Tom Cruise nearly turned Zorro, however even he knew it wasn’t the proper name. Earlier than Antonio Banderas placed on the masks in The Masks of Zorro, Cruise was on Steven Spielberg’s radar for the function. And whereas Hollywood’s final motion star has taken on nearly each daredevil gig, this one didn’t make the lower – for a surprisingly daring motive.
Cinematographer Mikael Salomon, who was as soon as connected to direct The Legend of Zorro, revealed the shocking casting consideration whereas talking in an interview with Slash Movie for the twenty fifth anniversary of The Masks of Zorro. In line with Salomon, Spielberg, an government producer on the movie, had Cruise in thoughts for Don Alejandro de la Vega.
However Salomon noticed bother forward. “He needed to supply it to Tom Cruise,” he stated in the course of the interview however identified how director Bille August confronted backlash for casting non-Latino actors in The Home of the Spirits. “They picketed the film in South America. And I stated to Steven, ‘, that’s in all probability not a good suggestion, only for that motive.’”
It seems that Cruise was already one step forward. Earlier than something was set in stone, the Mission: Unimaginable star personally referred to as Salomon to show down the half. The cinematographer recalled the second: “In the future I used to be doing a business, and my assistant stated, ‘Mikael, there’s Tom Cruise on the cellphone for you.’” Salomon had labored with Cruise as a director of images on Far and Away, however this name nonetheless caught him off guard.
“He referred to as me up and stated, ‘Thanks for the provide, however I feel it’s not a terrific thought for me to do that film as a result of, as you understand…’” Salomon recalled throughout the identical interview. Cruise didn’t have to complete the sentence. “I stated, ‘Tom, you’re a really sensible man. Completely, you’re completely proper.’”
That sealed the deal. The function ultimately went to Banderas, who introduced the legendary masked vigilante again to life in 1998. The Zorro character had been a cinematic staple since Douglas Fairbanks first performed him in The Mark of Zorro (1920), adopted by Tyrone Energy within the 1940 remake. By the late ‘90s, casting a non-Latino lead would have been a troublesome promote. Cruise, recognizing the cultural shift, knew it was greatest to move.
His profession, in fact, didn’t undergo. He constructed his empire on high-octane blockbusters, from Mission: Unimaginable to High Gun: Maverick. Whereas imagining Tom Cruise wielding Zorro’s sword is fascinating, he was too sensible to tackle a job that didn’t match. And truthfully? Hollywood historical past turned out higher for it.
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