn’t go to the theatre,” 2023 Oscars host Jimmy Kimmel joked during his monologue.

Cruise, who just a month earlier attended an Oscars nominee luncheon at the Beverly Hilton hotel, was absent from cinema’s biggest night due to overseas production on his eighth Mission: Impossible instalment. While Top Gun was up for six awards, it won just one category — that being Best Sound. While Everything Everywhere All At Once won Best Picture , the 60-year-old actor and producer reportedly planned for producer Jerry Bruckheimer to accept the award on his behalf if Top Gun: Maverick emerged victorious. The film, which Steven Spielberg said in a viral video “saved Hollywood’s ass ,” grossed $1.43 billion at the box office.

Related : ‘Everything Everywhere All At Once’ sweeps 2023 Oscars including Best Actress and Best Picture

Meanwhile, Cameron, who was nominated as a producer of Avatar: The Way of Water , also didn’t show up despite the sci-fi hit being the No. 3 highest-grossing movie of all time — garnering $2.93 billion globally. While a rep didn’t confirm his absence, his producing partner and fellow nominee Jon Landau told The New York Times he opted out due to “personal reasons.” Rumours suggest he was unhappy he didn’t receive acknowledgement in the best director category.

Kimmel played into such speculation during his opening monologue, quipping, “Some of the cynics are saying James Cameron isn’t here because he didn’t get a Best Director nomination. And while I find that very hard to believe about a man of such deep humility, he does have a point. I mean, how does the Academy not nominate the guy who directed  Avatar ? What do they think he is, a woman?”

Avatar: The Way of Water earned four nominations but won just one with, unsurprisingly, Best Visual Effects. Back in 2010, the original Avatar won the same category, along with Best Cinematography and Best Production Design.

Related : Tom Cruise is set to become first actor to ever shoot in space

‘Heartbreak High’ is one of the world’s most-watched series

Meghan Markle is selling posh strawberry jam

Anya Taylor-Joy embraces her rockstar era

Inside Lauryn Hill’s radiant appearance at Coachella

Red carpet looks at the 2024 Breakthrough Prize Ceremony

How Mariah Carey’s costumes capture her career story

The Definitive Voice of Entertainment News

Subscribe for full access to The Hollywood Reporter

site categories

Tom cruise, james cameron skip 2023 oscars.

The pair are in the Oscar race for 'Top Gun: Maverick' and 'Avatar: The Way of Water,' respectively

By Aaron Couch

Aaron Couch

Film Editor

• Share this article on Facebook
• Share this article on Twitter
• Share this article on Flipboard
• Share this article on Email
• Show additional share options
• Share this article on Linkedin
• Share this article on Pinit
• Share this article on Reddit
• Share this article on Tumblr
• Share this article on Whatsapp
• Share this article on Print
• Share this article on Comment

Tom Cruise and James Cameron, two champions of the theatrical experience behind the biggest movies of 2022 skipped the 2023 Oscars.

“The two guys who insisted you go to the theater, didn’t go to the theater,” host Jimmy Kimmel quipped during his monologue.

Related Stories

Screen actors guild awards set 2025 date, emmy predictions via the feinberg forecast: scott's updated projections for 26 categories.

Cameron, meanwhile, is nominated as a producer of Avatar: The Way of Water , the No. 3 highest-grossing movie of all time with $2.93 billion globally. He did not receive a best director nod for his work on the sequel. His producing partner and fellow nominee Jon Landau told The New York Times on the carpet that the absence was due to “personal reasons.”

Maverick is considered a dark horse candidate for best picture, but the feature was widely credited with helping get audiences back to theaters, with Steven Spielberg telling Cruise at the 2023 Academy Luncheon that he saved theaters .

Though Cruise was treated as royalty at that event as well as at the PGA Awards , he was mocked at the Golden Globes and the DGA Awards .

“I like to see people do well. I know that things don’t just happen. I know it’s not just luck. You have to create that luck. You have to will it into existence. I want you to know that I’m always rooting for you. I’m rooting for all of you,” Cruise said while accepting the David O. Selznick Achievement Award during the  2023 PGA Awards .

Top Gun: Maverick is nominated for six Oscars, including best song for Lady Gaga’s “Hold My Hand.” Cruise will return to theaters with Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning: Part One , which arrives in theaters July 14.

Avatar: The Way of Water earned four nominations. A sequel is due out Dec. 20, 2024.

See the star-studded Oscars red carpet arrivals .

THR Newsletters

Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day

More from The Hollywood Reporter

Guillaume canet stars in new french netflix thriller ‘ad vitam’, justice smith, dominic sessa join ariana greenblatt in ‘now you see me 3’ (exclusive), ‘the people’s joker’ review: a sharp dc parody delightfully crossed with a trans coming-of-age tale, cj’s miky lee to give usc school of cinematic arts commencement address, babs olusanmokun talks ‘the ministry of ungentlemanly warfare’ and a ‘dune 2’ surprise, dan goozee, renowned walt disney imagineering and movie poster artist, dies at 80.

• Today's news
• Reviews and deals
• Climate change
• 2024 election
• Fall allergies
• Health news
• Mental health
• Sexual health
• Family health
• So mini ways
• Unapologetically
• Buying guides

Entertainment

• How to Watch
• My watchlist
• Stock market
• Biden economy
• Personal finance
• Stocks: most active
• Stocks: gainers
• Stocks: losers
• Trending tickers
• World indices
• US Treasury bonds
• Top mutual funds
• Highest open interest
• Highest implied volatility
• Currency converter
• Basic materials
• Communication services
• Consumer cyclical
• Consumer defensive
• Financial services
• Industrials
• Real estate
• Mutual funds
• Credit cards
• Credit card rates
• Balance transfer credit cards
• Business credit cards
• Cash back credit cards
• Rewards credit cards
• Travel credit cards
• Checking accounts
• Online checking accounts
• High-yield savings accounts
• Money market accounts
• Personal loans
• Student loans
• Car insurance
• Home buying
• Options pit
• Investment ideas
• Research reports
• Fantasy football
• Pro Pick 'Em
• College Pick 'Em
• Fantasy baseball
• Fantasy hockey
• Fantasy basketball
• Download the app
• Daily fantasy
• Scores and schedules
• GameChannel
• World Baseball Classic
• Premier League
• CONCACAF League
• Champions League
• Motorsports
• Horse racing
• Newsletters

New on Yahoo

• Privacy Dashboard

Why Tom Cruise Won’t Be Attending Oscars 2023 Despite ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ Nominations: Details

• Oops! Something went wrong. Please try again later. More content below

Celebrating from a distance. Tom Cruise wasn't in attendance at the 2023 Oscars on Sunday, March 12, despite Top Gun: Maverick receiving six nominations.

Cruise, 60, didn't attend the awards show because he is filming Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part II overseas, Us Weekly can confirm. Producer Jerry Bruckheimer is expected to accept the Best Picture award if their film wins while the actor is in the U.K. ( Glen Powell also confirmed via Instagram that he wouldn't be at the awards show.)

Although Cruise and Powell, 34, had to skip the ceremony, his costars Jennifer Connelly , Jay Ellis , Miles Teller and Lewis Pullman were in attendance at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.

Fans of the action-drama film are also in for a surprise with Lady Gaga 's planned musical appearance after it was originally announced that she would not be able to attend — or perform — at the Academy Awards.

"We have great relationships with Lady Gaga and her camp [but] she's in the middle of shooting a movie right now, and here we are honoring the movie industry and what it takes to make a movie," Oscars producer Glenn Weiss said on Wednesday, March 8, during the Oscars Creative Team press conference, referring to Gaga's role in the Joker sequel Folie à Deux . "After a bunch of back and forth, it didn't feel like she can get a performance to the caliber that we're used to with her, that she's used to and all that stuff."

Hours ahead of the Oscars, ABC confirmed that the actress, 36, was in the building for the awards show after all. Gaga's song "Hold My Hand," which she collaborated on with BloodPop and Benjamin Rice , is nominated for Best Original Song. T op Gun: Maverick is nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Sound, Best Film Editing, Best Visual Effects and Best Drama Film at the 95th Academy Awards too.

The film, which is a sequel to the original 1986 film, also featured stars such as Val Kilmer , Jon Hamm , Monica Barbaro and Ed Harris .

Powell previously praised Cruise for the advice he offered him while working together on set.

"Sometimes you can fall into the trap of wanting to be liked on camera," the Scream Queens alum told Kate Hudson during Variety's "Actors on Actors" interview in December 2022. "And in a movie like this, where you know there's going to be a lot of eyes on it, you don't want to be Draco Malfoy."

According to Powell, the Jack Reacher star suggested that he lean into being the antihero of the movie . "For the ending to work, you have to completely lean into that. Everybody else in the movie is questioning their own ability," the Texas native recalled at the time. "You're the only guy that's not questioning it. So, if there's any sort of apology in anything you say, the movie doesn't work. Lean into the douchebaggery of it all."

The Set It Up star noted that Cruise showed support for his other projects as well.

"I found that [ Devotion ] book and developed that for five years, so when I missed out on the Rooster role, the conversation I had with Tom was, 'Hey, I didn't get this role, but I actually have a naval aviation movie I've been developing. Maybe that's just what I'm going to do,'" Powell added. "And he convinced me that there's room for two. And I'm really happy, because everything I learned on Top Gun got to be infused into Devotion."

Pullman, 30, meanwhile, credited Cruise for putting in the hard work to make Top Gun: Maverick a box office hit.

“I had to just transform into a sponge and just absorb, absorb, absorb because it was a new lesson every day. I mean, he is a Titan,” Pullman exclusively told Us in June 2022. “I’ve never seen anyone approach filmmaking the way he does, and I've also never seen someone that far into their career who still has such drive, has such curiosity, has such passion has such a reluctance to settle, is always trying to make even the smallest scenes better. And he's so invested in learning about, I mean, he's already learned about it, but in every asset of filmmaking, he seems to have a vast understanding of every particle that goes into making a good movie that everyone around the world can relate to. And so that was just incredible, incredible to watch.”

Recommended Stories

Wnba draft winners and losers: as you may have guessed, the fever did pretty well. the liberty perhaps not.

Here are five franchises who stood out, for better or for worse.

Nike responds to backlash over Team USA track kits, notes athletes can wear shorts

The new female track uniform looked noticeably skimpy at the bottom in one picture, which social media seized upon.

Yankees pitcher Fritz Peterson, infamous for trading wives with a teammate, dies at 82

Former New York Yankees left-hander Fritz Peterson died at the age of 82. He is probably best known exchanging wives with teammate Mike Kekich in the 1970s.

Boban Marjanović hilariously misses free throws on purpose to give Clippers fans free chicken

Boban Marjanović is a man of the people.

2024 Masters payouts: How much did Scottie Scheffler earn for his win at Augusta National?

The Masters has a record $20 million purse this year.

Rob Gronkowski's first pitch before the Red Sox's Patriots' Day game was typical Gronk

Never change, Gronk.

UFC 300: 'We're probably gonna get sued' after Arman Tsarukyan appeared to punch fan during walkout

'We'll deal with that Monday,' Dana White said about Arman Tsarukyan appearing to punch a fan during his UFC 300 walkout.

76ers' statue for Allen Iverson draws jokes, outrage due to misunderstanding: 'That was disrespectful'

Iverson didn't get a life-size statue. Charles Barkley and Wilt Chamberlain didn't either.

'Sasquatch Sunset' is so relentlessly gross that people are walking out of screenings. Star Jesse Eisenberg says the film was a ‘labor of love.’

“There are so many movies made for people who like typical things. This is not that," the film's star told Yahoo Entertainment.

Mock Draft Monday with Daniel Jeremiah: Bears snag Odunze, Raiders grab a QB

It's another edition of 'Mock Draft Monday' on the pod and who better to have on then the face of NFL Network's draft coverage and a giant in the industry. Daniel Jeremiah joins Matt Harmon to discuss his mock draft methodology, what he's hearing about this year's draft class and shares his favorite five picks in his latest mock draft.

To revisit this article, visit My Profile, then View saved stories .

• What Is Cinema?
• Newsletters

Mission Impossible: Why Tom Cruise, James Cameron, and Chris Rock Weren’t at the Oscars

By Savannah Walsh

A slew of A-list stars attended the Oscars 2023 —and walked that surprisingly chic  champagne carpet —in celebration of the  95th Academy Awards , where  Everything Everywhere All at Once  was the night’s big winner. But celebrities cannot, in fact, be everywhere all at once—and several major players were missing from Sunday’s ceremony as well.

Host  Jimmy Kimmel  noted a few of these absences during  his monologue , where he joked, “You know, Tom Cruise and James Cameron didn’t show up tonight. The two guys who insisted we go to the theater didn’t come to the theater.”

There were a few surprise attendees Sunday, including Cocaine Bear, Jenny the Donkey, and  Lady Gaga . But if you’re wondering where some of those missing major players were instead of the 2023 Oscars, read on. 

Cruise, nominated as a producer for best-picture-contender Top Gun: Maverick, has been largely missing from the awards circuit this year—outside of the  Oscar Nominees Luncheon , where  Steven Spielberg   reportedly  told him he “saved Hollywood’s ass.” But his absence at the 95th Academy Awards was unexpected, as Kimmel  told  The Hollywood Reporter that Cruise would attend. Alas, a representative for the actor later told  People that Cruise was overseas filming  Mission: Impossible 8, making any appearance at the Oscars—well, impossible. Kimmel took Cruise’s truancy as an opportunity to make a Scientology joke. “Tom Cruise with his shirt off? L. Ron Hubba Hubba,” he quipped.

James Cameron

Cameron, whose blockbuster epic Avatar: The Way of Water was nominated for best picture, didn’t attend because of “personal reasons,” his fellow producer  Jon Landau   told   The New York Times ’  Kyle Buchanan. But Kimmel seemed to suggest that Cameron’s failure to secure a directing nod was a contributing factor in his nonattendance. “I mean, how does the Academy not nominate the guy who directed  Avatar ?” Kimmel asked. “What do they think he is, a woman?” (Only seven women have been nominated for best director in the Oscars’ 95-year history—and zero in 2023.)

Glenn Close

The eight-time Academy Award nominee, who has yet to win an Oscar, continued her unlucky streak with the organization by  testing positive for COVID ahead of the ceremony, as reported by the  Associated Press . Close was meant to reunite with  Harrison Ford, her costar in 1997’s  Air Force One, to present best picture. While Close isolated and rested, Ford went it alone for the night’s biggest award. At least Close’s Oscars history will always have “ Da Butt .” 

The two men at the center of the  biggest scandal in Oscars history were unsurprisingly not in attendance at Sunday’s ceremony, although  jokes about the incident were littered throughout the telecast. During the show, Rock, who declined the Oscars hosting job in favor of speaking out via his own  live Netflix special , was spotted at a Miami viewing party. As seen in a  video posted to Twitter , comedian  Whitney Cummings  appears shocked to see Rock, excitedly declaring, “Chris Rock is in the fucking building!” before raising a glass. 

Tradition has it that last year’s best-actor Oscar winner presents the best-actress trophy at the following ceremony, but all of that changed when  Smith slapped Rock onstage . Instead of an invite to present,  Smith got himself banned from attending the Academy Awards for a decade. It was last year’s best-actress winner,  Jessica Chastain,  and  Halle Berry, who in 2002 was the  first Black woman to win best actress, who  jointly presented the honor this year instead. Smith, who  resigned from the Academy days after his actions,  reportedly spent the weekend taking his family to see  Jay Shetty, life coach to the stars,  at an event in Los Angeles. 

More Great Oscar Season Stories

Inside the Vanity Fair Oscar Party With Everyone, All at Once

See Every Highlight From the  Vanity Fair Oscar Party Red Carpet

See All the Looks From the Oscars 2023 Red Carpet

See the Full List of This Year’s Oscar Winners

Michelle Yeoh Makes History With Best Actress Win

Ke Huy Quan ’s True Hollywood Comeback

Sarah Polley’s Radical Vision for  Women Talking

See Every Photo From Mark Seliger’s 2023  Vanity Fair Oscar Party Portrait Studio

By Julie Miller

Savannah Walsh

Staff writer.

By Joe Reid

By Laura Regensdorf

By Matthew Jacobs

By Derek Lawrence

By David Canfield

By Maxime Jacob

By Tara Ariano

By Chris Murphy

By Hadley Hall Meares

Why Wasn't Tom Cruise at the Academy Awards?

The actor didn't attend sunday's award show where his movie, "top gun: maverick," was nominated in six categories, by charlotte edmonds • published march 12, 2023 • updated on march 13, 2023 at 4:37 am.

"Top Gun" was without its Maverick at the 95th Academy Awards .

The sequel to the 1986 classic took the theaters by storm this past year, grossing nearly $1.5 billion -- second to only "Avatar: The Way of Water." Its success wasn't limited to the box office as the movie established itself as a regular during awards season as well.

At the Oscars on Sunday, however, there was one notable absence -- Tom Cruise , who reprised his role as the titular character, Captain Pete "Maverick" Mitchell.

Where is Tom Cruise during the Academy Awards?

Get Tri-state area news and weather forecasts to your inbox. Sign up for NBC New York newsletters.

Cruise is overseas filming the latest edition of the "Mission: Impossible" series. Titled "Mission: Impossible -- Dead Reckoning Part II," Cruise is returning to his role as Agent Ethan Hunt in what is believed to be the eighth and final installation of the hit spy series.

‘Everything Everywhere' Wins Big. See the Full List of 2023 Academy Award Winners

See All the Stunning 2023 Oscars Red Carpet Fashions

What academy awards is 'top gun: maverick' nominated for.

"Top Gun: Maverick" received six nominations at the 95th Academy Awards -- Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Sound, Best Film Editing, Best Visual Effects and Best Original Song by Lady Gaga.

In addition to starring in the movie, Cruise also served as one of four producers.

What is the release date for 'Mission: Impossible -- Dead Reckoning Part II'?

The eighth "Mission: Impossible" is set to be released on June 28, 2024.

This comes nearly two years after the film's initial release date of Aug. 5, 2022. It was delayed three times due to the COVID-19 pandemic before reaching the current release date.

This article tagged under:

NEWS... BUT NOT AS YOU KNOW IT

Why did Tom Cruise not attend the Oscars after being hailed for ‘saving’ cinema with Top Gun: Maverick?

Share this with

Last night’s Oscars was, like always, a star-studded affair, with Hollywood’s biggest names turning out for its most glamorous night.

But two of the biggest names in film, both of whom have been heralded for ‘saving cinema’, didn’t attend: James Cameron and, crucially, Tom Cruise .

Cameron’s Avatar: The Way of Water , already one of the highest-grossing films ever, was nominated for best picture, but it lost to Everything Everywhere All at Once .

Meanwhile, Cruise’s film, Top Gun: Maverick, was also defeated in the best picture category, but did leave with the prize for best sound.

However, Maverick, a sequel to 1986’s Top Gun, was a huge success at the box office and has been credited by many in the industry with ‘saving cinema’.

Since the pandemic, many who work in film have been greatly concerned that enthusiasm for watching films on the big screen has significantly decreased.

Steven Spielberg was shown talking to Cruise at the 2023 Academy Luncheon: ‘You saved Hollywood’s a**, you might have saved theatrical distribution.’

Maverick, which Cruise, 60, both starred in and produced, passed the $1 billion mark, and was still being shown in cinemas months after its original release.

But on Sunday, Cruise didn’t show his face at the Oscars, which left many viewers wondering why the man dubbed the ‘saviour of cinema’ was absent.

Why wasn’t Tom Cruise at the Oscars?

Cruise missed the awards show due to being tied up with filming the upcoming instalment of the Mission: Impossible franchise, Dead Reckoning Part 2.

Dead Reckoning Part 1, which is due out this summer, is the first Mission: Impossible film since 2018’s Fallout, also produced by Cruise.

At the Oscars, Everything Everywhere All at Once made history with seven awards , including best picture, best actress, and best original screenplay.

Michelle Yeoh became the first Asian actress and just the second non-white woman in history to win in the best actress, after Halle Berry’s win in 2001.

Berry, 56, presented the award to Yeoh, 60, whose co-star Jamie Lee Curtis also walked away with the prize for best supporting actress.

Your Weekly Horoscope

What does the week have in store? Your tarot horoscope reading for April 15 to April 21

During the ceremony, Jessica Chastain received praise for wearing a mask , with the actress currently performing in a play in New York City.

Got a story?

If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us [email protected], calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.

MORE : Lorraine Kelly doesn’t hold back when discussing Hugh Grant’s awkward Oscars interview with Ashley Graham

MORE : Everything Everywhere All At Once’s Oscars success proves one vital thing – Asian talent matters

Get us in your feed

Why Didn't Tom Cruise Attend the Oscars? Inside His Rumored Mini Feud With This Comedian

Mar. 14 2023, Published 12:31 p.m. ET

The annual Academy Awards ceremony is typically regarded as Hollywood's biggest night out, but there were some actors and actresses who didn't join in the fun. Notably, actor Tom Cruise , whose beloved '80s sequel Top Gun: Maverick was nominated for Best Picture, did not attend the 95th Oscars.

Why wasn't Tom Cruise at the Oscars? Keep reading for the rumored reasons behind his uncharacteristic absence.

Why wasn't Tom Cruise at the Oscars?

Although Tom Cruise has not formally given a reason for his absence at the Oscars, a new report from Variety alleges some behind-the-scenes drama that may have led to the absences of multiple actors and actresses during Hollywood's biggest night. Jimmy Kimmel, the host, claims he had more jokes reserved in his Oscars monologue specifically for Tom Cruise, but had to pivot when Tom did not show up.

Molly McNearney, Jimmy's wife and Oscars executive producer, said, "Jimmy loves Tom. Tom had just been on the show the week before. And they talked about seeing each other and Jimmy was excited to tell him that we got real Navy pilots to do the flyover at the top of the Oscars. Jimmy was really disappointed he didn’t come."

The reason for Tom's absence, allegedly, is over concerns that Jimmy collaborated on jokes with Judd Apatow, who infamously made a series of scathing remarks at Tom's expense while hosting the DGA Awards, mostly aimed at Tom's practice of Scientology . Judd is not the first comedian to make jokes about Scientology, of which Tom has been a member for at least three decades.

Molly claims that Judd was not involved in Jimmy's Oscars writer's room, saying, "Jimmy tends to send his monologue to a group of people he trusts, comedy writers and comedians. They don’t help with the monologue. They just tell him like that joke’s working, that joke’s not working. No, Judd was not writing or doing anything for the monologue."

Tom Cruise has not addressed his absence from the Oscars. He did, however, attend the 95th Academy Awards Nominees Luncheon, which took place on Feb. 13, 2023.

A Tom Cruise Deepfake on TikTok Has Fans Wondering if He's Dating This Socialite

Jerrod Carmichael Makes a Scientology Joke at Tom Cruise's Expense, Shocks Hollywood

Tom Cruise Is Still a Scientologist After Joining the Religion Over Three Decades Ago

Latest Tom Cruise News and Updates

• ABOUT Distractify
• Privacy Policy
• Terms of Use
• CONNECT with Distractify
• Link to Facebook
• Link to Instagram
• Contact us by Email

Opt-out of personalized ads

© Copyright 2024 Distractify. Distractify is a registered trademark. All Rights Reserved. People may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.

• Today's news
• Reviews and deals
• Climate change
• 2024 election
• Fall allergies
• Health news
• Mental health
• Sexual health
• Family health
• So mini ways
• Unapologetically
• Buying guides

Entertainment

• How to Watch
• My watchlist
• Stock market
• Biden economy
• Personal finance
• Stocks: most active
• Stocks: gainers
• Stocks: losers
• Trending tickers
• World indices
• US Treasury bonds
• Top mutual funds
• Highest open interest
• Highest implied volatility
• Currency converter
• Basic materials
• Communication services
• Consumer cyclical
• Consumer defensive
• Financial services
• Industrials
• Real estate
• Mutual funds
• Credit cards
• Credit card rates
• Balance transfer credit cards
• Business credit cards
• Cash back credit cards
• Rewards credit cards
• Travel credit cards
• Checking accounts
• Online checking accounts
• High-yield savings accounts
• Money market accounts
• Personal loans
• Student loans
• Car insurance
• Home buying
• Options pit
• Investment ideas
• Research reports
• Fantasy football
• Pro Pick 'Em
• College Pick 'Em
• Fantasy baseball
• Fantasy hockey
• Fantasy basketball
• Download the app
• Daily fantasy
• Scores and schedules
• GameChannel
• World Baseball Classic
• Premier League
• CONCACAF League
• Champions League
• Motorsports
• Horse racing
• Newsletters

New on Yahoo

• Privacy Dashboard

5 Reasons Why Tom Cruise Has Never Won An Oscar

He’s been nominated three times – as Best Actor for ‘Born on the Fourth of July’ and ‘Jerry Maguire’ and as Best Supporting Actor for ‘Magnolia’.

Yet Tom Cruise, arguably the biggest movie star of the last 20 years, has never actually got his hands on a little gold man, but why?

He’s ‘too mainstream’

Only occasionally does Oscar really intersect with the blockbuster community. ‘Titanic’, ‘Avatar’, ‘Lord Of The Rings: Return Of The King’ and ‘Forrest Gump’ are some of the few recent smash hits which also got some awards love. Tom Cruise – despite an incredibly varied and interesting filmography, is the very definition of mainstream.

- Infamous Oscar Losing Faces - Guess The Oscar Legend’s Offspring - 10 Big Errors In Oscar-Winning Movies

People forget that he’s worked with everyone from Paul Thomas Anderson and Michael Mann to Martin Scorsese and Stanley fricking Kubrick. What they do remember is ‘Top Gun’, the ‘Mission: Impossible’ franchise, ‘The Firm’…

Popular actors who became “award-worthy” ones generally had to do so in a film which pitched itself as Oscar bait. Unfortunately for Cruise, he doesn’t seem to have shaken off the stink of $20 million success.

He was robbed for ‘Magnolia’

Speaking of Paul Thomas Anderson, it’s a travesty that Cruise didn’t win for Anderson’s masterpiece ‘Magnolia’, where he played a charismatic women-hating pick-up artist with deep-seated personal issues (see above).

Made at the height of Cruise’s fame and box office power (he filmed it before ‘Mission: Impossible II’) it played with our perceptions of Cruise’s charisma and showed off hitherto unseen acting prowess.

He stole the film from acting greats like Julianne Moore, Jason Robards and Philip Seymour Hoffman and it was the kind of flashy star-playing-against-type supporting role that Oscar voters love.

Yet Cruise was beaten by Michael Caine’s perfectly respectable - but far less memorable - turn in old fashioned yarn ‘The Cider House Rules’. This was Cruise’s best chance to win an Oscar… and he missed it.

His best work isn’t noticed

But at least he was nominated. The other strange thing looking back at Cruise’s CV is that several of his best performances weren’t even noticed by the Academy. There are many that (with another actor) would be swamped with awards love.

Think the calculating but charming hitman in ‘Collateral’, the cocksure Naval lawyer in Aaron Sorkin-penned ‘A Few Good Men’, Lestat in ‘Interview With The Vampire’ (a performance so good author Anne Rice took out an ad in Variety to praise it).

These are roles that with an “award-friendly” actor attached would mean at least a nom, if not the prize itself. But maybe he’s just too effective as a leading man. You expect him to be good, he’s part of our cinematic canvas and as such he doesn’t get the recognition.

His co-stars get all the glory

There’s a school of thought that it’s actually way harder to play the straight man than it is the more obvious showy role. In other words, lots of people (us included) think that Cruise was far more deserving of an Oscar for his brilliant work in ‘Rain Man’ than Dustin Hoffman was for his mannered, yet eye-catching performance.

He was nominated for playing Jerry Maguire, but it was Cuba Gooding Jr who walked off with the prize for his shouty presence as Jerry’s client.

Cruise was hilarious and displayed a surprising lack of vanity as megalomaniacal studio head Les Grossman in ‘Tropic Thunder’, but it was Robert Downey Jr – on the comeback trail and playing ironic blackface – who scored the nom.

And as for ‘The Colour Of Money’? Well, what are you gonna do if you’re starring opposite Paul Newman when one of the elder statesmen of the industry is just due recognition.

His personal life

Any journalist who’s met Tom Cruise will tell you what a nice, professional bloke he is. He understands what being a megastar entails and has been known to show up at his premieres three hours early just so he can interact with as many fans as possible.

But his enthusiasm has also got the better of him – the couch-jumping incident on Oprah being a prime example. That little escapade probably set his career back a few years, as did coming out the loser in the post-divorce PR battles with Nicole Kidman and Katie Holmes.

- 11 Oscar Winners And Their Lesser Known Siblings - Stars Who Turned Down Oscar-Winning Roles - Biggest Ever Oscar Upsets

And then there’s Scientology. Cruise is one of its most important members and he has credited the religion with helping him get to where he is in Hollywood (he can be seen opening a new church-affiliated building in Spain below).

But it’s possible that the stories (whether they are true or not) about silent births, ex-communicating family members and Navy-style teen boot camps has tarnished Cruise in the eyes of Oscar voters, who tend to be more conservative.

It’s possible Tom Cruise will end up being another iconic actor who never gets awards recognition. He wouldn’t be the first (see: Peter O’Toole, Harrison Ford, etc.)

Or maybe as his blockbuster life seemingly begins to fade, which some are predicting after the comparative failures of ‘Oblivion’ and ‘Edge Of Tomorrow’, the Cruiser will finally delve headlong into the kind of compelling character parts which sees him finally take to the Oscar stage as a winner.

Photos: Moviestore/Rex/Snap Stills/giphy/portable.tv/imgur/PA

Recommended Stories

Wnba draft winners and losers: as you may have guessed, the fever did pretty well. the liberty perhaps not.

Here are five franchises who stood out, for better or for worse.

Nike responds to backlash over Team USA track kits, notes athletes can wear shorts

The new female track uniform looked noticeably skimpy at the bottom in one picture, which social media seized upon.

Yankees pitcher Fritz Peterson, infamous for trading wives with a teammate, dies at 82

Former New York Yankees left-hander Fritz Peterson died at the age of 82. He is probably best known exchanging wives with teammate Mike Kekich in the 1970s.

Boban Marjanović hilariously misses free throws on purpose to give Clippers fans free chicken

Boban Marjanović is a man of the people.

2024 Masters payouts: How much did Scottie Scheffler earn for his win at Augusta National?

The Masters has a record $20 million purse this year.

Rob Gronkowski's first pitch before the Red Sox's Patriots' Day game was typical Gronk

Never change, Gronk.

UFC 300: 'We're probably gonna get sued' after Arman Tsarukyan appeared to punch fan during walkout

'We'll deal with that Monday,' Dana White said about Arman Tsarukyan appearing to punch a fan during his UFC 300 walkout.

76ers' statue for Allen Iverson draws jokes, outrage due to misunderstanding: 'That was disrespectful'

Iverson didn't get a life-size statue. Charles Barkley and Wilt Chamberlain didn't either.

'Sasquatch Sunset' is so relentlessly gross that people are walking out of screenings. Star Jesse Eisenberg says the film was a ‘labor of love.’

“There are so many movies made for people who like typical things. This is not that," the film's star told Yahoo Entertainment.

Mock Draft Monday with Daniel Jeremiah: Bears snag Odunze, Raiders grab a QB

It's another edition of 'Mock Draft Monday' on the pod and who better to have on then the face of NFL Network's draft coverage and a giant in the industry. Daniel Jeremiah joins Matt Harmon to discuss his mock draft methodology, what he's hearing about this year's draft class and shares his favorite five picks in his latest mock draft.

MLB Power Rankings: Braves, Yankees surge to the top, followed by Dodgers, Orioles, Brewers

Let's identify one player exceeding expectations for each team through the first few weeks of 2024.

The Cheap Seats: How do you fix your fantasy baseball pitching staff?

Fantasy baseball analyst Scott Pianowski takes some time to answer some pressing questions in his latest mailbag.

GM is moving out of its Detroit headquarters towers

Something's happening with General Motors' headquarters buildings, and it may mean they'll no longer be GM's headquarters buildings.

The Scorecard: 10 fantasy baseball hot takes to know through two weeks

Fantasy baseball analyst Dalton Del Don debuts The Scorecard, a weekly series featuring his takes on key MLB player notes.

How Victor Wembanyama's rookie season ranks in NBA history

Victor Wembanyama's rookie NBA season is finished. The San Antonio Spurs will sit him in Sunday's regular-season finale. Where does his first season rank among the league's greats?

Longtime voice of Yankees John Sterling is retiring, effective immediately

Sterling has called Yankees games since 1989, a span including the Derek Jeter era that saw the franchise win five World Series championships.

2024 Toyota Land Cruiser First Drive Review: Brief taste shows promise, but 1958 questionable

Our mostly off-road first drive reveals a well-executed off-roader with cool style and a high-quality interior. Well, not so much the interior in the 1958.

Former Colts QB Andrew Luck never considered returning to the NFL

Andrew Luck returned to Indianapolis for a charity event, six years after he retired as the Colts quarterback. He says he's never considered making a comeback to pro football.

Tesla layoffs hit high performers, some departments slashed, sources say

Tesla management told employees Monday that the recent layoffs -- which gutted some departments by 20% and even hit high performers -- were largely due to poor financial performance, a source familiar with the matter told TechCrunch. The layoffs were announced to staff just a week before Tesla is scheduled to report its first-quarter earnings. The move comes as Tesla has seen its profit margin narrow over the past several quarters, the result of an EV price war that has persisted for at least a year.

Fan apologizes for provoking Arman Tsarukyan at UFC 300, won’t file lawsuit after punch

Arman Tsarukyan appeared to punch a fan twice on his way into the Octagon during UFC 300 on Saturday night.

• Search Please fill out this field.
• Newsletters
• Sweepstakes
• The Awardist

Tom Cruise missed Best Actor, but still got his first Oscar nomination in 23 years for Top Gun: Maverick

The global superstar landed major recognition for his work in the action sequel.

The Academy didn't recognize Tom Cruise with a Best Actor nod, but the global superstar still landed a major Oscar nomination for Top Gun: Maverick anyway.

For his work as a producer on the blockbuster sequel that has grossed nearly $1.5 billion to date , the 60-year-old scored his fourth career Oscar nomination as the film appeared Tuesday morning among the Academy's 10 Best Picture nominees.

Tuesday's nomination marks the fourth time the Academy has recognized Cruise throughout his lengthy career. He was previously nominated for his work as an actor for 1989's Born on the Fourth of July , 1996's Jerry Maguire , and 1999's Magnolia .

Top Gun: Maverick , which follows Cruise as the returning Pete "Maverick" Mitchell, a U.S. Navy captain and test pilot who faces his conflicting past as he leads a new team of Top Gun graduates into the air, also earned 2023 Oscar nominations for Best Writing (Adapted Screenplay), Original Song (Lady Gaga's "Hold My Hand"), Best Sound, and Best Visual Effects.

Cruise made the Joseph Kosinski -directed movie — Paramount's long-awaited continuation of the original 1986 Top Gun film — alongside veteran Hollywood producers Jerry Bruckheimer , David Ellison, and Christopher McQuarrie, who also co-wrote the movie with Ehren Kruger and Eric Warren Singer.

The 95th Academy Awards will air Sunday, March 12, at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on ABC. See the full list of 2023 Oscar nominations here .

Check out more from EW's The Awardis t , featuring exclusive interviews, analysis, and our podcast diving into all the highlights from the year's best films.

Related content:

• Tracking the top 2023 Oscar contenders
• Academy promises 'great legacy surprises' in 2023 Oscars preview
• See where 15 Academy Award winners keep their Oscars
• Awards season calendar 2022-2023: See dates for Emmys, Oscars, Golden Globes, and more

Related Articles

Tom Cruise Gets His First Criterion Collection Movie Added

• Tom Cruise's Risky Business joins the prestigious Criterion Collection, marking a pivotal moment in his career.
• The film is praised for blending tender romance with a sharp critique of capitalism, even if it's goofy fun on the surface.
• Criterion's release includes a 4K UHD restoration, special features, and interviews, making it a must-have for film and Cruise enthusiasts.

Tom Cruise has been one of the biggest Hollywood stars for four decades, and has starred in almost 50 movies, but until today, none of them have been represented in the most prestigious film collection in the world — the Criterion Collection . The home media distributor collects the greatest or most culturally important films of all time and immaculately restores them and curates magnificent special features. And now, Cruise's 1983 film Risky Business will be the 1,227th movie added to the collection.

The Criterion Collection announced its inclusion today, April 15, with the film being released in 4K UHD (and Blu-ray) on July 23. Their summary of the film, famous for its underwear lip-sync scene, reads as follows:

" A sly piece of pop subversion, this irresistible satire of Reagan-era materialism features Tom Cruise in his star-is-born breakthrough as a Chicago suburban prepster whose college-bound life spirals out of control when his parents go out of town for the week and an enterprising call girl (Rebecca De Mornay) invites him to walk on the wild side. While Cruise boogying in his briefs yielded one of the most iconic pop-cultural moments of the 1980s, it is the film’s unexpected mix of tender romance (enhanced by a moody synth score by Tangerine Dream) and sharp-witted capitalist critique that remains fresh and daring."

Risky Business

Release Date August 5, 1983

Director Paul Brickman

Cast Bronson Pinchot, Richard Masur, Joe Pantoliano, Rebecca De Mornay, Tom Cruise, Curtis Armstrong

Genres Drama, Romance, Comedy

Writers Paul Brickman

Studio Geffen Pictures

Risky Business Special Features and Other July Releases for Criterion

It's an interesting choice for the Criterion Collection, with many other Cruise films being considered superior ( Collateral, Eyes Wide Shut, The Color of Money, Magnolia ). Of course, there are licensing issues to be considered, but there are certainly good reasons for the inclusion of Risky Business . It's the film that truly announced Cruise as a cinematic presence, while also playfully deconstructing the typical sex comedies that were so popular at the time ( Porky's, Revenge of the Nerds ). The special features are as follows.

• New 4K digital restorations of the director’s cut and the original theatrical release, supervised and approved by director Paul Brickman and producer Jon Avnet, with 5.1 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtracks
• One 4K UHD disc of the film presented in Dolby Vision HDR and one Blu-ray with the film and special features
• Audio commentary for the original theatrical release featuring Brickman, Avnet, and actor Tom Cruise
• New interviews with Avnet and casting director Nancy Klopper
• New conversation between editor Richard Chew and film historian Bobbie O’Steen
• The Dream Is Always the Same: The Story of “Risky Business,” a program featuring interviews with Brickman, Avnet, cast members, and others
• Screen tests with Cruise and actor Rebecca De Mornay
• English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing

Why Tom Cruise Won't Return as Jack Reacher

Risky Business joins several other films for Criterion's July releases. There's a 4K UHD restoration of the all-time classic, Le Samouraï , perhaps the coolest film ever made. Farewell, My Concubine is getting a release after its beautiful restoration in 2023. Black God, White Devil will get a release, finally bringing the brilliant Brazilian Western to the masses. Wim Wenders' astonishing 2023 film Perfect Days will get a home media release from Criterion, as well. Perhaps the best inclusion of them all, however, is Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid , Sam Peckinpah's underrated, melancholic Western masterpiece with a score from Bob Dylan. You can pre-order Risky Business below:

Visit The Criterion Collection

• Search Please fill out this field.
• Manage Your Subscription
• Give a Gift Subscription
• Newsletters
• Sweepstakes
• Entertainment

Tom Cruise Gave Dakota Fanning Her First Cell Phone — and Still Sends Her a Birthday Gift Every Year!

Fanning and Cruise — whom the actress called "so thoughtful" — starred in 2005's 'War of The Worlds' together

Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic; Frank ALBERTSON/Gamma-Rapho via Getty

You never forget your first cell phone — especially if you’re Dakota Fanning !

During a Harper's BAZAAR interview with her Ripley costar Andrew Scott , Fanning, 30, revealed that Tom Cruise gifted her her very first mobile phone.

While fielding questions about each other, Scott, 47, guessed the answer to “Who gave Dakota her first cell phone?” — and he was spot-on.

“Okay, well it’s going to be some Hollywood icon … Tom Cruise?” Scott questioned.

After Fanning shared that Cruise, who was her costar in 2005’s War of the Worlds , gifted her a Motorola Razr for her 11th birthday, Scott asked, “Were you so excited?”

“Oh, my God, I was so excited,” the actress recalled.

But it may not have been the most useful gift, as Fanning admitted that she “didn’t have anybody to call or text at that time.”

“You know, I was 11,” she joked, adding, “But I loved having it. I loved it. I felt so cool.”

Evan Agostini/Getty 

And the gifts did not stop with the iconic flip phone, the Twilight actress revealed to Scott.

"Tom sends me a birthday gift every year, and has since that birthday,” she said, noting that the most recent arrived on her 30th birthday earlier this month.

"So thoughtful. Really, really nice,” she said of the Top Gun star as Scott joked, “He’s never given me anything .”

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Cruise’s Motorola Razr was not the only gift Dakota received from a Hollywood icon during her child star days.

Evan Agostini/Getty

While appearing with Scott in ELLE 's "Ask Me Anything" interview series, the actress said that the "best wrap gift" she ever received was given to her by Kurt Russell , her costar in 2005’s Dreamer

"Kurt Russell gave me a horse," Fanning said, as Scott joked, "That could be your autobiography. ... Kurt Russell Gave Me a Horse: The Dakota Fanning Story . "

And, while reflecting on working with Cruise, Russell and other major celebrities as a child star, Dakota told the magazine she didn't get intimidated because it became normal for her.

"Because I grew up familiar with being around people who would be considered 'intimidating' kind of, I think it might've numbed that side of me a little," she said. "When you're 8 years old you're sort of just getting to know a person as a person and not thinking about all of the other stuff, you know?"

Related Articles

• Share full article

For more audio journalism and storytelling, download New York Times Audio , a new iOS app available for news subscribers.

• April 17, 2024   •   24:52 Are ‘Forever Chemicals’ a Forever Problem?
• April 16, 2024   •   29:29 A.I.’s Original Sin
• April 15, 2024   •   24:07 Iran’s Unprecedented Attack on Israel
• April 14, 2024   •   46:17 The Sunday Read: ‘What I Saw Working at The National Enquirer During Donald Trump’s Rise’
• April 12, 2024   •   34:23 How One Family Lost $900,000 in a Timeshare Scam
• April 11, 2024   •   28:39 The Staggering Success of Trump’s Trial Delay Tactics
• April 10, 2024   •   22:49 Trump’s Abortion Dilemma
• April 9, 2024   •   30:48 How Tesla Planted the Seeds for Its Own Potential Downfall
• April 8, 2024   •   30:28 The Eclipse Chaser
• April 7, 2024 The Sunday Read: ‘What Deathbed Visions Teach Us About Living’
• April 5, 2024   •   29:11 An Engineering Experiment to Cool the Earth
• April 4, 2024   •   32:37 Israel’s Deadly Airstrike on the World Central Kitchen

A.I.’s Original Sin

A times investigation found that tech giants altered their own rules to train their newest artificial intelligence systems..

Hosted by Michael Barbaro

Featuring Cade Metz

Produced by Stella Tan ,  Michael Simon Johnson ,  Mooj Zadie and Rikki Novetsky

Edited by Marc Georges and Liz O. Baylen

Original music by Diane Wong ,  Dan Powell and Pat McCusker

Engineered by Chris Wood

Listen and follow The Daily Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music

A Times investigation shows how the country’s biggest technology companies, as they raced to build powerful new artificial intelligence systems, bent and broke the rules from the start.

Cade Metz, a technology reporter for The Times, explains what he uncovered.

On today’s episode

Cade Metz , a technology reporter for The New York Times.

Background reading

How tech giants cut corners to harvest data for A.I.

What to know about tech companies using A.I. to teach their own A.I.

There are a lot of ways to listen to The Daily. Here’s how.

We aim to make transcripts available the next workday after an episode’s publication. You can find them at the top of the page.

The Daily is made by Rachel Quester, Lynsea Garrison, Clare Toeniskoetter, Paige Cowett, Michael Simon Johnson, Brad Fisher, Chris Wood, Jessica Cheung, Stella Tan, Alexandra Leigh Young, Lisa Chow, Eric Krupke, Marc Georges, Luke Vander Ploeg, M.J. Davis Lin, Dan Powell, Sydney Harper, Mike Benoist, Liz O. Baylen, Asthaa Chaturvedi, Rachelle Bonja, Diana Nguyen, Marion Lozano, Corey Schreppel, Rob Szypko, Elisheba Ittoop, Mooj Zadie, Patricia Willens, Rowan Niemisto, Jody Becker, Rikki Novetsky, John Ketchum, Nina Feldman, Will Reid, Carlos Prieto, Ben Calhoun, Susan Lee, Lexie Diao, Mary Wilson, Alex Stern, Dan Farrell, Sophia Lanman, Shannon Lin, Diane Wong, Devon Taylor, Alyssa Moxley, Summer Thomad, Olivia Natt, Daniel Ramirez and Brendan Klinkenberg.

Our theme music is by Jim Brunberg and Ben Landsverk of Wonderly. Special thanks to Sam Dolnick, Paula Szuchman, Lisa Tobin, Larissa Anderson, Julia Simon, Sofia Milan, Mahima Chablani, Elizabeth Davis-Moorer, Jeffrey Miranda, Renan Borelli, Maddy Masiello, Isabella Anderson and Nina Lassam.

Cade Metz writes about artificial intelligence, driverless cars, robotics, virtual reality and other emerging areas of technology. More about Cade Metz

Advertisement