Name:
Tom Cruise, aka "Money"
Claim to Fame:
Tom Cruise, top star of films including Far and Away, Top Gun, John Grisham's The Firm and countless other hits, tested successfully for the role of sleazy pool hustler Vincent Lauria, in the Oscar winning The Color Of Money though he had barely touched a cuestick before.
Pool Background:
Cruise, who is ambidextrous, shot pool left-handed in the film. Demonstrating a remarkable aptitude for the game, he struck all the shots made for his on-camera appearance, except for just one difficult jump shot. Shown in slow motion, it was a highlight of Money's dramatic tournament sequences, which made film audiences gasp with delight. You can learn how to make this shot for yourself.
Movie Magic!:
Watch the film carefully and you will see, there was Hollywood magic applied to Cruise's skill, to help him show off when shooting shots one-handed, etc.
Sharp-eyed movie watchers will notice continuity errors in the film's editing, revealing object balls that move on the table miraculously, without anyone having shot them!
Sigel Says Cruise Has Pool Magic:
Professional pool player and Hall-of-Famer, Mike Sigel, tells some intriguing stories about Cruise and the film's production.
One day, as special technical advisor for Money's pool sequences, Sigel demonstrated to Cruise a difficult, curving massé shot.
Cruise was eager to try it, when Sigel cautioned him that beginners, even stronger advanced players, often fail at the massé. Cruise made the trick shot Sigel demonstrated--three times in a row!
What They'll Say 100 Years From Now:
Gosh, among Tom Cruise's biography, that Vincent Lauria had a flaky hairdo!
