Tom Cruise is one of the greatest actors of this generation. He is famous for performing most of his own stunts. His performances are always charismatic and action-packed. He is one of the few actors who have barely any flop movies in his filmography, with Knight and Day being the only exception.
Tom Cruise has inspired many people. There is a lot to learn from an actor so determined and hard-working. And his Knight and Day co-star Paul Dano agrees, who also played Riddler in The Batman. Let’s dive into what he learned from a legend like Cruise.
What Paul Dano learned from Tom Cruise
Paul Dano likes to play characters that are emotional, quiet, introspective, or misfits. His roles rarely include any brawny traits or stunts. So, we can imagine how much he can learn from an actor who is the exact opposite, working in mostly action movies and doing his own stunts. Dano revealed that in a recent interview with GQ,
I remember seeing how he considered the audience, and the impact of the stunts on the audience, and how passionate and rigorous he was about that. I’d not seen an actor consider the audience and the impact of how the stunt and the cut of the camera would feel for the audience, and I took that with me.
Paul Dano learned the importance of prioritizing the audience’s experience while creating a performance. Observing Tom Cruise’s performance on Knight and Day and interacting with him showed him that storytelling extends beyond acting, it’s about creating moments that resonate with the audience.
This realization must have deepened his understanding of how every element of a scene, from performance to technical execution, works towards the same goal, impressing the audience.
Why Knight and Day was a flop action movie
Knight and Day flopped due to several factors. Its marketing failed to communicate the film’s tone, leaving audiences unsure if it was an action, comedy, or romance. Further, it released alongside blockbusters like Toy Story 3, which hurt its box office performance. Even now fans are unsure of what the genre of the movie is and some even voiced their opinions on Reddit.
According to IMDb, it grossed $261 million globally. Although it made a decent amount of money, its high $117 million production costs along with marketing expenses made profitability difficult to achieve. There is no doubt that the performances delivered by the entire cast were on point. But, sometimes the concept just isn’t good enough to bewilder the audience.
Knight and Day was released on June 23rd, 2010, and can be streamed on Netflix.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
