Will Smith 'just didn't get' why friend and rival Tom Cruise would want to help him become a movie star
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: In Hollywood, it is always encouraging to see actors genuinely get along with one another despite the strain caused by competition. Tom Cruise and Will Smith are two such actors who have a strong friendship in the entertainment industry. Smith initially believed that he would end up competing with the 'Top Gun' star rather than developing a close bond with him.
Despite their initial differences, Smith and Cruise eventually got along and developed a strong bond with the 'Mission: Impossible' star even helping Smith out with one of the highest-grossing movies.
'Tom Cruise is either a cyborg, or there are six of him'
In Smith's memoir, 'Will', the actor wrote that he intended to promote his own movies more than Cruise did to increase his exposure. He wrote, "I started quietly monitoring all of Tom’s global promotional activities. When I arrived in a country to promote my movie, I would ask the local movie executives to give me Tom’s promotional schedule. And I vowed to do two hours more than whatever he did in every country," per IndieWire.
However, Smith quickly realized it would be more difficult than he thought. "Unfortunately, Tom Cruise is either a cyborg, or there are six of him. I was receiving reports of four-and-a-half-hour stretches on red carpets in Paris, London, Tokyo… In Berlin, Tom literally signed every single autograph until there was no one else who wanted one. Tom Cruise’s global promotions were the individual best in Hollywood," Smith added.
'Tom is one of the most open, honest and helpful people'
Smith said that Crise startled him when they first met. He told Newsweek at the time, "Tom is one of the most open, honest and helpful people I’ve met in Hollywood, or really anywhere. I mean, how many people in his position would want me to win, want me to be a bigger and better movie star? Few people in this business want me to win like that. I was so used to competition between other artists that I just didn’t get him at first. That blew my mind because that is not how this business works at all."
Compared to other luminaries who gave Smith advice, Cruise's assistance was distinctive. In addition to assuring Smith that there was no rivalry between the two of them, the 'King Richard' star pointed out that Cruise assisted him with 'I Am Legend.' According to The Numbers, it was one of Smith's highest-grossing films, raking in $585.4M.
Smith went to his longtime pal Cruise for project-related guidance as he was creating the movie. "When I did I Am Legend, I sent him the script, and he sent me back four hours of notes and changes. He did more work on I Am Legend than I did," Smith remarked at the time.
