Tom Cruise has been dominating the movie realm since his rise to stardom back in the 80s with Risky Business, leaving an unfathomable impact on his fans, becoming the biggest movie star in the process. But apart from fans, the Tropic Thunder Star is also responsible for shaping the careers of some major names in the realm of Hollywood.

From rejecting certain iconic roles that made way for other prominent talents to helping others land breakout gigs, there are several actors, whose careers were directly or indirectly shaped by the MI Star.
Tom Cruise

7 Prominent Hollywood Stars Whose Success Is Linked to Tom Cruise

1. Will Smith

Will Smith and Tom Cruise’s friendship dates back to their early days in showbiz and the duo had nothing but admiration for each other. And being a great friend, the Mission: Impossible Star stood forward to help the Oscar-winner with the script for I Am Legend, which became one of the biggest successes in the Bad Boy Star’s career, pushing him to the top.
Will Smith | I Am Legend

2. Simon Pegg

Synonymous with the MI franchise, Simon Pegg’s Benji has been with the Tom Cruise-led franchise since its resurgence in 2006 with Mission: Impossible 3. Although Pegg was already an established star by the time MI 3 arrived, thanks to his Shaun of the Dead success, playing the comic relief in one of the greatest action franchises of all time garnered him mainstream prominence.
Simon Pegg as Benji Dunn

3. Jason Statham

Starting out as a street seller and sports model, Statham would once encounter Guy Ritchie, eventually joining forces to craft Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, which launched both of their careers. However, the movie struggled to find distributors, resulting in producer Vaughn asking executive producer Trudi Styler, who was acquainted with Cruise, if the actor would be open to attending a buyers’ screening.

And after the Jason Statham-led project garnered Cruise’s stamp of approval, it kickstarted a bidding war for the movie’s rights, saving the vision of Guy Ritchie.
Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998)

4. Collin Farrell

Being one of the most acclaimed actors of recent times, Collin Farrell hasn’t failed to grab fans’ attention when he is onscreen, delivering justice to every role he is assigned. And it was the Tom Cruise-led film, Minority Report, which started it all for Farrell, as it witnessed The Batman Star doing an impeccable job starring opposite the MI Star, which skyrocketed his career to the top.

5. Robert Downey Jr

Before Robert Downey Jr. was brought on board to play the role of Iron Man, reports claimed that Marvel initially approached Tom Cruise for the role but he refused. Cruise did once open up about rejecting Marvel’s offer, explaining that he didn’t feel it was going to work. And things did work out for the best, as the role helped RDJ reinvigorate his image, skyrocketing his career to new heights.
Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man

6. Johnny Depp

Released back in 1990, Edward Scissorhands has stood the test of time and is often considered one of the best movies to come out of Johnny Depp’s collaboration with Tim Burton. But before Depp, Cruise was the favorite for the role, however, he rejected it after the director refused to answer his weird questions, making room for Depp to kickstart an iconic bond with Burton.
Johnny Depp | Edward Scissorhands

7. Kirsten Dunst

Known for playing MJ in the beloved Raimi trilogy, Kirsten Dunst formed a wholesome bond with Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt, when she starred alongside them at the age of 11. Reflecting on the matter, Dunst recalled how Cruise treated her like his little sister, even helping the actress with her audition, ensuring that she landed her breakthrough role in Interview with the Vampire.
Interview with the Vampire (1994)
This further explains why most of the A-listers in a game have huge respect for the biggest movie star of this generation, who has no plans of slowing down anytime soon.