When it comes to Hollywood legends, even the smallest details can feel like insider gold, and Glen Powell just revealed one of Tom Cruise’s best-kept secrets.
In a recent interview with IndieWire, Powell, 37, shared that the 'Top Gun: Maverick' icon isn’t “Tom” to those who know him best. Among friends, he’s simply “TC.” “Everybody in his life calls him that,” Powell revealed. “I’ll call him Cruise, TC. But yeah, TC is how most people refer to him.”
'The Running Man' star and Cruise, 63, first forged their friendship while filming 2022’s blockbuster 'Top Gun: Maverick.' Since then, the two have stayed close, often supporting each other both on and off screen.
Just last week, Cruise attended a screening of Powell’s new film 'The Running Man,' cheering on his former wingman with a typically enthusiastic post on Instagram.
“Another great night out with my friends at the movies! You guys crushed it, congratulations! I laughed, was on the edge of my seat and ate way too much popcorn,” wrote Cruise.
Powell spoke warmly about Cruise’s guidance and generosity, both professional and personal. “I got to see him the other night,” Powell told IndieWire. “It’s so wild the journey he and I have kind of been on together."
"From starting the journey of Top Gun and riding that wave through COVID and figuring out what the theatrical landscape would look like on the other side of it. How he’s continually showed up for me in my life as a friend and a mentor, and really, just looking out for me.”
He added, “It’s hard to fathom, as most Hollywood stars don’t do that, right? They don’t send the elevator back down and take care of people, for the most part. He’s just a very rare type of person who really just wants everybody around him to win.”
Cruise’s mentorship hasn’t been limited to moral support. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Powell recalled some priceless, and very practical, advice he received from the 'Mission: Impossible' daredevil.
“He was just always telling me, ‘Don’t do some of these stunts late at night when you’re tired,’” Powell said. “He was asking me questions about what the movie was like and what it looked like and how it spanned. And I was like, ‘Yeah, a lot of it is at night.’ And he was like, ‘That’s going to be a problem. Your body is extremely tired at night."
Cruise continued, "People get hurt more often when shooting at five in the morning [because] you’re rushing to make it before sunrise.’” Powell laughed that much of Cruise’s guidance boiled down to one simple principle, “How not to die on this movie.”
“The reality is there’s probably only one person on the planet that can give this type of advice, and it’s him,” Powell said. “So the fact that he’s one call away and he’s always willing to pick up, it’s unbelievable.”