10 Famous Roles Tom Cruise Almost Played
Tom Cruise has played more than his share of iconic roles, from Maverick in Top Gun to Frank T.J. Mackey in Magnolia to Ethan Hunt in the Mission: Impossible franchise. But for every great part he’s played, he’s turned down many more — including the leads in some of the biggest hits of the last 30 years.
In a way, it makes sense. By the late 1980s, Cruise was (metaphorically, if not literally) one of the two or three biggest movie stars in the world. That made him producers’ first choice for almost every major film in Hollywood for a decade. If things had turned out slightly differently, Cruise could have made pottery with Demi Moore to the sounds of the Righteous Brothers, or escaped from Shawshank State Prison in a sewage pipe, or maybe even launched the Marvel Cinematic Universe as an arms manufacturer who suddenly sprouts a conscience.
Below, you’ll find ten examples of huge movies — including blockbusters, Oscar winners, and titles that routinely make lists of the greatest films of all time — that Tom Cruise almost appeared in. You’ll also see truly incredible Photoshop work that will give you a very accurate representation of what those titles would have looked like with Tom Cruise in the lead role. (Seriously, do they give a Pulitzer for Best Photoshop Work? Cause if so, I’m a lock for 2021.) And while Cruise didn’t make any of these movies, you will seem him soon in more Mission: Impossible and Top Gun sequels.
Gallery — Great Movies That Got Zero Oscar Nominations: