Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt have been on opposing sides for decades and one cannot help but wonder what makes one more successful.

Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise have been at the very top of Hollywood for decades, and this amount of success is bound to come with competition. The actors have been competing for the title of the pinnacle of the film industry for longer than they have been successful, with their feud starting before their fame in 1994’s Interview with the Vampire.

Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt in Interview With the Vampire | Credit: Warner Bros

Even though they are technically at the same level when it comes to success, there is one star who is bagging better checks and has a wider approach than the other. While many of Pitt’s fans have tried to understand what makes Tom Cruise more successful than him, Ed Zwick’s thoughts on the actor may help clear out their confusion.

During an interview, Zwick talked very highly of Cruise, and it is safe to say that many would be impressed with his words.

Ed Zwick is quite a critically acclaimed icon in Hollywood. Over the years, he has worked with some of the most talented and respected actors that the industry has to offer, and that ever-growing list includes the names of Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt. Despite having all his films with the actors being somewhat hits, there was one out of the pair that stood out to him in the best ways possible.

Tom Cruise in Collateral | Credit: Paramount Pictures

During an interview with IndieWire, Zwick talked about how he was able to understand that actors possessed talent much further than standing in front of a camera. He started by talking about how Denzel Washington was able to save him if his script was not able to do the heavy lifting.

Taking an example of Cruise, he mentioned how much talent actors possess and don’t get credit for. Having been on movie sets for a living, they know a lot about filmmaking that goes beyond the confines of acting.

The number of times that I recall [Denzel Washington] saying to me, “I can act those words.” In other words, “Those words suck, don’t worry, I can do that.” And he didn’t mean that cruelly. His instincts about scripts, like Tom Cruise’s — there are reasons why these guys have careers with that kind of longevity.

It’s not because of some play of light and shadow on their face. They are every bit as smart and as gifted as any director or any writer. They don’t necessarily have the same language, but you ignore their contribution at your peril.

Tom Cruise in Top Gun | Credit: Paramount Pictures

Zwick mentioned how He mentioned that actors like. Cruise and Washington possess a level of understanding of the art that makes them some of the most helpful people on a set. Guiding the crew on how to get certain elements right, while also not getting credited for the work seems to have seriously impressed the director.

Tom Cruise Was Very Open Minded Towards Ed Zwick

Later in the interview, Ed Zwick revealed the story of how he managed to get Tom Cruise to be a part of The Last Samurai. The director confessed that when he first approached the actor with the script, he ended up sending him the first draft. This ended up being quite the mistake, as the actor naturally said no to something that was not yet perfect.

John had written a wonderful first draft, but he was then not available to do more work. I made the mistake of actually submitting it to Tom. I’d met Tom years before several times. Graciously, he passed. I was disappointed and realized I had made a stupid rookie error, which is say, give something to somebody before it’s absolutely the best it could be.

Tom Cruise in The Last Samurai | Warner Bros.

Not deterred by the rejection, Zwick went back and worked on the script until it was exactly what he wanted it to be and there was no room for improvement. After meeting the requirements he set for him, he decided to approach the actor. This was quite a brave move, as actors as successful as he rarely go back to look at something that they have already rejected. However, upon reading the script again, Crusie decided that it was worth it and starred in the role.

I rewrote the script in two weeks. I locked myself in there for hours and hours and hours. I walked back into [Warner production chief] Lorenzo di Bonaventura’s office, put the script on his desk, and said, “Here, I’ve rewritten it, you don’t have to pay me. What I want you to do is get this so that we can show this to Tom Cruise again.” He said, “Okay.” It is so rare for an actor to turn down something and then read it again.

Brad Pitt in Legends of the Fall | Sony Pictures Releasing

While many would wonder why this was such a significant deal, Cruise showed more than some kindness towards Zwick through the several times that they have worked together. At the same time, something seemed to have stopped Zwick from saying the same about Brad Pitt, someone who starred in Legends of the Fall, one of Zwick’s first and most significant films. One cannot help but wonder the reasoning behind the same.