Even though Steven Spielberg said that Tom Cruise “saved Hollywood’s ass” last year by delivering top-flight, in-theater entertainment with “Top Gun: Maverick,” the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences didn’t seem so inclined to show its reverence Sunday.
At its Oscars ceremony, host Jimmy Kimmel cracked some jokes about Cruise’s famous intensity and ties to the controversial Church of Scientology, while announcing that the actor wasn’t even going to make it to the show. It’s not known why Cruise didn’t attend the ceremony. He had every right to be there as the star and one of the producers for “Top Gun,” which was nominated for best picture. It’s Cruise’s fourth Oscar nomination, but his first in 23 years, since he was nominated for best supporting actor in Paul Thomas Anderson’s film “Magnolia.”
Curiously, the Academy invited Cruise’s ex-wife Nicole Kidman to help present the best director award. Cruise and Kidman’s 2001 divorce was particularly bitter, with allegations that Scientology leader David Miscavige ordered executives to help break up the marriage and to turn their two children against Kidman, a non-believer.
