MovieChat Forums > Eyes Wide Shut (1999) Discussion > I never noticed how short Tom Cruise is.

I never noticed how short Tom Cruise is.


weve all heard the stories that he has to stand on apple boxes, but during the orgy scene when the woman is trying to save him does it look so ridiculous that this woman is towering over Tom.

reply

It's the MOST Tom Cruise film, it's the LEAST Tom Cruise film.



Buy The Ticket, Take The Ride

reply

The woman is probably 6-foot plus. She likely would have be taller than most H'wood actors. But it didn't matter and I don't care. Cruise made this movie what it is he was teriffic.

Kisskiss, Bangbang

reply

5 foot 4 inches tall. Although most sources say 5-7 or 5-8. When filming Jack Reacher, Lee Child commented 'With another actor you might get 100 per cent of the height (6 ft 5 in) but only 90 per cent of Reacher. With Tom, at 5-8 you'll get 100 per cent of Reacher with 90 per cent of the height.'
One of the critics who knew Tom commented "Where did those extra four inches come from?"

reply

I would guess he's 5ft 8. I saw a "20-20" episode about Scientology and he (Cruise) towers over the little tyrant who's the head of that "church" (I forget his name). I doubt he (the cult leader) is so incredibly short that someone 5-4 is so much taller than he is.

reply

Right. There's no way Tom Cruise is 5'4". That's just dumb. He is at least 5'7".

Cruise would never have been chosen as a leading man if he was actually that short.

reply

It is odd, Cruise cops so much flack for his height. Sure he´s on the short side but not as short as say a Michael J Fox, whose stature is rarely mentioned and who is significantly shorter than Cruise although less A-list.

reply

It's just people being haters, I assume. Maybe they're 6'2" and pissed that they don't have the success that Tom has had.

Tom Cruise is the biggest movie star of the past 40 years. Obviously his height has not held him back in any way.

reply

Michael J. Fox got roles where a small stature isn't as surprising. Marty McFly is a bit of a loser (at least, at first) and a high school kid who's down on his luck. So, when he's short, we're not surprised. But when we find out that Ethan Hunt and Maverick are 5'7", we're a little more surprised, because those characters seem like they should be bigger guys.

reply

Lol at finding out. Tom Cruise being short isn´t news. I never go to a Tom Cruise movie thinking, "Man they should have got a 6ft guy to play this character". lol

reply

I didn't know his height until long after seeing a couple of his movies.

But, yeah, you don't care that he's not "that height". They make him look as tall as the role requires.

reply

Fox and Cruise are the same height

reply

https://media.gettyimages.com/photos/michael-j-fox-tracy-pollan-and-tom-cruise-during-57th-annual-golden-picture-id179721814

They sure don´t look it.

reply

Both are 5-4. Cruise is notorious for his lifts.

reply

So TC must be walking around on stilts then.

reply

He's always using camera tricks and props to make himself look taller.

reply

That would be David Miscavige, who is listed at 5'4, but is such a power hungry egomaniac that he would demand a few inches be added. Tom Cruise appears to be a few inches taller than him, but not that much. 5'7 tops.

reply

Yeah. Miscavige is really a small guy.

reply

He's actually very sensitive about his height, and it's an endless source of embarrassment for him. He's been known to wear special shoes that make him appear taller in public.

reply

Is he though? His co-stars seem to always have height on him. Doesn´t seem like someone who is self-conscious of his height. He didn´t seem to hide it when he was with Nicole Kidman and she literally dwarfed him.

reply

Imagine how embarrassed that Scott Caan is.

reply

Or ow tall Nicole Kidman is!

reply

she's 5 foot eleven inches.

reply

I loved that this movie just let it hang out there that Cruise is a shorter guy. Yeah, it's one of the only movies to do that, with Cruise or with many other leading men.

reply

Usually cruise seems to have guys of similar height around him in movies or he wears lifts around guys who are notable taller (so he no look like Rishi Sunak for any scenes with taller actors)..but for EWS he obviously let Kubrick do what he wanted for the movie (presumably to show how vulnerable/way over his head the character is)

Id say Cruise is most likely a solid 5ft 6" barefoot (probably a solid 5ft 7 in his prime). But can get up to about 5' 10'" when required with lifts and well heeled shoes/boots (lifts inside shoe give 2", Big heel shoe/boot give 1.5")

reply

I think it was a great decision on Kubrick's part not to hide it. It humanizes "movie star Tom Cruise" and, as you say, shows him to be a bit vulnerable and out of his depth.

I also applaud Cruise for letting it happen. I think he lets his ego make a lot of his decisions for him, but with EWS, there is definitely an indication that he isn't just some narcissist, but takes his art seriously and respects at least some directors enough to trust those decisions.

Of course, I could be wrong, he could have no ego or be nothing but ego. I don't know him personally or anything.

reply

Having met Tom during the promotion tour for American Made my guess is that he is about 5.2!

reply