The Other Side of Tom Cruise

Written By Ian Maisel

Tom Cruise is a Hollywood icon known for his intense performances and death-defying stunts. But did you know that he's also a bit of a goofball?

For starters, Cruise is notorious for his love of jumping on couches. In 2005, he famously jumped on Oprah's couch to profess his love for then-girlfriend Katie Holmes. Since then, he's jumped on couches all over the world, from Japan to Germany. Some have even speculated that he has a secret couch-jumping addiction.

Cruise is also known for his love of dancing. In fact, he's been spotted busting a move on several occasions, including at a wedding in Scotland and at the premiere of his film "Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation." But perhaps his most memorable dance moment came during an appearance on the "Today" show, when he shimmied and shook to Rihanna's "We Found Love." We're not sure if he was trying to impress interviewer Matt Lauer or just felt the beat, but either way, it was a sight to behold.

And let's not forget about Cruise's love of singing. He's been known to belt out a tune or two on set, and even performed "Old Time Rock and Roll" in a now-iconic scene from "Risky Business." But his most impressive vocal performance came when he sang "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" to a crowd of extras on the set of "Top Gun: Maverick." We're not sure if he was trying to woo his co-star, but it definitely made for an entertaining moment.

But let's not forget about his role as Les Grossman in Tropic Thunder, where he played the role of a vulgar and short-tempered Hollywood producer. His dance scene on the movie was nothing short of spectacular, with his signature dance moves and vulgar language.

All in all, Tom Cruise may be a serious actor, but he's also a master of making us laugh. So next time you see him on the big screen, remember that he's not just a movie star, he's also a couch-jumping, dancing, singing goofball.

Ian Maisel

When I was in high school I worked as a movie theater projectionist, acted in my school plays, and published a series of autobiographical comic books that I sold at music and bookstores. I’ve always loved entertainment, and at Brown University I double majored in Visual Arts and Modern European History because the history teachers told the best stories.

My career began at an artificial intelligence startup company where I worked as a graphic designer and animator creating 3D avatars for virtual personalities. I used a program called Poser that was kind of like a Barbie Dream House for cartoons. My comic illustrations were published in the international edition of Time magazine.

In 2006, I completed a graduate Certificate of Publishing and Communications at Harvard University, where I studied creative writing, acting, and media production. I auditioned for the student theater and was cast in a high-brow Chekhov play and a low-brow undergraduate comedy where I played a California high school guitarist like Keanu Reeves in Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure.

At Boston College I continued developing my career as a graphic designer and went on to work as an animator at a Jewish nonprofit. In 2008 I left Boston to chase the California dream. I got a job in San Francisco as a litigation graphics specialist for intellectual property attorneys, and I worked on some high-stakes legal trials where I barely slept for a week!

After five years I transitioned into the corporate world and worked as a contract presentation designer at Visa and Bare Minerals. I enjoyed collaborating with senior executives to bring their ideas to life through graphic storytelling and large-scale event presentations. One of my highlights was getting to opportunity to produce an in-house interview with the supermodel Christy Turlington!

In 2017 I took on my first Senior Designer role at Alexandria Real Estate, where I designed high-end investor presentations and art directed photoshoots for major tech companies including Facebook, Google, and Pinterest. The following year I flew out to LA to study video production, and went on to create a digital signage content management system for Alexandria’s 60+ high-tech office buildings across the country.

In 2020 I expanded my focus into social media by producing a video advertising campaign that launched a Visa executive’s speaking career by generating 30,000 social media engagements in five months. Since then I’ve continued designing creative presentations, producing videos, and writing social media campaigns for a wide range of brands including the University of San Francisco and Meta. I love working with high-performance creative teams on exciting projects and enjoy utilizing my creative background to work at the intersection of design, entertainment, and culture.

https://www.ianmaisel.com
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