Tom Cruise Opens Up About the One Role That Left Him Emotionally Shattered

Tom Cruise has played many intense roles over the years, but one movie stands out as the one that affected him the most on an emotional level.

That movie is Born on the Fourth of July, the 1989 Vietnam War drama directed by Oliver Stone. Cruise starred as Ron Kovic, a real-life war veteran whose story is told over two decades.

The film follows Kovic from his childhood to his time in the military, the moment he is paralyzed during the war, and his later life as an anti-war activist. The movie is based on Kovic’s 1976 autobiography and is the second film in Oliver Stone’s Vietnam War trilogy, which includes Platoon and Heaven & Earth.

Cruise fully committed himself to the role, both physically and emotionally. According to an interview he gave to Rolling Stone in 1990, one scene in particular overwhelmed him. While filming a s** scene between Kovic and a s** worker, Cruise said he suddenly began to cry. He explained that the reaction was not planned or written into the script.

In the interview, Cruise said, “I remember doing the scene and just letting go, and that’s when I started crying. That wasn’t written in the script. That’s when we got the whole thing.” He went on to describe the feeling as an “emotional or***,” adding, “Paraplegics talk about almost an emotional orgasm that they feel.”

The comment surprised many people then and still feels uncomfortable to read now, mostly because Cruise is known for being very controlled and polished in public. Hearing him describe such a raw and vulnerable moment was unexpected. Even so, the reaction shows how deeply connected he was to the character and the story.

Born on the Fourth of July was not Cruise’s only war film, but it remains one of his strongest performances. Critics praised his work, and the movie quickly became known as one of the best films of his career. It was also widely considered one of Oliver Stone’s most important movies. Director Martin Scorsese later said it was a film he believes everyone should see at least once in their lifetime.

The movie was released by Universal Pictures and filmed in locations including the Philippines, Texas, and California. Production lasted 65 days and went over budget, ending up costing $17.8 million. Despite that, it was a major success. The film earned more than $162 million worldwide and became one of the highest-grossing movies of 1989.

At the Academy Awards, Born on the Fourth of July received eight nominations. Cruise earned his first-ever Oscar nomination for Best Actor. The film won Best Director for Oliver Stone and Best Film Editing. It also performed strongly at the Golden Globe Awards, winning four major prizes, including Best Actor for Cruise.

For Tom Cruise, the movie was more than just another role. Based on his own words to Rolling Stone, it was an experience that pushed him emotionally in a way few performances ever had.

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