# Tom cruise quote - arrogance? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 31, 2001, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-cruise-quote-arrogance/79200 "2001-08-31T21:26:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![warmgun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecccb3/32.png) [@warmgun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/warmgun)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2001, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-cruise-quote-arrogance/79200/41 "2001-09-04T23:35:41Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Jack Batty \* > \*\ ***warmgun** , I think you’re making it too black and white. > > A director generally won’t tell an actor, “ok raise your right eyebrow on this beat, and curl your lip after you say that, and give me that little tic you do at the end.” He’ll just say, “play this scene as a psychotic.” > > _That’s an over-simplification, but I think you get the picture (so to speak)._ > > He trusts the actor - his fellow artist - to contribute to the artistic value of the scene. While the director has final say on the mood of how a scene should be played, and it what goes in the final cut, the actors are very much contributing to the artistic qualities of a film. \*\* Jack Batty, I think you are over-simplifiing. 🙂 This is the last I have to say on this beaten-dead-horse subject: Of course I’m being black and white. Otherwise, given the state of affairs in Hollywood, we would have to take every picture’s convaluted deal into account. If a director tells an actor to, “play this scene like a psychotic”, then he is _not_ trusting his “fellow artist”, he is **directing**! And, yes, sometimes they do say, “Curl your lip.” The point of all this was to point out (refute) the statement that actors control the artistic content of a movie. Contribute - yes, control -no. If an actor is directing or producing as well as acting, then they are no longer ‘actors’ in the context of this discussion. ---
**Author:** ![Oblong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/c0e974/32.png) [@Oblong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oblong)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2001, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-cruise-quote-arrogance/79200/42 "2001-09-05T00:28:49Z")
> [@](#): > > The theater takes a biiiiig slice of the screen gross. That’s not true. The theater pays the studio, distributor, or whoever they got the right to play the movie from, as much, if not more, than the price of the ticket. Many times they lose money on ticket sales because the studio slice is so big. The theaters get charged a fee, usually 7 or 8 bucks for each person who watches the movie. That’s why popcorn and candy costs an arm and a leg. If you go to the movie and don’t buy anything, then the theater gets nothing from you. So those figures quoted are what the studios, or distributors, get. The cost of goods sold is in production, advertising, and salary. ---
**Author:** ![stolichnaya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bcef8e/32.png) [@stolichnaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stolichnaya)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2001, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-cruise-quote-arrogance/79200/43 "2001-09-05T01:33:12Z")
Thanks for the correction- and I was being a little sanctimonious there, too. ::chagrin:: ---
**Author:** ![Oblong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/c0e974/32.png) [@Oblong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oblong)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2001, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-cruise-quote-arrogance/79200/44 "2001-09-05T01:42:12Z")
Thanks for not getting all hot and bothered by it like others would. Moral is, when you complain about the high ticket prices, yell at the studios, not the person taking your ticket. They get none of it. If you think they make too much, then don’t go. I only go to the movies now if I’m 99% certain that I will like the movie. I don’t go because of an actor. ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2001, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-cruise-quote-arrogance/79200/45 "2001-09-05T03:48:35Z")
> [@](#): > > The point of all this was to point out (refute) the statement that actors control the artistic content of a movie. > Contribute - yes, control -no. Which might be why I said “Of course actors **contribute** and perhaps even control artistic quality.” There weren’t even any missing words that had to be “understood.” Yes, directors make artistic choices. So do actors, and set designers, and cinematographers, and sound designers, and costumers, etc. But the prettiest sets or costumes or most realistic sound effects in the world aren’t going to help you a bit if the actor delivers his or her lines in a lifeless monotone or declaiming like a loon. Anyhow, to drag this kicking and screaming back to the topic, yes, Cruise’s quote was arrogant. ---
**Author:** ![warmgun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecccb3/32.png) [@warmgun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/warmgun)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2001, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-cruise-quote-arrogance/79200/46 "2001-09-05T05:27:31Z")
[QUOTE] \*Originally posted by Otto \* \*\* > [@](#): > > Anyhow, to drag this kicking and screaming back to the topic, yes, Cruise’s quote was arrogant. \*\* I **Y** HO ---
**Author:** ![warmgun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecccb3/32.png) [@warmgun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/warmgun)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2001, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-cruise-quote-arrogance/79200/47 "2001-09-05T05:55:49Z")
Didn’t mean for my last post to sound so harsh. Peace, **Otto**. ---
**Author:** ![Tretiak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a88e57/32.png) [@Tretiak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tretiak)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2001, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-cruise-quote-arrogance/79200/48 "2001-09-05T14:47:06Z")
stolichnaya: I realize all that, i was just trying to make a very simple point about Tom Cruise being worth his marginal revenue product. Peace. ---
**Author:** ![stolichnaya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bcef8e/32.png) [@stolichnaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stolichnaya)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2001, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-cruise-quote-arrogance/79200/49 "2001-09-05T14:54:48Z")
Back atcha, **Tretiak**. God what a love fest this new forum is… 😉 ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2001, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-cruise-quote-arrogance/79200/50 "2001-09-05T20:39:57Z")
I’ve never understood the appeal of tom cruise. He was okay in that early movie where he was a pimp butt ever since then he’s just played tom cruise. Always the same. Predictable and boring. Pretty boring wife too, if you ask me. He does make money and for the life of me I can’t understand it. Top Gun sucked! Why do people continue to go see his movies? Boycott the arrogant bastard. And boycott rosie too for gushing over an already too vain crappy actor. Yeah, I think the quote was arrogant but it’s exactly what I’d expect from the spoiled little twit. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-cruise-quote-arrogance/79200.md?page=2)