Follow us on Google News
Get the latest updates directly in your Google News feed
From Captain Vidal inPan’s Labyrinthto Hans Landa inInglourious Basterds, charismatic sadists have always been an integral part of cinema. But amid the numerous villains in film history, Tom Cruise’s character inMagnoliaranks among the very best in that category. As of today, the 1999 film is not only one of Cruise’s best works but also Paul Thomas Anderson’s masterpiece.
Magnoliashifted the audience’s perceptions about motivational speakers as much as it shifted their perceptions about Tom Cruise’s skill as an actor. Despite his already A-list movie star status, Cruise achieved cinematic immortality through his role as Frank TJ Mackey – a character that was beyond complex and virtually impossible to represent on the screen.
Tom Cruise unleashes his most despicable persona
Films have the power to deceive and disrupt or the ability to revolutionize and transform entire generations of viewers.Tom Cruisestrived to achieve that with every role in his carefully curated filmography. Be itTop Gun,Born on the Fourth of July,Jerry Maguire,Eyes Wide Shut,Collateral, orInterview With the Vampire, Cruise’s work has always been impeccable and revolutionary.
InMagnolia, however,Cruise delivered a masterclass in actingwhen he picked up the role of Frank TJ Mackey. As a motivational speaker who teaches other men how to “Seduce and Destroy,” Cruise’s character was destined to be one of the most reviled, disturbing, andsickening villains in movie history.
“I see the film as a patriotic film”: Tom Cruise’s ‘Anti-Top Gun’ Movie Director Considers it American That Showed the Dark Side of the CIA
But within the span of 180 minutes, Cruise transformed his controversial, pathetic, and downright offensive villain into a layered, nuanced, and deeply troubled character who the audience could find themselves sympathizing with. With the unraveling façade of Frank in the third act of the film, Cruise ensured that one of the most difficult roles in cinema remains forever etched in time.
Magnolia: A careful study of deception in two-parts
Only a versatile actor like Tom Cruise could make Robert Downey Jr.’s infamous line:I’m a dude playing a dude disguised as another dudecome true. What began as a study of a real-life pick-up artist, Ross Jeffries, soon turned into an art imitating life imitating another life.
Serving as the inspiration behind Cruise’s over-the-top character inMagnolia, Jeffries was the first to come up with the model of seduction and s*xual subterfuge. However, according to an actor by the name of Paul Ross, Jeffries was never a real person but a mere figment of his imagination.
“I’m going to play with that as well”: Edge of Tomorrow 2 is Not a Distant Dream When the Director Knows Exactly What to Do With Tom Cruise
In an interview withUproxxin 2015, Paul Ross decidedly admitted:
Ross Jeffries was a character I created, a loudmouth, obnoxious, larger than life, sort of a bit of a showman to get the message out there. That character doesn’t really meld with who I am today. Here’s the interesting thing: Paul Thomas Anderson thought that they were going to portray a real person. They didn’t realize they were portraying a character created by an actor. Tom Cruise didn’t realize that he was studying a character. He thought he was studying a person. He created a character based on a character.
If he could come up with evidence to support these claims, Paul Ross – a reformed Buddhist – could easily make millions suing Tom Cruise, Paul Thomas Anderson, and every studio and production company associated with the making of the film for using his IP without permission.
Although he claimed that writer-director Paul T. Anderson“lifted some stuff almost word for word”from the teachings of Ross Jeffries, he liked the movie too much to wage a legal war with its makers.
Magnoliais currently streaming on Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+, and Apple TV.
Diya Majumdar
Senior Writer
Articles Published :2409
Diya Majumdar is a Senior Content Writer at FandomWire with over 2000 published articles on the website. Since 2022, she has been working as an entertainment journalist with a special focus on films and pop culture.Among the countless genres and themes of Hollywood, the ones that particularly favor Diya’s tastes include Game of Thrones, DC, and well-aged thrillers and classics.
