'He absolutely deserves it': Jennifer Connelly pitches Tom Cruise for 'Best Actor' Oscar nomination
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Jennifer Connelly is super impressed with her co-star Tom Cruise’s performance in 'Top Gun: Maverick,' so much that she wants an Oscar nomination for the star. The ‘Noah’ star, during an interview at Sundance Film Festival, said, "He does an amazing job in the movie. He's extraordinary as a person and fantastic as an actor, and I think that he is just perfect. He embodies that character so beautifully, and I think he absolutely deserves it." Connelly plays Penny in the sequel to ‘Top Gun’, which was a 1986 blockbuster flick, and announced Tom Cruise as a superstar in Hollywood.
Talking with Variety, the 52-year-old elaborated on Cruise’s effort and the exceptional work done by the entire team. "I think that the film is a really well-made film and it's really hard to make a film like that. Also, thinking about Tom's work, think of the things that he did for that role. Besides all the stuff on the ground and how wonderful he is in those scenes and creating those relationships… I think the relationship he has with Miles [Teller]'s character is so beautiful and moving." "But the work that he did to accomplish those flying sequences, it's something else," the ‘Beautiful Mind’ star said in reference to the wild stunts which included the entire crew flying in the backseat of real F-18s for the flick.
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Top Gun: Maverick premiered in New York City in May 2022, and many cast members applauded the work done by the 60-year-old star. Later, at Cannes Film Festival, in 2022, Connelly shared how mesmerized she was by Cruise’s performance. "The reel at the beginning of the film, it was so impressive and so moving and he's really an extraordinary actor, so that was really beautiful, and was beautiful to see the acknowledgment and watch him see it,” she said. The Academy Awards 2023 nominations will be made public on Tuesday, January 24. However, Cruise made the cut for his effort at the Critics Choice Awards but eventually lost to Brendan Fraser’s The Whale, reports People.
Jay Ellis, a cast member shared his experience of working with Cruise. "One of the things that I think we all took from filming with [Tom] is making sure the audience is with you — like, 'Always remember the audience when you're making something.' Someone paid their $16, $14, whatever it is, to come to see your movie. Like, it is your job to entertain them," he said. He further talked about the work ethic of the star, "That is literally [Cruise's] mindset," Ellis continued at the time. "Like, 'My job is to entertain you, you spent your money to come to see me in a movie, I'm gonna make sure you walk away entertained."
