Tom Cruise is one of the biggest names in Hollywood. The actor has not only made a name for himself but is also credited with saving the film industry with his 2022 film Top Gun: Maverick. Considering all the work he’s done over the years and his popularity all around the world, it comes as a surprise that the Mission Impossible star once felt threatened by the Twilight star Robert Pattinson. Many claimed that Cruise was a little insecure about losing his spotlight to Pattinson when they starred in the 2010 MTV Movie Awards promo.
Tom Cruise
Tom Cruise Was Reportedly Threatened By Robert Pattinson
Tom Cruise and Robert Pattinson featured together in the 2010 MTV Movie Awards promo. The Mummy star dressed up as Les Grossman, the ill-tempered studio executive from the 2008 film Tropic Thunder, who seems to be grooming Pattinson. He also went on stage with singer-actress Jennifer Lopez as Les Grossman.
Les Grossman
However, considering how big he was at the moment in the industry, many questioned the reason he was trying so hard. According to some industry insiders, the actor was somewhat afraid that having a young star like Robert Pattinson would steal his limelight.
An insider revealed that he was afraid of losing his status as “THE Hollywood hunk” and of being irrelevant. “Tom is working hard to stay relevant because if this movie doesn’t do well, then he’s lost his mojo,” a film producer told Hollywood Life.
Robert Pattinson
Sources revealed that the Jack Reacher star was not the “teen heartthrob” anymore, so he tried everything to stay on top and take The Batman star down. A talent manager even claimed that Cruise’s movie Knight and Day, which was set to release around the same time as The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, would not get much audience.
Tom Cruise Tried to Win Back His Young Fan Base
Considering Twilight’s popularity at the time, it was believed that the A-list star’s movie might suffer at the box office. “Releasing Knight and Day against Eclipse and hoping to get any of the audience is crazy,” an insider said.
They further said that it would be hard for the Vanilla Sky star to compete with “the hot, young stars and cool factor they have.” They said that Cruise was considered hot in the 80s and 90s. However, he does not have the same reputation among the new and young audience.
Knight and Day (2010)
“He is relevant to the movie industry, but teens, for the most part, don’t really care about him or know who he is. For the most part, he’s just that guy that jumped on Oprah’s couch.”
They claimed that the Tropic Thunder actor was just trying to put an image that he enjoyed and loved his work and was only trying to lure the young fans base toward action movies, with Knight and Day.