Tom Cruise admitted to using his stardom for meeting an iconic actor who was kind enough to share an evening with him.

Tom Cruise is one of the biggest superstars of his generation, with his movies raking in several billion dollars at the box office. Cruise’s popularity has been further bolstered by his blockbuster commercial movies that appeal to audiences across demographics. However, there was a time when Cruise used to make thoughtful movies that initially cemented his celebrity status.

Tom Cruise is one of the biggest stars in Hollywood (Credit: Mission: Impossible 7 | Paramount).

During an interview, Cruise spoke about his fame and revealed whether he had ever used his celebrity status to secure a special perk. The actor shared a surprising story, admitting to using his fame to get an opportunity to interact with an acclaimed actor who he ended up working with anyway. Here is what Tom Cruise had to say about getting one thing with his celebrity status.

Tom Cruise Admitted to Using His Celebrity Status to Meet Dustin Hoffman

Tom Cruise rose to prominence in the 1980s, starring in a string of critically acclaimed movies made with some of the most famous directors. In recent years, Cruise’s commercial blockbusters such as Mission: Impossible and Top Gun movies have only propelled him to superstardom few in the industry have experienced.

Tom Cruise used his fame to meet Dustin Hoffman (Credit: Rain Man | United Artists).

During a conversation with Interview Magazine, Cruise was asked about using his fame to get something he wanted. The actor revealed that he typically refrains from leveraging his popularity for perks but admitted that one opportunity was simply too good to pass upon. He said:

I guess meeting Dustin Hoffman was the closest to that. Usually I would never do anything like that.

Cruise explained that he was having dinner with his younger sister at a restaurant where Hoffman was also present while touring for his stage play.

He made sure that we had seats and everything. Afterward, we went to dinner with his family and his cousin.

Cruise said the above about the experience of using his fame to share an evening with a legend like Dustin Hoffman. The Top Gun star also admitted that this experience inspired him to seek out roles where he could learn from older actors, leading to his work on The Color of Money and Rain Man.

Dustin Hoffman Talked About Tom Cruise’s Fame While Working on Rain Man

Dustin Hoffman and Tom Cruise worked together in Rain Man (Credit: United Artists).

Following the aforementioned incident, Cruise and Dustin Hoffman eventually collaborated on the 1988 road comedy-drama film Rain Man, directed by Barry Levinson. In the film, Cruise and Hoffman play estranged brothers and both actors received critical acclaim for their performances.

For the first time I was working with someone who was going through what I did 20 years ago – that first flush of stardom following The Graduate.

Hoffman stated the above to the New York Times about working with Cruise on the film and hinted at the latter’s impending global stardom. At the same time, Cruise referred to the senior actor as his master and admitted that he got to ad-lib with Hoffman more than any of his other co-stars.

Furthermore, Hoffman revealed that he found several similarities with Cruise, stating that both were very compulsive and monklike. Hoffman added that like him, Cruise also followed a strict diet, worked out, and wrote his dialog in his handwriting until he had it by heart. As a result, it is no surprise that Cruise went on to have a similarly celebrated career like one of his masters.

Rain Man is streaming on MGM+.