Tom Cruise photoshopped himself for an onset picture with famous directors Cameron Crowe and David Fincher

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: During the fifth season premiere of The Hollywood Reporter's 'It Happened in Hollywood' podcast, filmmaker Edward Zwick revealed that post-production played a crucial role in securing Tom Cruise a role in an iconic Hollywood image that initially didn't include him.

According to Zwick— who recently released his memoir 'Hits, Flops and Other Illusions'— the actor had himself photoshopped into an onset shot of Cameron Crowe, David Fincher, and Zwick back when they were filming 'The Last Samurai' in 2002.

Edward Zwick revealed how they 'photoshopped Tom into the picture'

Zwick has helmed some of the biggest names in Hollywood such as Denzel Washington, Morgan Freeman and Matthew Broderick in 1989’s 'Glory', Brad Pitt in 1994’s 'Legends of the Fall' and Leonardo DiCaprio in 2006’s 'Blood Diamond.'

Zwick fully realized the impact of collaborating with Tom Cruise, widely recognized as the world's most influential movie star, during their partnership on the film 'The Last Samurai' in 2002.

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter on Thursday, February 15, the 'Blood Diamond' director recalled the amusing anecdote, stating how directors David Fincher and Cameron Crowe had visited Warner Bros to pursue Cruise for future projects.

Zwick noted that the men had gathered primarily to meet with Tom Cruise, each for their own reasons.

Cameron had previously worked on a couple of films with him, while Fincher initially intended to but ultimately did not. Spielberg, however, eventually collaborated with Cruise on 'War of the Worlds' in 2005.

Zwick explained: "The great part of the story is that the unit photographer saw us all together and said, 'Hey, can I just take your picture?' So here’s a picture of all of us — except Tom had been called away to do something."

"And then [Cruise] heard about the picture later, and he saw it and he said, 'I want to be in that picture!' So we shot Tom, and then photoshopped him into the picture."

Zwick noted that he was shocked to find the legendary directors, including Steven Spielberg, prowling around the set constructed for 'The Last Samurai.'

"And at one point, I happen to turn around. And it’s almost like a joke — you know, there’s Cameron Crowe. There is Steven Spielberg. There’s David Fincher," Zwick added.

Edward Zwick discusses the 'joyous, challenging, and exhausting' time collaborating with Tom Cruise

Zwick's vibrant new memoir, 'Hits, Flops, and Other Illusions: My Fortysomething Years in Hollywood,' is filled with anecdotes about his rollercoaster ride through the film and television industries.

'The Last Samurai,' a thrilling war epic about a 19th-century insurrection by a group of samurai opposed to Japan's growing westernization, is one of the most fascinating of Zwick's accounts.

In it, Cruise portrays an alcoholic American officer who joins forces with Ken Watanabe's Lord Moritsugu Katsumoto, the leader of the rebellion and the "last samurai" of the movie's title, after being troubled by his involvement in the Indian Wars.

An excerpt from Zwick's memoir, obtained by Vulture, reads: "Working with Tom was joyous, challenging, and exhausting. His energy was intimidating. It may sound surprising, but the one formative experience we had in common was that we both wrestled in high school."

"Tom was in every scene for 120 shooting days, yet he never showed the slightest sign of fatigue, not even after getting the shit kicked out of him by Sanada take after take in the mud and pouring rain. Tom likes to think of himself as being chased by a shark, which he means metaphorically."

"He is also legendarily, at times maddeningly, self-confident, no matter if it’s about doing a dangerous stunt or a six-page dialogue in a single take," the excerpt reads in part.

'The Last Samurai,' which was released in 2003, was a big sensation and garnered mixed reviews from critics. Some reviews voiced concerns over cultural errors, despite the film's plaudits for Cruise's performance and its visual splendor.

However, it was a commercially successful endeavor owing to its box office performance, earning over $456 million globally, per Daily Mail.