The Agency's Posts

Grammys 2013: The performance mash-ups to dread: The best thing theGrammystelecast attempts to do is also its most tricky feat to accomplish:....
Read More>

Review: Laughs stolen in 'Identity Thief': The script for this revenge/road trip farce is a mess, but Melissa McCarthy is a gem and Jason....
Read More>

Kelly McGillis recalls making the 1986 blockbuster 'Top Gun': “I feel the need, the need for speed” Maverick and Goose are flying high once....
Read More>

Kristen Wiig joins Will Ferrell in 'Anchorman' sequel: Kristen Wiigis joining the cast ofWill Ferrell's "Anchorman" sequel. Knights of....
Read More>

'Lincoln' pierced ears, 'Argo' pecs? Talk about period drama: With his concave cheekbones, lanky build and grooved brow,Daniel Day-LewisreplicatesAbraham....
Read More>

De Niro's thoughts on some of his most memorable films: cWith a career that stretches back to the 1960s,Robert De Nirohas been in more than his share....
Read More>

Saturday NIght Movie Pick: <iframe width="350" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/NApJ
Read More>

Justin Timberlake to perform at the Grammy Awards: TheGrammy Awardsstill have the ability to surprise. The Recording Academy unveiled this morning....
Read More>

Rediscovering Lee Marvin's gritty brilliance: The versatile Oscar-winner, who died at 63 in 1987, is the subject of a new biography, a....
Read More>

W. Kamau Bell gets talk-show lessons from Chris Rock: W. Kamau Bell, host of FX's "Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell," said he is trying....
Read More>

Amanda Seyfried says 'Mean Girls' was her 'best work': Amanda Seyfriedis getting quite a bit of love for her latest films "Lovelace" and"
Read More>

SAG Awards 2013: 'Argo' a go-go; Day-Lewis now Oscar frontrunner: A big win for Ben Affleck and cast raises the film's best picture chances in the Oscar race,....
Read More>

Bono reveals details about new U2 studio album: A newU2album is rattling (and humming) to life. Inan interviewwith England's Sun newspaper,....
Read More>

Jenna Lyons, the Woman Who Dresses America: IT’S hard to miss Jenna Lyons. About nine feet tall and slim as a mink, often....
Read More>
'Rock of Ages': Tom Cruise tries something really scary: singing
Posted on: 11/08/11
Share/Save/Bookmark
 

Tom Cruise risked life and limb filming action sequences at the top of the world's tallest building for "Mission: Impossible -- Ghost Protocol," but he said that wasn't any scarier than the singing required for his first musical, the just-wrapped "Rock of Ages."

"They all have their risks," Cruise said with a laugh of playing rocker Stacee Jaxx in Adam Shankman's adaptation of the Tony-winning 2006 musical, which featured songs by jukebox heroes such as Bon Jovi, Styx, Journey and Pat Benatar. Among the tunes Cruise belts out in the film: "Pour Some Sugar on Me."

Shankman is coming off the foot-tapping success of "Hairspray," while Cruise, inspired by his dance-loving wife, Katie Holmes, is taking a true genre gamble even as he celebrates the 30th anniversary of his first screen appearances ("Endless Love" and "Taps" both came out in 1981). The action star said Holmes' influence is also why he added some memorable dance-floor moves to his Hollywood agent performance in "Tropic Thunder."  

"I had started dancing because I was inspired by my wife. She kept saying, 'You've got to do a musical sometime,' " Cruise said. "Kate's a dancer, so she would say, 'Let's go to dance class,' and she would take us and that's how I kind of came up with the idea of Les Grossman doing hip-hop. And then to take it to this level with this? It was really fun."

Shankman has said Cruise is a natural and has music in his genes thanks to an opera singer in his family tree. The filmmaker has shown a flair for the unexpected: Shankman pulled a signature performance from John Travolta in his gender-flipped role in "Hairspray." So perhaps "Rock of Ages" will be one of Cruise's acclaimed "experiment" roles, such as in "Magnolia," "Collateral" or the aforementioned "Tropic Thunder" -- even if the sight of the bare-chested, long-maned Cruise as Jaxx has already been jeered across the Internet.

The actor said he's just pumped to be working with Shankman.

"He's on fire," Cruise said. "What he accomplished with 'Hairspray' was amazing. My daughter has seen it 15 times and our whole family has watched it over and over and it's just enormously entertaining. To be able to hold that tone throughout is really something."

The cast of "Rock of Ages" also includes Diego Boneta, Julianne Hough, Russell Brand, Alec Baldwin, Mary J. Blige and Catherine Zeta-Jones, and much of the heavy lifting for the shoot was done in South Florida. Cruise said his singing and dancing work there was a different challenge than his "Mission: Impossible" job swinging out windows atop the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, but in some ways more stressful.

"I was working on it when I was finishing 'Mission' and I was singing five hours a day and I was dancing five hours a day," Cruise said. "Adam said, 'Look, we're going to have a lot of fun,' and we really did.... I did six months preparing for the movie, and all my stunt training and all of those years doing that, it helped me with the choreography."

"Rock of Ages" hits theaters in June.

COMMENTS
Be the first to post a comment!


Post A Comment:




  • It's 2020! Start booking roles in commercials, fashion, films, theater and more with The Agency Online!

  • NEW WORKSHOP with Barbara Barna & Sean De Simone!

    Hi Everyone and Happy Summer! Sean at Sean De Simone casting and Barbara Barna are teaming up for a super informative and fun Hosting for Home Shopping workshop. A great opportunity for established or experienced TV Hosts and Experts interested in learning how to get noticed and how to get in....
  • MASTERCLASS W. Robin Carus & David John Madore

    A Special Offer for the Agency Community, from one of our favorite NYC Casting Directors! EMAIL FacetheMusicWithUs@gmail.com Or Eventbrite To Sign Up! Class Size is Limited.
  • Don't Fall Into The Comparison Trap

    Hi Everyone! As the second installment in an ongoing series of features by the Agency's amazing community, here's some sage advice from our own Regina Rockensies; a humble (& awesome)veteran we've had the pleasure of working with for a long time. Have an excellent week! : ) - The Agency....
  • One Model's Agreement

    Hi Everyone! As the first piece in an ongoing series of original articles by the Agency community, here's a short reflection on some of the values of professional acting & modeling that we can all keep in mind for our next casting. Good luck on your castings &shoots this week! : ) -....




 
home       castings&news       privacy policy       terms and conditions      contact us      browser tips
Official PayPal Seal