In his 60s, Tom Cruise continues to show his value as an actor, while generating A-list revenue at the box office for his films. What's even more impressive is how consistent his peers are speaking about their time with him. That holds true today, and the same held true back in '96 when the likes of Emmanuelle Béart spoke about their experience alongside Tom Cruise in the first Mission: Impossible flick.
In the following however, we're going to take a different perspective, shedding the spotlight on a difficult moment in Tom's career, We'll reveal why the actor began the struggle, and which film hurt his image that much more. Not only was the film in question his lowest grossing film, but Cruise also suffered in terms of reviews and his rumored relationship with the cast.
On paper, the film should've been better than what it turned out to be, with Meryl Streep and Robert Redford teaming with Cruise. However, the end result was not a positive one for the 2007 film.
Tom Cruise's Career Took A Turn After His Interview Moment With Oprah
From his wild interview with Oprah, to involvement with Scientology and comments on the Today show with Matt Lauer, at one point in time, Tom Cruise's image was starting to shift, at least from a media standpoint.
Of all people, Seth Rogen discussed Cruise's infamous interview with Oprah. According to the actor, Cruise believes he was set up during the interview and made to look a certain way due to edits.
“Well, yeah, they're making it seem like I'm losing my mind, there’s a coordinated effort to make it appear that way” Cruise allegedly told Rogen.
"They edited it to make it look so much worse than it was. They do that all the time.”
Although Tom felt like he was being 'misunderstood' at the time, his career suffered for it - which is hard to believe looking at his current status in Hollywood. He and his team had major plans for a career comeback alongside mega stars Meryl Streep and Robert Redford. However, the end result was not a good one, and it turned out to be one of Tom's worst films of all-time.
Lions For Lambs Was Tom Cruise's Worst Film, And Failed At The Box Office
From a box office standpoint, the 2007 flick Lions for Lambs was a disaster for Tom Cruise. The war/drama flick brought in $63 million, among the worst of Tom Cruise's career. Ranking all of the actor's films, Collider placed this Tom Cruise film last, and we certainly don't blame them. Not only was the box office a mess, but the reviews also suffered, with the likes of Rotten Tomatoes rating the film with a 27% approval rating.
Despite the star-studded cast and Cruise returning, it failed to deliver from a storyline standpoint.
One critic wrote for Rotten Tomatoes, "For all of its good intentions and clear-eyed idealism, Lions for Lambs is not a movie, it is a political science lecture," yikes...
As if the reviews and box office weren't bad enough, adding insult, Tom Cruise apparently did not get along with his fellow co-stars during the shoot of the film. Sources suggest he was often alone behind the scenes, as the likes of Meryl Streep and Robert Redford avoided the actor.
Rumors Suggest Tom Cruise Was Neglected By Meryl Streep And Robert Redford Throughout Lions For Lambs
Back in 2015, Fox News discussed Cruise's lowest grossing film of all-time. Among the reveals, was the fact that things might've ben tainted between Cruise and his fellow cast. Fox News notes, "Meryl and Bob can’t stand Tom. In London, Tom kept trying to push himself into interviews. Bob said, 'No.' Tom wouldn’t listen. Meryl has done almost nothing for the movie. She wants nothing to do with him."
All of those allegations were inspired by the fact that the acting duo skipped out on a dinner held by Cruise.
However, it wasn't the first time that such allegations were made. During the shoot of the film, Observer noted that Tom Cruise was often alone during Lions for Lambs, and that included during lunch.
“Meryl and Bob can’t stand Tom. In London, Tom kept trying to push himself into interviews. Bob said, No. Tom wouldn’t listen. Meryl has done almost nothing for the movie. She wants nothing to do with him.”
Other sources weren't as consistent with the feud between the two sides, stating that everything was perfectly fine between the two sides.
Ultimately, the film won't be remembered as Tom's best work, and is largely forgotten about by fans. Nonetheless, it didn't sink his career to the bottom and almost two decades later, he still at the top of Hollywood with his recent film Top Gun: Maverick grossing over $1 billion.
