Tom Cruise On 'War' And Children
In part 2 of The Early Show entertainment contributor and People magazine senior editor Jess Cagle asks Tom Cruise about his other great passion: Moviemaking.
Cruise's films have taken in over $2 billion in the U.S. alone. With the sci-fi thriller "War Of The Worlds," Cruise reteams with director Steven Spielberg and writer David Koepp. The following is an excerpt from the interview.
Cagle: For anyone who says: "Oh... Steven Spielberg has made another alien movie. They come to Earth, and they're our friend.' How do you prepare them for this?
Cruise: Well, ET's phoned home, and it was intercepted by those alien gangsters, and they're coming to kick our butts. It's just full on, and Steven Spielberg in the way that the world first was just introduced to this master in "Jaws." How he can just tell that story and the characters that you just love?
In "War of the Worlds," Cruise plays Ray Ferrier, a father estranged from his two children. He must find a way to connect with his kids as aliens invade Earth.
Cruise: You see a guy who, I find, is kind of tragic in his relationships. His wife has gone on; she's pregnant and married, so that's that journey. It's the journey of this man who is discovering his children. Can he protect his children?
It's the kind of journey Cruise looks for when choosing his films.
Cruise: I'm a hopeful person. So, I believe in man. I believe people are good. I know they do things. I like to have situations that the pressure of the world is brought to bear on them. And it's what happens at that point, because I see that in life all the time. I see the journey that people make, and I like that journey, and I want to travel with the character when I'm playing it."
In the movie, Cruise's children are played by newcomer Justin Chatwin and 11-year-old screen veteran Dakota Fanning.
Cruise: "I don't care how old she is; she's a great actress; a delight to be around. I really do enjoy being around her."
Cagle: Does being a father help you when you're playing a father on screen?
Cruise: Yes, it changes your perspective. The more I understand about people, there's always just different notes that I make, different images that I see. Yeah, it's helped. Yeah, I remember with "Jerry Maguire," I remembered my own kids, but even before that I was a camp counselor growing up. I really do love children, and I believe that children have more dignity than most adults, and I treat them with kind of respect. I've never really talked down to them or over their head.
And his recent engagement Katie Holmes, raises the question: Does he want more children?…
Cruise: I love children. I've always wanted to be a father, always. As far back as I could remember, I couldn't wait to have kids. I always loved kids, so it's something Kate and I will talk about. You even look at, in "War of the Worlds," the way Steven and I and David Keopp, we dedicated the film to our children and to children. That's what the movie is to me. So it's something that we're definitely going to talk about. That's always a thing; we'll see. Anything is possible.
Cruise starts filming "Mission Impossible 3" next month. The "War of the Worlds" is being released by Paramount Pictures, which is owned by the same parent company as CBS.