Tom Cruise Doesn't Read Scripts — Directors Read Them to Him Instead

Tom Cruise has a confession, and it’s a big one for a guy whose job is literally movies. On the“New Heights”podcast, he told Jason and Travis Kelce,“I don’t read the scripts. I have them read it to me.”Instead of flipping pages, he has directors and writers read the script aloud so he can experience the story as it unfolds, without his own ideas coloring it. He listens like a“popcorn guy”in the audience, checking whether he’s moved, invested and genuinely engaged.

That’s not the only unconventional part of his process. Cruise also asks the wardrobe and lighting departments to walk him through their plans for a scene, which gives him a full picture of the filmmaker’s vision before he commits. It’s the kind of behind-the-curtain detail that explains why he’s stayed one of Hollywood’s biggest stars for decades, and it pairs nicely with his recent GQ quote about his“intense”reputation:“The rumors are true. And do you want this?”

The timing of the podcast episode is fun too. It dropped September 18, just four days after Cruise was spotted in a VIP suite at the Chiefs-Broncos game chatting with Taylor Swift. From football suites to story time with directors, it’s been quite a week for the man who keeps finding new ways to surprise us.

Would you ever hire someone who won’t read your script? Sound off in the comments.