Tom Cruise 'charming' his way to an Oscar after 'Top Gun: Maverick' nominated for Best Picture
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Tom Cruise is apparently trying to schmooze his way into snagging an Academy Award for his hit film 'Top Gun: Maverick', while ensuring he doesn't spark another PR nightmare, sources have claimed.
The Hollywood megastar's 2022 megahit has racked up six Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Film Editing, Best Sound, Best Original Song, and Best Visual Effects. And despite being snubbed for Best Actor, the 60-year-old thespian could still win an Oscar as producer. Insiders say he has been putting in the work by "charming" everyone in the industry.
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Flying 'under the radar'
"He's charming the h---- out of everyone at all the industry events, but he's hard to pin down after the party's over," one source told Radar Online. "Even his comings and goings are kept secret. When in Los Angeles, he divides his time between a Bel-Air residence and a Scientology base in the desert, traveling by helicopters he usually pilots himself so he can stay under the radar," the insider claimed. Tom has courted a series of controversies in his career, including his notorious television couch-jumping incident and a heated interview with former 'Today' host Matt Lauer during his public feud with Brooke Shields over her use of antidepressants to treat postpartum depression.
"Tom knows anything he says can bite him in the butt, but he also likes the mystery of being inaccessible," the source continued. "In social situations, he swoops in to chat and then leaves in a flash." The 'Mission Impossible' actor doesn't shy away from rubbing shoulders with Hollywood's biggest stars and industry stakeholders but reportedly prefers to be close to his friends in the Church of Scientology. "He might have a lot of people throw themselves at him, but he's skeptical of anyone outside his Scientology clique," the insider insisted, "and an Oscar, if Top Gun wins, won't change that."
Tom Cruise vs Brad Pitt
Sources previously told Radar Online that Tom was fuming when he was snubbed from the Golden Globes. He allegedly accused his old rival Brad Pitt of sabotaging his chances of success. "It stinks that Brad, once again, seems to have milked his relationship with the foreign journalists at the Globes to get his own movie — which many consider way inferior to Top Gun — a ton of nods," an insider said, referring to 'Babylon'. "As far as Tom's concerned, this snub is all Brad's fault!"
There are high expectations for 'Top Gun: Maverick' to win big at the Academy Awards because it is regarded by critics and viewers alike as one of the best movies of 2022. However, in the Best Picture race, 'Everything Everywhere All at Once' appears to be the front-runner. Besides, the critically acclaimed blockbuster 'Avatar: The Way of Water' is also in the running with four Oscar nominations. The sci-fi hit trumped 'Top Gun: Maverick' as the highest-grossing film of the year.