'The Last Samurai' director Ed Zwick says Tom Cruise nailed emotional scene after talking about son Connor
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Director Ed Zwick shared in his new memoir that a chat with Tom Cruise about his son Connor Cruise “seemed to open” a window that helped the ‘Mission: Impossible’ star nail a scene.
Zwick, who directed Cruise in his 2003 film ‘The Last Samurai’, talked about his experiences of directing several Hollywood celebrities in his new memoir, ‘Hits, Flops, and Other Illusions: My Fortysomething Years in Hollywood’.
Ed Zwick said Tom Cruise ‘softened’ while talking about his son Connor
The 71-year-old director recalled inciting a talk about Connor with the ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ star that in turn, helped elicit genuine emotion from the seasoned actor.
Zwick recalled a day in his memoir when he noticed how "sweet and attentive" Cruise was being to a young actor, per OK! Magazine.
Seeing the heartwarming exchange, the director thought of redirecting Cruise’s paternal instincts to an upcoming scene.
He recalled, "'Tell me about your son,' I said,” before adding Cruise’s reaction, “He looked at me, surprised.”
Referring to Cruise’s son whom he adopted with his former wife Nicole Kidman, Zwick wrote, "I knew Connor had just returned to LA and Tom wouldn’t be seeing him for a while."
The director continued, "For a moment Tom was quiet. And then he began to talk," before adding, "It doesn’t matter what he said in those few short moments in the fading light.”
He continued to highlight Cruise’s heightened emotion as he talked about his son, saying, “I watched as he looked inward, and a window seemed to open and his eyes softened,” and added that Cruise "nailed the scene" after their chat.
Tom Cruise and Connor made a rare joint public appearance in 2023
While Cruise’s two children with Kidman - Connor and Isabella - chose to become Scientologists like their famous father, they keep themselves out of the public eye.
In July 2023, Connor stepped out with Cruise in a rare public appearance to attend a ‘Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part 1’ event in New York City, per E! News.
The father and son duo were seen walking to an AMC Theater in Times Square to attend the event. They were also joined by Cruise’s older sister, Lee Ann Mapother.
Ed Zwick shares his experience of directing Brad Pitt
Zwick also shared his experience of directing Brad Pitt in his 'Legends of the Fall'. He shared in his book, "Brad had grown up with men who held their emotions in check."
He continued, "I believed the point of the novel was that a man’s life was the sum of his griefs. […] Yet the more I pushed Brad to reveal himself, the more he resisted. So, I kept pushing and Brad pushed back."
Zwick shared his tense relationship with Pitt on the sets of the film, and wrote, "Brad wasn’t about to give in without a fight," before adding, "In his defense, I was pushing him to do something he felt was either wrong for the character, or more ’emo’ than he wanted to appear onscreen."
