Let’s talk about Tom Cruise, shall we? You know, that guy who’s been running on our screens since forever (seriously, does he ever walk in his movies?). From his breakout role in Taps (1981) to becoming Hollywood’s go-to action superstar, Cruise has pretty much nailed the whole “movie star” thing. With mega-hits like Top Gun (1986), Mission: Impossible (1996), and Jerry Maguire (1996) he’s basically become a one-man box office machine, casually raking in billions of dollars worldwide.
But here’s the thing, you’d think someone with his track record would have a perfect batting average when it comes to picking scripts, but nope! Even THE Tom Cruise has let some pretty decent roles slip through his fingers. Ready for a fun dive into the parallel universe of Tom Cruise’s career? Here are ten times he probably kicked himself for saying “Thanks, but no thanks.”
1. Iron Man (2008)
Various Stills from the Iron Man franchise (2008-2013) | Paramount Pictures, Walt Disney Pictures
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Imagine this: Tom Cruise in a flying suit of armor, probably doing his own stunts (because of course he would). Is that not a rather interesting imagery? Well, before Robert Downey Jr. claimed Tony Stark’s goatee for himself, Marvel’s top choice to bring the Iron Man to life was Cruise.
This wasn’t just a passing fancy, in fact, Cruise had been attached to the project since the 1990s when he and Stan Lee discussed bringing the armored Avenger to the big screen. However, Cruise ultimately passed on the role, citing concerns about the script’s development and the character’s direction.
Well, the internet has done what the internet does and the picture of Cruise’s face has been photoshopped into the Iron Man Suit multiple times. Cruise does look mighty convincing in those altered images as well. But in an exclusive interview with ComicBook.com, Cruise mentions how he certainly does not feel right for the role:
Not close, and I love Robert Downey Jr. I can’t imagine anyone else in that role, and I think it’s perfect for him.
Honestly, it’s really chivalrous of him but let’s be real – watching the MCU turn into a $20 billion behemoth probably would have given Cruise a pause at least once. The role would have potentially placed him at the center of the biggest cinematic universe in history. But, hey, what to do?
2. Salt (2010)
Movie Stills from Salt (2010) | Columbia Pictures
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Here’s a fun one – Salt wasn’t just another action movie Cruise passed on; it was literally written for him! The original script was titled Edwin A. Salt and it featured a male CIA officer accused of being a Russian sleeper agent. But our guy thought it felt too much like Mission: Impossible.
Phillip Noyce, the director of the movie, also mentioned this in his interview with NBC CT:
Tom was flirting with the part, and we just couldn’t pin him down, eventually he did “Knight and Day” instead.
Noyce and writer Brian Helgeland reimagined the lead as Evelyn Salt, and Angelina Jolie stepped in and turned it into a nearly $300 million hit. Talk about a gender swap that worked out! While Cruise continued his success with the Mission: Impossible franchise, Salt represented a missed opportunity to explore a different kind of espionage thriller.
3. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)
Movie Stills from The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008) | Warner Pros. Pictures, Paramount Pictures
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Let’s talk about irony for a second – Tom Cruise, Hollywood’s real-life Benjamin Button (seriously, has anyone checked his attic for a mysterious aging portrait?), passed on playing… well, Benjamin Button. The project had been floating around Hollywood since the ’80s, and producers kept circling back to Cruise. You can see why – who better to play a character aging in reverse than someone who seems to have cracked that code in real life?
But after years of “maybe” and “we’ll see,” Cruise finally gave it a hard pass. Enter Brad Pitt, who swooped in and turned the role into an Oscar-nominated performance. The film ended up snagging 13 Academy Award nominations and walking away with three wins.
Steven Spielberg in The EW Interview even talked about his arrangement with Cruise regarding Benjamin Button:
We had considered working together. “Benjamin Button,” we had talked about maybe doing together, long before “Minority Report.” But nothing quite jelled for either of us
The movie’s stunning visual effects combined with its emotional depth, made it a critical darling. While Cruise was off doing his thing, Benjamin Button was busy becoming one of those rare films that hit the sweet spot between technical wizardry and genuine human storytelling.
4. The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
Movie Stills from The Shawshank Redemption (1994) | Warner Bros., Columbia Pictures
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Before Tim Robbins became Andy Dufresne, the role was offered to our favorite running man. You read that right. The part that AFI (American Film Institute) ranked as one of the greatest heroes in film history could have been Cruise’s. According to the Independent:
Reiner had Tom Cruise in mind for the role of Andy Dufresne. But eventual stars Robbins and Freeman are so integral to the film – the heart and soul of Shawshank State Prison.
While it wasn’t an immediate box office smash, it’s now considered one of the greatest films ever made. Frank Darabont‘s prison drama picked up seven Oscar nominations and has become one of those movies that stops everyone in their tracks when it shows up on TV.
Sure, Cruise got to be a fancy vampire (in Interview with the Vampire, released in the same year), but he missed out on being part of what is generally considered as one of the best adaptations of Stephen King ever made.
5. Footloose (1984)
Movie Stills from Footloose (1984) | Paramount Pictures
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Remember that iconic scene in Risky Business (1983) where Cruise slides across the floor in his underwear? Well, that dancing prowess could’ve led to something bigger. Fresh off showing us his moves, Cruise was offered the chance to cut footloose and kick off his Sunday shoes as Ren McCormack.
Kevin Bacon ended up moonwalking away with the role, and Footloose became one of those movies that screams “80s!” louder than neon leg warmers. We’re talking $80 million at the box office and a soundtrack that sold more than nine million copies in USA alone. Even our very own Star-Lord asks Spidey in the Avengers: Infinity War (2018):
Is it (Footloose) still the greatest movie in history?
Well, Cruise finally got his musical moment in Rock of Ages in 2012, but Footloose was definitely a missed opportunity.
6. A Beautiful Mind (2001)
Movie Stills from A Beautiful Mind (2001) | Universal Pictures, DreamWorks Pictures
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Here’s a beautiful irony – Cruise passed on playing a genius mathematician because he was busy making Vanilla Sky. (Math is hard enough without parallel realities, right?) The role of John Nash was a golden ticket to Oscar town, combining two things Hollywood loves: real people and really complicated problems. But scheduling conflicts got in the way, and Russell Crowe stepped in to deliver a performance that had Academy voters reaching for their ballots.
The film cleaned up at the Oscars, snagging four of those shiny gold statues, including Best Picture. For Cruise, it was an unfortunate affair as Vanilla Sky ended up being one of the lowest-rated films of his career (we’re talking 43% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes).
7. Donnie Brasco (1997)
Movie Stills from Donnie Brasco (1997) | TriStar Pictures, Summit Entertainment, Sony Pictures Entertainment Motion Picture Group
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Here’s a mob story for you – before Johnny Depp went undercover as Joseph D. Pistone (aka Donnie Brasco), Cruise had the chance to infiltrate the mafia himself. Fresh off the success of Mission: Impossible, our guy was actually offered the chance to play the FBI agent who pulled off one of the most legendary undercover operations in history. But apparently, one secret agent role was enough for him at the time.
The film wound up being one of those critically acclaimed gems that showed everybody what Johnny Depp could do when he wasn’t playing quirky characters with weird hair. Working alongside Al Pacino (who’s basically the godfather of mob movies at this point), Depp created this intense, psychological drama that had everyone talking. The movie pulled in over $124 million worldwide and snagged an Oscar nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay.
The role was complex, based on a real person, and had all those interesting moral dilemmas that make a movie worth being invested in. While Mission: Impossible turned out just fine for him (understatement of the century), this could’ve been Cruise’s chance to join the pantheon of great mob movie performances.
8. Wall Street (1987)
Movie Stills from Wall Street (1987) | 20th Century Studios, Warner Bros., Universal Pictures
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Fresh off the success of Top Gun (1986), Cruise could’ve traded his aviators for suspenders as Bud Fox in Oliver Stone‘s Wall Street. he passed on the project to star in Cocktail (1988). Charlie Sheen landed the role and got to deliver the line “Greed is good” to Michael Douglas‘s Gordon Gekko.
While Wall Street wasn’t exactly printing money at the box office initially, it became the definitive film about 80s excess and corporate shenanigans. Douglas walked away with an Oscar, and the movie has influenced everything from fashion to actual Wall Street culture.
9. The Matrix (1999)
Movie Stills from The Matrix (1999) | Warner Bros., Roadshow Entertainment
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Okay, this one’s a real head-scratcher. Cruise was offered the chance to take the red pill as Neo, but he chose to stay in the Matrix (metaphorically speaking). There is even a whole thread on Reddit that discusses, “What if Tom Cruise was Neo in The Matrix?”:
What if Tom Cruise was Neo in The Matrix?
byu/hahatheater inTomCruise
Keanu Reeves swooped in and the rest is history. The Matrix revolutionized action movies (something Cruise knows a thing or two about) and basically invented a whole new way of filming fight scenes. Plus, it made leather trench coats cool again. Given Cruise’s love for pushing the envelope in action movies, missing out on this groundbreaking effects extravaganza must feel like taking the blue pill in retrospect.
10. Edward Scissorhands (1990)
Movie Stills from Edward Scissorhands (1990) | 20th Century Studios
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Here’s a wild one – Tom Cruise could’ve been the guy with scissors for hands! Tim Burton wanted to give Cruise the chance to snip away at suburban life as Edward, but our action hero decided to keep his hands scissor-free. Johnny Depp stepped in instead, beginning his long “let’s get weird with Tim Burton” phase that would define much of his career.
The movie became a gothic fairy tale classic, proving that sometimes the strangest concepts make the most beautiful films. In a People article, it is mentioned that Depp in the still-untitled documentary by Tara Wood on Tim Burton said:
…(Tom Cruise) was not far away from actually playing Edward Scissorhands — true story
Also, just for some fun, here’s a bit of extra info (because who does not love interesting factoids and bonuses?):
Did you know that Cruise almost walked away from his role in Interview with the Vampire? According to Esquire the author, Anne Rice, was not exactly happy,
Rice has been cursing Cruise for butchering her script, sanitizing the sexual content to accommodate his clean-cut image, and perpetrating the worst crime in the name of casting since The Bonfire of the Vanities.
However, after seeing Cruise’s performance Rice wrote an article “From Anne Rice: On the Film, Interview with the Vampire” praising Cruise’s portrayal:
From the moment he appeared, Tom was Lestat for me.
All’s well that ends well, right?
Look, let’s be real here, even Tom Cruise isn’t batting a thousand when it comes to picking movies. For every role he has turned down, he accepted others who became iconic. These successes suggest that while he may have regretted passing on certain roles, his instincts have generally served him well. His decisions didn’t just shape his career – they shaped Hollywood itself.
