Hollywood superstar Tom Cruise arrived in Sydney on Wednesday for the premiere of Vanilla Sky, seeming very much at ease in his first public appearance Down Under since splitting with Aussie Nicole Kidman. Tom, once dubbed Australia’s favourite son-in-law, happily posed with new girlfriend and co-star Penelope Cruz before shaking hands with throngs of fans.
“I really love Australia and I really appreciate the warm welcome,” said the Mission Impossible heart-throb outside the State Theatre.
While Tom is charming onlookers worldwide – last week promoting in Singapore, Tokyo and Seoul – the same cannot be said for his latest film. Vanilla Sky has been derided by US critics, with one New York writer calling it a “massive dump of Christmas coal”. But Tom remains characteristically optimistic.
“Every film I make gets mixed reviews,” he says. “I’m very satisfied with the picture. When you make a film that challenges audiences, you get that.”
Director Cameron Crowe, who last year scored a Best Screenplay Oscar for Almost Famous, also remains unfazed by the criticism.
“There’s that shock period when people realise it’s not Jerry Maguire,” he says, referring to the 1996 feel-good flick he directed starring Cruise. “Look, it’s a challenging film and I think challenging is good.”
Moulin Rouge beauty Nicole was reportedly invited to the screening but opted not to attend. She and the couple’s two children arrived in Sydney on Monday to spend Christmas with her family. The Top Gun star is expected to meet up with the children while he’s in town.
Vanilla Sky, which premiered in LA last week, opens in the UK on January 25.
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Photo: © Alphapress.com
