Michael Caine calls Tom Cruise "one of the last true stars in movies" while remembering meeting young actor in 1983

Tom Cruise is regarded as a Hollywood icon by many, including Michael Caine. The two-time Academy Award-winning actor thinks Cruise is one of the greats, which he revealed during his interview with The Sunday Times on Sunday, November 3, 2024. He shared an excerpt from his upcoming memoir Don't Look Back, You'll Trip Over, and he wrote this about Tom Cruise

"He is really one of the last true stars in movies. People will go see a film just because he's in it."

Caine also compared the Mission: Impossible star with other Hollywood movie icons like Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman, whom he said have star qualities too. He further mentioned:

"There are so few nowadays-not like John Wayne or Humphrey Bogart or Cary Grant."

Michael Caine also recalled meeting Tom Cruise when he was still young and up-and-coming in the movie scene. He described the young Cruise as "very polite."

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Michael Caine revealed that young Tom Cruise turned to him for career advice

While dishing on some of his career highlights in Don't Look Back, You'll Trip Over, Michael Caine also gave some insight into his relationship with Tom Cruise. He revealed that he's known the actor for "over 40 years now."

They reportedly met during an event of Caine's comedy-drama Educating Rita sometime in 1983. The Dark Night Rises actor recalled running into the actor, saying:

"I turned around and there was this young actor, very polite, asking questions about how not to be just a flash in the pan. That was Tom [Cruise], probably around the time of Risky Business."

Although Michael Caine couldn't recall the showbusiness advice he gave the young Tom Cruise, he noted that whatever he said "didn't do him any harm." The 91-year-old actor said:

"I can't remember what I said, but it obviously didn't do him any harm!"

Since Risky Business, Tom Cruise has starred in the Mission: Impossible movies, War of the Worlds, The Last Samurai, The Mummy, Edge of Tomorrow, and the Top Gun movies. Caine also remembered the young Tom Cruise as someone special, further adding:

"There was something special about him. He had a great attitude, this sense of poise."

From their chance meeting in 1983, Michael Caine and Tom Cruise would share the silver screen when they worked together in the 2002 American spy comedy Austin Powers in Goldmember. Caine appeared as Nigel Powers in the movie while Cruise played himself, aka the "Famous Austin."

That said, their relationship went beyond the set. Cruise was there when The Prestige celebrated his 90th birthday in March last year. He revealed in his memoir that his wife, Shakira, invited Tom Cruise to be there in the celebration as some sort of a "special surprise." He revealed:

"[Shakira] arranged for Tom Cruise to come to my dinner at the River cafe as a surprise. I was very touched."

They were photographed together during his birthday dinner in London, which the Britain's Got Talent judge David Walliams shared on Instagram at the time. The actors were seen side by side, with Cruise's arm around Caine's shoulder as they smiled at the camera in one of the pictures.

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Michael Caine's Don't Look Back, You'll Trip Over releases on November 7, 2024.