In his second visit to Taipei, Tom Cruise passed through the city like a whirlwind, sending fans and media into a frenzy. His popularity can be seen not only from the screaming fans who waited outside the premiere yesterday evening, but also from the wild enthusiasm of local journalists.
A press conference to promote Tom Cruise's new movie Vanilla Sky yesterday turned into a "Tom Cruise fan club," which Cruise played up to with his cheerful manner. All this attention left Cruise's girlfriend and co-star Penelope Cruz and the film's director Cameron Crowe a little in the shade.
Compared with Cruise, the Spanish actress Penelope Cruz was more shy and quiet in dealing with the media and her Taiwan fans. Responding to questions in Spanish, Cruz, was all elegance and good manners, but was nevertheless stunning as she walked the red carpet at the premiere in a low-cut, backless black dress with scalloped sleeves.
PHOTO: CHIANG YING-YING, TAIPEI TIMES
Around 1,000 fans appeared at the Warner Village cineplex for the premiere just to catch a glimpse of the stars. Most of the fans were women so it is hardly surprising that Tom Cruise got most of the attention. Walking down the red carpet, Tom was held back by fans and journalists eager to get a piece of the action. The response to Penelope Cruz was surprisingly muted, despite the fact that she is one of only a relatively few major Hollywood leading ladies to visit Taiwan. In recent years, there has been Sigourney Weaver, French actress Sofie Marceau and Milla Jovovich.
The Cruise and Cruz couple are still tight-lipped about their relationship. In Vanilla Sky, Tom Cruise's character falls in love with Penelope Cruz at first sight. When asked if this was the case in real life, Cruise responded: "It is a personal question. I have a lot of respect for her. She is a great actress who has been successful in her own country and business."
As for Cruz, her answers were equally evasive in respect to her working relationship with Cruise. "He is a very energetic and friendly person, just the way he is now bringing fun and good vibes to the press conference."
PHOTO: CHIANG YING-YING, TAIPEI TIMES
"From working with him in Vanilla Sky I learn a lot about acting," she said.
But yesterday's promotional press conference was clearly less focused on the film Vanilla Sky than on its leading man. With his usual humor, Cruise played up to the local media, making it an excellent promotion event for the film.
Cruise did make mild complaints about the constant ringing of cell phones at the press conference and said he would answer the calls himself. When another phone rang, he grabbed the phone and answered: "Ni-hao (`hello' in Chinese). This is Tom Cruise speaking. We are having a press conference. Can I help you with anything?" This was his first move at the conference and it drove the media crazy.
Later during the press conference, a TV reporter asked Cruise to say something to the camera to help get her a promotion. This move had many other reporters asking the same. He did all he was requested to do with his signature broad grin.
One reporter even asked Cruise to wish her boss a happy marriage. After all of this, the press conference quickly degenerated into a "star-giving-blessing-to Taiwan" event.
Despite all the star-chasing drama, the film Vanilla Sky is an ambitious work by acclaimed filmmaker Cameron Crowe. The story is in fact an American re-make of Abre Los Ojos (Open Your Eyes) by Spanish director Alejandro Amenabar.
In the film, Tom Cruise plays David Aames, a handsome New Yorker and heir of a publishing conglomerate, who is never short of women and fun. He meets Sofia (Penelope Cruz) and thinks of her as the last "guileless" girl in New York City. But he loses her by making a small mistake. This mistake thrusts him unexpectedly onto a roller-coaster ride of suspicion, murder, love, sex and dreams. Through the confusion and juxtaposition of reality and dream, the main character embarks on a mind-bending search for his unconscious desire and his soul.
"I'm always a big fan of love stories. And Open Your Eyes is a unique love story. But as part of paying homage to the film, I hope to add new elements to it," said the director who has received Oscar nominations for Jerry Maguire and Almost Famous.
For Crowe, the new elements that he added to his picture are taken from pop culture, such as the music of Bob Dylan, various photographs and clippings from advertisements, vintage movie stills and album covers.
"The pop culture part is one of the sub-themes of the movie; how pop culture affects us, and how we use it as a standard for love or of a better life. Crowe is great in this sense that he created different layers to the film," said Cruise.
But as for the actor who plays a man shuttling between a sweet dreamland and the bitterness of reality, Cruise said: "I would choose reality, I always look forward. I don't think about the past that much. I would not want to re-live my life even given the opportunity."
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