12-05-2025
Tom Cruise discusses approaching Dustin Hoffman
Tom Cruise has revealed he landed his role in the Oscar-winning film Rain Man after a chance encounter inside a London takeaway with the film's star Dustin Hoffman.
Speaking at BFI Southbank, The Top Gun star told interviewer Edith Bowman that he and his younger sister, Cass Capazorio, had spotted Hoffman while getting food in the capital.
The 62-year-old Days Of Thunder star told the crowd: "She said, 'You've got to go over and say you love him.'
"She doesn't usually do stuff like that and I don't walk up to people and introduce myself, but she was so pushy.
"She said, 'If you don't, I'm going to.'
"He had his hat on and was ordering takeout.
"I stood next to him and said, 'Excuse me, Mr Hoffman, I'm sorry…' and he looked at me and said, 'Cruise!'
"That's how I met him.
"As I was leaving, he said, 'I want to make a movie with you,' and I said, 'That would be nice'.
"A year later he sent Rain Man to me."
The 1988 film became one of Cruise's breakthrough dramatic roles, with eight Academy Award nominations and four wins, including best picture and best actor for Hoffman.
The Cocktail star also revealed how he turned down an immediate sequel to Top Gun after the film's 1986 release.
"The studio wanted me to make Top Gun immediately – they were talking about the sequels," he said.
"I said no. As a young artist, I felt I wanted to develop my talent in different areas.
"I wanted to understand myself more and challenge myself more with different types of movies."
The Mission Impossible star was appearing at BFI Southbank as part of a special event celebrating his career and marking the upcoming release of Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part Two.
