Tom Cruise once gave Glen Powell a very unusual lesson about making movies. The “Top Gun: Maverick” stars worked together, while Cruise also took time to guide the younger actor. Powell previously shared that Cruise made him watch a six-hour video about screen acting. Cruise has now explained why he created the lengthy lesson.
Tom Cruise explains why he had Top Gun: Maverick costar Glen Powell watch his six-hour instructional video about acting, lenses and filmmaking
Cruise discussed the video during a new interview with GQ. He confirmed that Powell watched the six-hour instructional video he had made about screen acting. Cruise said the material was “very basic” and focused on how actors can understand filmmaking tools. He wanted Powell to learn how lenses and the camera frame affect movie storytelling.
Cruise explained that he wanted actors to develop a better sense of the camera. He discussed learning “what the lens is and what the frame is” during the lesson. He also compared the idea with acting onstage and the early development of cinema. Cruise said the goal involved understanding the frame and how it works within a scene.
The actor also said filmmaking involves several levels of storytelling and structure. He described the lesson as a way to understand those ideas before letting them fade into the background. Cruise said there are “different layers of storytelling” that actors can learn through this process. He feels that knowing and understanding these tools can eventually give the performer the ability to move past their thinking and concentrate on the work.
Cruise has also spoken about how he approaches mentoring younger actors. During the GQ interview, he said he first listens to what people want and asks about their goals. He said that he first wants to know what people are interested in before he tells them what he thinks about making movies. His six-hour lesson for Powell shows how seriously Cruise takes the craft of filmmaking and helping others understand it.
