Three Hollywood industry insiders tell us why Tom tried so hard to steal the show at the MTV Movie Awards Sunday night
There was literally no harder working guy in Hollywood June 6 than Tom Cruise. The A-list actor shimmied, shook his moneymaker and made the audience at the MTV Movie Awards LMAO as his Tropic Thunder character, fat and loud-mouthed studio head Les Grossman, engaged in a dance-off with Jennifer Lopez. But when you factor in that Tom, one of Hollywood’s top-earning stars, also shot a promotional clip with Tinseltown’s man-of-the-moment, Robert Pattinson, we had to ask the question — why is Tom trying so hard?
The answer, according to several H-wood industry insiders, is that Tom is afraid of becoming irrelevant — and wants to give British hunk Rob, whom he presented the Best Global Star award to, a run for his money!
“Tom is working hard to stay relevant because if this movie doesn’t do well, then he’s lost his mojo. I thought it was really obvious that he was trying too hard to be cool at the MTV Movie Awards because he’s afraid of losing his status as THE Hollywood hunk,” one H-wood film producer tells HollywoodLife.com exclusively. “He will continue to stay in the limelight because of his marriage [to Katie Holmes] but he is no longer the teen heartthrob. He’s going to try his hardest to do whatever he can to stay on top — and if that means trying to outshine Rob, he will.”
One talent manager says that if the 47-year-old actor is deluding himself if he’s trying to prove that he’s as relevant and popular as R-Patz, 24. In fact, having his new film, Knight and Day, open within five days (June 25) of The Twilight Saga: Eclipse’s, June 30 release may just be the dumbest decision ever!
“Releasing Knight and Day against Eclipse and hoping to get any of the audience is crazy. The tween, teen and young adult fans of Twilight are obsessed. I don’t believe there is any possible way for Tom to take a single ticket sale from that movie! He can’t compete with the hot, young stars and the ‘cool’ factor they have.”
The manager continues, “In the ‘80s and ‘90s, Tom was hot! Everyone of all ages wanted to see him onscreen. He is relevant to the movie industry but teens, for the most part, don’t really care about him or know who he is. For the most part, he’s just that guy that jumped on Oprah’s couch.”
Agrees a second producer, “Tom is trying to show the world that he’s having fun and loving his career. With Knight and Day, he wants to show another generation of viewers who he is and how much they may love him. He’s pushing to win back his young fan base.”