This month, the sixth entry of the Mission Impossible series, Mission Impossible: Fallout, finally hits theaters. And while action-movie fans are no doubt on the edge of their seats awaiting yet another high-octane romp, there’s another thing to celebrate: Tom Cruise, the franchise’s A-list driving force. With an illustrious career spanning four decades (and an equally entertaining personal life spanning just as long), Cruise has become more than a mere household name—he’s become an international icon. An ageless wonder. And a one-man wow factory, especially when it comes to performing his movies’ epic stunts.
In celebration of the much-awaited Fallout, we took a look behind the headlines to present you the strangest, most mind-boggling facts about Tom Cruise we could find. So read on to learn more about one the biggest movie stars to ever walk the earth. And for more awe-inspiring celebrity coverage, don’t miss The 30 Best Celebrity Style Evolutions.
1 Disney modeled a certain beloved character after Cruise.
If you’ve ever spotted a slight similarity between Tom Cruise and Aladdin from the Disney film with the same title, then it might be because the animators at Disney actually borrowed features from Cruise’s face and hair to make the character more likable. True story! And for more stories about everyone’s favorite animated studio, don’t miss the 20 Secrets Disney Employees Don’t Want You to Know.
2 He divorced all of his wives when they were 33 years-old.
Cruise has three ex-wives: Mimi Rogers, Nicole Kidman, and Katie Holmes. In a crazy coincidence, they were all 33 years old at the time of the split. (Cue the eerie music now…) And for more ridiculous knowledge, here are 50 Crazy Celebrity Facts You Won’t Believe.
3 He’s credited with saving the sunglasses company Ray-Ban.
It’s hard to believe it now, but in 1981, the sunglasses company Ray-Ban was in trouble. The now-ubiquitous Wayfarer sold only 18,000 models that year. But, as it turns out, with the help of a little product placement paid for by Ray-Ban, Cruise singlehandedly saved the entire business, thanks to the shades’ prominent cameos in Cruise’s films Risky Business, Top Gun, and Rain Man. In fact, the year Top Gun was released (1986), Ray-Ban enjoyed a 40 percent increase in sales.
4 He improvised the Risky Business dance.
In a scene that took half a day to film, Cruise showed off his best moves by completely improvising the famous dance after following this simple piece of instruction in the film’s script: “Joel dances in underwear through the house.”
5 Cruise could’ve been Iron Man.
Before Robert Downey Jr. was cast as Tony Stark in the kickoff to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Iron Man, the part was first offered to Cruise, who declined the role. And for more amazing casting what-ifs, don’t miss this list of 50 Iconic Movie Roles That Almost Went to Someone Else.
