It’s been almost 35 years since Top Gun was released. Its release catapulted cigar fan and actor Tom Cruise to the upper echelons of legendary Hollywood film stars. Cruise’s latest work, Top Gun: Maverick, is set for release in early 2021. It promises to take the story about naval combat aviators to a new level. That vapor trail behind the Super Hornet flown by the actor might be smoke from one of his favorite cigars.
Work Hard, Play Hard
When certain actors achieve the level of “legend” in Hollywood, they are contented to rest on their laurels and handoff as much of the work they can to stunt doubles and underlings. Not Tom Cruise. At 58 years old, this action hero shows no signs of slowing down. Much to the chagrin of studio agencies, he insists on doing most of his stunts. As a result, he has cheated death several times in the Mission Impossible franchise.
Cigars are not Props for Cigar Fan Tom Cruise
Art imitates life for Tom Cruise. Several films featured him smoking cigars. In Rain Man and Risky Business, he is frequently seen smoking cigarettes but loathes them in real life. When he filmed Jerry McGuire, he was so infatuated with smoking cigars that he demanded scenes at the famed cigar lounge, Grand Havana Room in L.A., to accommodate his smoking enjoyment.
Sharing is Caring for Cigar Fans
While filming Eyes Wide Shut and throughout his marriage to Nicole Kidman, Tom Cruise was notorious in Hollywood for his generosity regarding cigars. He kept an ample supply of cigars on the set, which he shared with co-stars and staff. He also sent gifts to other actors and actresses he wanted to work with as a kind gesture. For example, for Demi Moore’s birthday, he and Nicole Kidman gifted her a beautiful travel humidor filled with an array of trophy Cubans, knowing her (and her husband Bruce Willis’) love of cigars and their life on the road.
Cigar Fan Tom Cruise is Taking a Breather
Since converting to Scientology, Tom Cruise has not smoked cigars in public. Although, the rumor is it is one vice he is unwilling to overlook. Cruise and Scientology leader and fellow cigar fan David Miscavige have long enjoyed treasured aged Cubans together.
Miscavige has one of the most enviable humidors in Hollywood. Tom Cruise has a personal humidor stocked with some of Cuba’s best, including; Montecristo Number 2, Partagas Series D, and Cohiba Behike. If he has slowed down from his once-a-day cigar routine, it is due to his intense focus on work, which entails a strict diet and workout routine.
The Champ Remains Humble
As a multi-time Oscar-nominated actor and one of the biggest box office draws for decades, it would be easy for all of his success to make him unapproachable. But instead, Tom Cruise is constantly praised by his co-stars for his work ethic and drive on the set and his generosity towards his fellow actors.
Perhaps the occasional cigar is available to help keep this Top Gun grounded and focused. The rare victory cigar for completing another death-defying stunt continues to keep his theater audiences on the edge of their seats!
Photo credit: “Tom Cruise AVP 2014,” by Georges Biard, Wikimedia Commons license CC BY-SA 3.0
