When Tropic Thunder hit theaters in 2008, no one expected that Tom Cruise would be the movie’s breakout comedy star. He was buried under prosthetics, a fat suit, and a bald cap to play Les Grossman, a foul-mouthed Hollywood producer.
However, this wasn’t just a random caricature, but possibly a personal jab at billionaire mogul Sumner Redstone, who publicly humiliated Cruise (via Far Out Magazine). Now, in 2025, director Christopher McQuarrie revealed on the Happy Sad Confused podcast that he and Cruise have discussed making a standalone film on Les Grossman.
He called their exchanges about the matter extremely “funny,” and said they were “having very serious conversations about it.” But why did Redstone get parodied by Cruise, and how did the actor clear his image after an intense period of public criticism?
Why Did Tom Cruise’s Tropic Thunder Inspiration Humiliate the Actor?
By 2008, Tom Cruise was one of Paramount’s biggest stars and the face of the highest-grossing movies. But his public image took a disastrous turn after a string of insane incidents (via Far Out Magazine). These included his over-excited jumps on Oprah Winfrey’s couch, as he dragged out Katie Holmes (because he was apparently in love with her), who looked clearly uncomfortable.
Then his commentary on psychiatry and support for Scientology were all things that people found to be odd. For Sumner Redstone, who was the host of Viacom (Paramount’s parent company), the bad press was too much to handle (via Far Out Magazine).
Redstone publicly cut ties with Cruise, saying that “he was embarrassing the studio, and he was costing a lot of money.” He further claimed that his wife and “women everywhere, had come to hate him.” And that is huge because a billionaire mogul had just declared that the world’s biggest movie star was now universally hated.
How Did Tom Cruise Bounce Back After a Phase of Public Scrutiny?
Tom Cruise did not respond with anger or outrage; instead, he turned it into creative fuel. He channeled all his energy to play a Hollywood power tyrant, and while the actor doesn’t confirm that his character is based on Sumner Redstone, the parallels are hard to ignore.
Here’s an overview of Tropic Thunder:
The fallout from this feud was a low point in his career, but he rebuilt his image from the ground up. Cruise learned his lesson and decided to keep his personal life away from the tabloids. Now his entire public persona revolved only around one thing: his epic movies.
He no longer engages in gossip or gives us any fodder to munch on. Whenever he appears for an interview, the subject matter is only about his films, craft, and nothing else! But what do you think about his Les Grossman in Tropic Thunder? Was it a jab at Sumner Redstone, or just harmless comedy?
You can watch Tropic Thunder on Paramount+ (USA).
