Hanging Out With Tom Cruise

I was not cast in Born on the Fourth of July. I talked my way in, and then kept talking my way closer to the camera.

It is the best example I have of something I still believe: some opportunities are not given, they are made.

It Started With a Radio Story

I was driving to work in Dallas, listening to the radio, and a report came on about a movie being filmed at the Dallas Convention Center.

I was a salesman. I set my own schedule. So instead of going to work I drove straight downtown to see what was happening.

Inside there were hundreds of people standing around waiting. They were the extras. Somebody told me that if I wanted to, I could just wait with them and be in the movie.

So I waited.

“All Secret Service Agents to the East Door”

About thirty minutes in, that came over the speaker.

I was wearing a suit and tie. I decided to go and see what the story was.

At the east door there were twelve men in nice suits. I joined them, and I fitted right in.

Then one of the casting people came over and started counting. I nearly laughed when he got to the end and said, “there is thirteen of you. There is only supposed to be twelve.”

I was certain I was caught.

He looked at his clipboard, shrugged, and said: “Oh well. Come on everyone, let’s go.”

The next thing I knew I was being handed a gun, a badge and an earpiece. Everything a Secret Service agent needs.

My Assigned Spot Was Terrible

They marched us into the arena where they were filming the Republican Convention scenes, and gave each of us a spot to stand in for the entire shoot.

Mine was hopeless. Miles from the action. The camera was never going to see me there.

So I moved.

I walked over to the main aisle — the one Tom Cruise would be coming down in his wheelchair — found a good position, and stood in it like I had been put there.

The Trick That Made It Stick

A few minutes later a different crew member came past and told me to run into the crowd when the fighting started, to help remove Tom Cruise from the building.

Five minutes after that, the original guy came back.

“What are you doing over here?”

I pointed at the other man and said, “he told me to stand here.”

That was it. That was the whole trick. My new spot was now my assigned spot, and nobody questioned it again.

A Week Thirty Feet From Tom Cruise

For the next week I was in the middle of the action, about thirty feet from him the whole time.

I will say this about Tom Cruise: he was great. He hung out with everyone between takes. He talked constantly, to anybody who was there. I know people give him a hard time, and I have no idea what he is like the rest of the time. My one week of experience was nothing but good.

What I Took Away From It

I learned a lot about movie magic that week — how much standing around produces how little film, and how much of what looks spontaneous is the thirtieth take.

But the thing I actually kept was simpler. Nobody invited me. I heard something on the radio, drove downtown, put myself where the opportunity was, and then quietly moved to a better spot when the first one was no good.

That has worked more times in my life than any plan I ever wrote down.

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