Tom Cruise has finally done it — after decades of record-breaking blockbusters and death-defying stunts.
The Hollywood icon has taken home his very first Oscar statuette. And not just any Oscar, but an honorary one.
Handed to him at the Governors Awards where the room practically shook from the standing ovation.
At 63, Cruise wasn’t shy about what the moment meant.
“Making films is not what I do, it’s who I am,” he told the crowd — a crowd that included titans like Spielberg, DiCaprio, and Bruckheimer.
Not bad company for a long-overdue celebration.
Director Alejandro G. Iñárritu, who’s working with Cruise on an upcoming project, presented the award.
He called out the actor’s unmatched devotion to cinema, theatrical storytelling, and those jaw-dropping stunts he insists on doing himself.
Cruise’s Tribute
Cruise used his speech to reflect on what movies have given him: a bigger world than the one he knew growing up, a deep respect for human differences.
He also spoke about the magic of strangers laughing and dreaming together in the dark.
He used his speech to reflect on what movies have given him. That, he said, is why cinema “matters.”
He even tossed in a wink to his legendary stunt work.
He promised to keep supporting filmmakers everywhere, “hopefully without too many more broken bones.”
And in classic Cruise fashion? He walked off with humility, passion, and an Oscar that was about 40 years overdue.
