Director Ed Zwick reveals an incident where he tried to tap into Tom Cruise’s emotions for a scene
Tom Cruise soft spot for son made him ‘nail’ one emotional scene
In The Last Samurai, Tom Cruise has to perform an emotional shot. Before the camera rolled, the filmmaker Ed Zwick evoked his son Connor’s memory to help him best the scene.
Remembering the incident in his new memoir Hits, Flops, and Other Illusions: My Fortysomething Years, the director said he observed Cruise was “sweet and attentive” to a young actor in an earlier scene.
The 71-year-old added he knew the megastar was close to his then-8-year-old kid, sharing with ex-wife Nicole Kidman.
Before the scene, the noted filmmaker asked the Mission Impossible star to open up about his emotions related to his son — as he aimed to bring out Tom’s natural reaction on the screen.
“‘Tell me about your son,’ I said. He looked at me, surprised. I knew Connor had just returned to L.A., and Tom wouldn’t be seeing him for a while. For a moment, Tom was quiet,” he wrote.
He continued, “And then he began to talk. It doesn’t matter what he said in those few short moments in the fading light. I watched as he looked inward, and a window seemed to open, and his eyes softened.”
Adding, “With the daylight fading, the upcoming take was on a time crunch — and Cruise eventually “nailed the scene.”
After the scene, Ed recalled the star looking toward him and mouthing, “Thank you.”
The incident is about to be noted as Tom opted to keep his private life away from prying eyes.
In the meantime, he shares two kids with ex-Nicole. While with another ex-wife Katie Holmes, he has a daughter.