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To give Cruise some credit, thereweretwo, possibly three interesting moments during the chat.
One was when Cruise referred to his ex-wife Nicole Kidman as Nic (!)
At one point, he claimed to remember every take he has ever done.
I remember everything, he reiterated, terrifyingly.
Later, when the interviewer asked Cruise about his dangerous stunt work Why do you do it?
Cruise replied, Nobody asks Gene Kelly, Why do you dance?
No, they wouldnt thats not gonna happen, ever, he said, still grinning.
That is never gonna happen.
That is never gonna happen.
I understand the business.
I went through and have been studying and learning all the way, and I understand.
[My movies] were great experiences for me.
I was so young and I was studying.
Even with Francis [Ford Coppola], Id go to every department: How can I help you?
I was studying movies and the names of the credits to understand who did what.
Not just their job, but why did this film work in this way …
I was trying to study things that were different and that were the same.
Im studying and working constantly.
I always tell people, I wanna hear your story.
What do you think this movie is?
This isnt my movie!
Dont ever say that.
This is our movie.
Its not about me.
Its about the story.
If you look at what art is …
I spend a long time developing characters and working.
In everything, it depends on the story.
It depends on the character.
The potential of a story I work on things for years.
you should probably understand how a story is put together.
I was precocious, cocky.
But I was very interested in always being involved and learning.
Im constantly thinking about stories and characters.
Like, oh, Heres a story that I want to do.
Thats kinda what I did.
I always know theres another story.
The derivation of art is skill.
I looked it up.
It is a different skill writing a movie than something for television.
When Im making a movie, Im using all of the skills of everyone I know.
OnDays of Thunder, Id race cars for Paul Newman.
So Im learning all of these skills like in Old Hollywood.
Because I studied* [*see: studying] Old Hollywood.
You could see that they had to study* dance and singing and that system is gone.
On goals:As a person chasing skills,Cruise naturally appreciates goals.
Cruise replied, Yes.
I had these goals.
The same goals I had when I was a little kid.
For me, its each phase.
On dreams:You cant tell stories without dreams.
I was very much a dreamer.
Everyone knows you have a dream.
We all dream about what we want our lives to be.
This is my dream.
Suddenly, I am onTaps.
I was interested in adventure in life.
It helped me to dream about things.
For me, I thought,Its possible.Even if others said, Its impossible.
I held onto my dream, thinking,Its possible.
And I will work toward that someday.
