Exploiting Hollywood 1980.

Chapter 1522: Attack and Defense around Tom Cruise
"I don't want to clarify, this is all messed up and disgusting." Tom Cruise's fans spontaneously went to protest to the originator of the rumor, Quentin Tarantino, but Cruise himself did not want to formally respond.

In the entertainment industry, sometimes the best way to deal with nonsense rumors is to ignore them. They will be replaced by new gossip rumors in about a week, and no one will pay attention to them.

But if you respond formally, it will give the topic undue attention, and many passers-by will continue to pay attention to this matter, and the rumor will continue to spread. If you cannot refute it with hard evidence, the rumor will stay and follow you, and it will be dug up when something happens in the future.

Ordinarily, that would suffice, but Tom Cruise is, after all, the most box office-appealing star in Hollywood, and he's facing off against a new star director who has won the Palme d'Or. In addition, the fans' protests have been reported in the media. If we continue to pretend not to see them, the rumors will continue to spread, and this is when some substantive rumor-refuting actions are needed.

So, Paula Wagner arranged for the best celebrity interviewer in Hollywood, Kevin Sessams of Variety magazine, to do an exclusive interview with Tom Cruise to appease fans and refute rumors.

After all, the basic source of Tom Cruise's box office appeal is the fantasies of female fans. If rumors of this orientation spread to a certain scale, then Tom Cruise's value will drop rapidly...

"Tom, I know you are disgusted by this rumor, but if you don't do it..." Paula Wagner also gave kind advice to this baby.

"It's disgusting, it's disgusting. I don't want to accept any interviews. Sitting there and being asked these questions will only amplify the influence of the rumors. Besides, it's too embarrassing. I have two wives and several girlfriends. Why don't they believe me?"

"This……"

The awkward atmosphere was spreading rapidly.

This matter is actually related to the breakup between Tom Cruise and several ex-girlfriends and ex-wives. In particular, Tom Cruise's ex-wife Mimi Rogers once hinted after the divorce that the reason for her divorce was that Tom Cruise was like a "monk."

Tom Cruise and his current wife Nicole Kidman do not have any biological children. Instead, they adopted a girl, Isabella Jane Kidman Cruise, through Scientology last year.

Nicole Kidman is Tom Cruise's only wife in name only.

"Tom..." Just when everyone was awkwardly silent, Ronald rushed in, followed by public relations expert Pat Kingsley.

"Ronald..." Tom Cruise finally relaxed his frown, hoping that this time the man who helped him enter the entertainment industry could help him solve embarrassing problems again.

"We're in a tree together, so I think it's my duty to come and sort this out once and for all."

Ronald smiled and said, "I have already communicated with David Geffen. Kevin Sessams from Variety magazine will cooperate with you throughout the process. He will sit in the co-pilot seat of your trainer plane. You can show him your stunts. You can mainly talk about your own pursuits, dreams, and understanding of Hollywood, and dispel rumors at the same time."

Ronald knew Tom Cruise's attitude towards this trouble, and he found another producer who was hurt by the rumor, David Geffen, one of the three major shareholders of the new DreamWorks.

Another piece of evidence for Tom Cruise's sexuality rumors is his performance in two movies. The first one is "Top Gun" in which Quentin Tarantino made a cameo appearance. There are shots of him taking a shower, playing beach volleyball on the beach with sweat on his face... The stills of him shirtless and with wet hair appeared in a New Jersey fashion magazine targeting minority orientations a few days ago.

Another movie is "Interview with the Vampire" directed by David Geffen, in which Tom Cruise plays Lestat, a handsome man with long hair and ambiguous sexual orientation...

Therefore, this rumor also affected Ronald and Paramount's video sales of "Top Gun", and caused rumors that David Geffen invested in DreamWorks to promote minority orientations and that he would use his money to shoot more films with minority characters.

Ronald and David Geffen met and negotiated, and finally the two of them jointly mobilized resources to launch a multimedia rumor-debunking campaign.

"So this interview is mainly about my ideals, dreams and a review of my career?" Tom Cruise looked at the interview outline and finally regained his charming smile. For a young star like himself, such a review interview is what he wants... And the interview location was in Cruise's training plane when he was doing aerobatics, which can fully show his masculinity...

……

A few days later, the latest issue of Variety magazine had a sexy photo of Tom Cruise and an interview titled "Cruise Speed" on the centerfold, with the following subtitle:

"Tom Cruise is the first actor of his generation to break out of his teenage image and become an adult star. He has a charming smile and a classic heroic behavior. In this interview, he will discuss his relationship with his father, his Scientology Church, clarify a series of rumors, and talk about the dark forces that drive him..."

"Don't be afraid," Tom Cruise's voice rang in my ear. "Sometimes this thing will lunge like an invaded ape."

Tom Cruise and I were strapped into the cockpits of a small Peters S-2B biplane, able to talk to each other only through headsets attached to our khaki flight caps. He was at the controls in the cockpit behind me, and as we sped down the runway, his voice came again:
“Hold on!” he warned, and the engines roared, and with a roar more violent than that of an angry gorilla, we roared upward over the small private Santa Monica airport.

Ronald Lee, who directed Tom Cruise in Top Gun and The Trap, has given me all the lowdown on the star:
"Tom likes skydiving, he likes auto racing, he likes riding motorcycles, he likes rock climbing. He likes whitewater rafting, and now he's doing these aerobatic stunts. You could say he doesn't have a drop of Jewish blood in his veins."

Ronald also appeared in the interview, teasing that Jews are not good at sports and can only be lawyers, accountants, financiers, and agents...

I relayed Renner’s comments to Cruise, and his enthusiastic laugh sent me soaring higher over the Pacific, heading north along the Malibu coastline…

"That's not true, but people can't say anything about me... I don't care if someone says I'm from Mars. I really don't care. Majority, minority, bi-polar. Scientology, Catholicism, Judaism. Whatever..."

Tom Cruise clarified more than a dozen rumors surrounding him in one go, thus placing the rumor that affected his image among the many other rumors, making it less noticeable.

Then, David Geffen and Katzenberg both expressed their views in interviews, saying that Hollywood stars like Tom Cruise were gifts from God. Many male stars are addicted to drug abuse and have messy relationships with multiple women, but only Tom Cruise has maintained the style of an old-school Hollywood star...

Finally, Nicole Kidman accepted an interview and admitted that Tom Cruise was not her first boyfriend, but he was definitely the first person she wanted to marry. After the two had been doing a show of changing diapers for their adopted daughter for a while, Kidman faced questions and admitted that they wanted to have more biological children.

……

"Did he cry in the end?" Diane looked up at the interview and asked Ronald suddenly.

In an exclusive interview with Variety magazine, the reporter said that Tom Cruise had a lifelong regret because he was unable to have a detailed conversation with his father before his father passed away about why he abandoned him, and in the end he cried in a very un-Hollywood-star-like manner.

Fortunately, before his father passed away, he went to the hospital to reunite with him. Although his father forbade him to ask about what happened back then, the two of them ate some food and had an emotional exchange like normal father and son.

Faced with the issue of Scientology, which is even more sensitive than the rumors about his sexual orientation, Tom Cruise took a roundabout approach and did not attack it head-on like he did with the rumors about his sexual orientation.

In short, this interview highlights Tom Cruise's athletic ability and adventurous spirit, and also creates an image that makes even a beautiful woman like Nicole Kidman strive for love. The overall effect should be quite good, except that the part where he cries for his father is a bit too much, which makes people who are familiar with Tom Cruise a little stunned and a little disgusted.

"Well, he really didn't communicate with his father much..." Ronald touched his nose. This interview clarification can be said to have achieved a perfect effect. It is said that the sales of this issue of the magazine, which was accompanied by several sexy photos of Tom Cruise, have increased significantly.

"I didn't know Tom had this side..." Diane whispered. In her mind, Cruise was still the hardworking and ambitious young man who volunteered to have his dentures knocked out during the fight scene when he was filming The Little Brat.

But such an emotional moment is good news for her upcoming new film "Jerry Maguire" with Tom Cruise. That movie will require some delicate acting...

"Yeah, he can also be very emotional," Ronald laughed. Tom Cruise is also pursuing a movie without any action scenes, only romantic scenes, but also a big box office hit. This will allow him to become a top male star, and all cross-genre films will have box office appeal.

His previous attempts, including the most recent "Interview with the Vampire", had all failed, and he also wanted to rely on Ronald to achieve the same huge success as "Top Gun" again.

"Is this matter over?" Diane frowned. The rumors about Tom Cruise's sexual orientation had spread to quite a large extent this time, and even she, who was listed as the producer of the new film, felt uncomfortable.

If Cruise's appeal is greatly reduced because of this incident, it will not be good for her who is doing producer work for the first time.

"We'll have to wait and see. The other side attacks and we counterattack. This is only the first round..." Ronald touched his chin. This was also a very good test to see who else would jump out from the dark and take the initiative to become Harvey Weinstein's ally.

"Would it be a bit too ordinary for me to wear this for Rosie O'Donnell's first show?" Diane put on a sleeveless dress, a ponytail, and light shoes, looking like a young lady next door.

"No, you are the sexiest..." Ronald looked at her. She was indeed quite reserved, except for the two diamond earrings shining brightly and a Cartier custom watch flashing golden light from time to time...

……

Sure enough, someone else jumped out from the shadows. McCall's, one of the best women's fashion magazines in America, for which Elena Roosevelt had written articles, also published an introduction to Tom Cruise, introducing everything about this Hollywood star to their readers.

However, McCall's magazine ignored the tone of Hollywood's most influential variety magazine and reported the rumors of sexual orientation from the most curious and gossipy angle.

"McCall's magazine suggests that Tom and Nicole's marriage was a staged one, and that Nicole helped Tom hide his sexuality in exchange for a career in Hollywood..."

"Ha ha……"

Ronald asked someone to investigate the background of the magazine. Although the magazine has a long history and a glorious past, today, the sales of McCall's magazine are getting worse and worse because it is too "traditional". Its owner, the New York Times Group, is considering selling this longest-running women's magazine in America, which was published in 1870, on the market.

This magazine, which had poor sales due to its conservative content, suddenly broke the taboo and published such a cutting-edge news. Ronald knew at a glance that something was not simple...

The other party also knew that they had to find a magazine far away from Hollywood to fight the second round, which actually revealed that they were not strong enough...

Ronald called lawyer Lindsay Doll to deal with this expected matter, and he sent Diane to the TV station. Today, Rosie O'Donnell's talk show was going to record the first episode. They had to launch a counterattack from where the enemy least expected.

"Hello everyone, I'm Rosie O'Donnell. This is the first recording of the Rosie O'Donnell Show. I will invite many Hollywood stars to this show. The first guest today is my good friend, the female star who attended the Pink League with me. She was on the cover of Time magazine at the age of 16. She is the dream lover of many Hollywood male stars and the favorite of Ronald Lee, one of the most powerful men in Hollywood, Diane Lane..."

"Hi, Rosie..."

Diane was most satisfied with the last title introduced to her, and came out from backstage to hug Rosie, who was plump and had a good sense of humor.

"Let's talk about your first big Hollywood movie, The Untamed. I heard that all the male actors in the crew fell in love with you?"

"I don't know, they're still playing pranks in my room..." Diane replied.

"Your husband Ronald was also in that crew at the time? Did he protect you?"

"Ah, yes, he was the assistant to director Francis Ford Coppola at the time, and it is true that his presence stopped his mischief to me."

"That movie had a lot of male stars who became famous later on, including Ralph Mazzio from The Karate Kid, Patrick Schweitzer from Dirty Dancing, Matt Dillon... and my Tommy..."

"Ah? What, your Tommy?" Diane was a little confused. "You mean, Tom Cruise?"

"Of course, don't you know he's my Tommy? ... Let me tell you..." Rosie O'Donnell pressed a button on the table, and suddenly two lyrics appeared on the scene:
“Tommy can you hear me?
Tommy can you see me?"

"Oh, sorry, I didn't know that in advance, but did you know that he was married?" Diane looked at Rosie, not knowing what she was doing.

"Of course, but I pretended not to know. I didn't have any special ideas. I just imagined that one day Tom Cruise would appear on their lawn driving a lawnmower, with the sprinkler watering him and glittering in the sun..."

“Oh, hahahaha…”

"Stop laughing! If you laugh at my Tommy again, I will end my friendship with you..."