Tom Cruise Shoots Down Iron Man Rumors: “Not Close”

Tom Cruise says that he wasn’t “close” to playing Iron Man amid rumors that he nearly landed the role over Robert Downey Jr. Cruise addressed the idea during a recent interview with Phase Zero, while also revealing whether he’d ever work with Marvel. Cruise previously admitted to being contacted to play Iron Man during an interview with IGN in 2005. Downey Jr. took on the iconic role in 2008 kicking off the Marvel Cinematic Universe as we know it today.

“Not close, not close,” he said. “I love Robert Downey Jr., and I can’t imagine anyone else doing that role. And I think it’s perfect for him.” As for whether he’d star in a superhero film, he added: “I look at a movie and think, you know, I don’t rule anything out. It’s ‘What’s the story? What’s the character?’ Does it interest me? Do I feel this is what an audience would like to see me in? What can I learn, and what can I contribute? That’s really how I look at things.”

Tom Cruise At The Producers Guild Awards

Tom Cruise at the 34th Annual Producers Guild Awards held at The Beverly Hilton on February 25, 2023 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Michael Buckner/Variety via Getty Images)

Cruise most recently starred in Top Gun: Maverick alongside Miles Teller, Jennifer Connelly, Jon Hamm, Glen Powell, Lewis Pullman, Ed Harris, and Val Kilmer. He reprises his role from the 1986 film Top Gun. The film has grossed a worldwide total of $1.489 billion at the box office. It’s up for Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Original Song, Best Sound, Best Film Editing, and Best Visual Effects at the 95th Academy Awards.

Cruise recently spoke about working on the movie with Val Kilmer during an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live. He revealed that the collaboration made him emotional on set. “I just want to say that was pretty emotional, I’ve known Val for decades. For him to come back and play that character…he’s such a powerful actor, that he instantly became that character again…you’re looking at Iceman,” Cruise said, before admitting, “I was crying, I got emotional.” Kilmer suffers from throat cancer which makes speaking extremely difficult for him.

Tom Cruise On Iron Man

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