Tom Cruise just experienced one of his blockbuster movies like never before, with a crowd that didn’t expect him to be there in person.
On Friday, September 27, the 62-year-old actor surprised the audience at London’s Royal Albert Hall during his Top Gun: Maverick concert which included a screening of his 2022 film set with a live performance of the film’s music by the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra and composer Lorne Balfe.
In fan footage of the event shared on X (formerly Twitter), Top Gun the star could be seen standing in a suit in front of a large orchestra as he introduced the film and complimented its presentation with live music.
Tom Cruise in May 2022.
Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty
Tom Cruise performed his daring skydive at the closing ceremony of the Olympic Games for free
While on stage, Cruise mentioned Balfe – who composed Maverick scored alongside Harold Faltermeyer, Lady Gaga and Hans Zimmer — as a “dear friend” he considered “brilliant.”
“I also want to thank tonight’s orchestra and all of your extraordinary talents,” Cruise said. “I always wanted to experience a film like this with a live, full symphony orchestra, synchronized to the picture, in front of a packed auditorium in the luxury of a classic movie palace.”
“Thank you all for being here and thank you for making this dream come true,” he added, before telling the crowd to “enjoy” the experience and that he would be watching with them.
According to the Royal Albert Hall website, Top Gun the orchestral performance was part of the Films in Concert series, which also includes upcoming screenings Avatar, Gladiator, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 and Alone in the house. The next Live in Concert performance in the place will be Ghostbusters October 26, with a performance by the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra conducted by Peter Bernstein, son of the original composer Elmer Bernstein.
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Cruise’s latest surprise appearance comes after the actor closed the 2024 Paris Olympics in August by swinging from the top of the Stade de France in Paris and landing on the stadium’s pitch. When he was on the ground, he was greeted by Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and gymnast Simone Biles, who presented him with the Olympic flag, four years ahead of the 2028 Los Angeles Games.
During a September 10 panel, Casey Wasserman, president and chairman of LA28, revealed that Cruise actually appeared at the Olympics for free.
“The original idea was a person in the stadium as a double,” explained Wasserman, per The Hollywood Reporter. “About five minutes of presentation [Cruise] he says, ‘I agree. But I only do that if I get to do everything.’ ”
As Wasserman said at the event presented by CNBC and Boardroom, the actor “became more involved and engaged” with each “step of the way.”
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education