Tom Cruise surprises “Top Gun: Maverick” fans, jams out on pipe organ at London concert
The star geeked out about film history and music in cinema in his introductory speech at Royal Albert Hall.
Goodness gracious, great balls of fire.
Tom Cruise made a rare public appearance Friday night to surprise fans at a screening of Top Gun: Maverick featuring a live orchestral performance at London's Royal Albert Hall. The event had not announced that the War of the Worlds star would pop up for the festivities, so the 2,900 viewers in the audience were shocked and delighted when he took the stage to introduce the film.
Cruise began his unexpected remarks with a history lesson. "I'm very excited to be here with you all tonight to share in this unique cinematic orchestral experience with Top Gun: Maverick," he said. "Live music has been available for silent film accompaniment since moving pictures were first presented in vaudeville theaters over 120 years ago. But it wasn't til 1914, around then, where a full symphony orchestra, precisely synchronized with the picture, played a live score that was conceived on the operatic composition of leitmotifs."
The Minority Report actor also defined his terms. "Leitmotifs are, for those who don't know, themes throughout a musical or literary composition associated with a particular person, idea, or situation," he explained. "And the use of leitmotifs redefined cinematic storytelling, and large symphony orchestras became a necessity at fancy movie palaces. So it set the standard for the ultimate at that time in theatrical grandeur. The silent movie era lasted about 30 years until 1927, the talkies came in, and orchestras now perform the score, and it's coupled to the actual picture. Now, this evolution set a new standard for the ultimate theatrical experience at that time."
The actor went on to romanticize the way that music can transform moviegoing and show his appreciation for the Maverick musical team. "The power of music and its use in cinema to deepen our experience of the story and our connection to the characters is absolutely magical," he said. "And the music you're about to hear live tonight, I want to personally thank the extraordinary talents of Harold Faltermeyer, Hans Zimmer, Lady Gaga, OneRepublic, and the gentleman who's here this evening who also produced the score, Lorne Balfe. I also want to thank tonight's orchestra and all of your exceptional talents."
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Cruise concluded his introduction by sharing his personal excitement about watching the movie under such fancy, pristine conditions. "I've always wanted to experience a film like this with a live full symphony orchestra, synchronized picture, in front of a packed audience in the grandeur of a classic movie palace," he said. "Thank you all for being here, and thank you for making this dream come true."
After the screening concluded, conductor Ben Palmer and organist Anna Lapwood posted photos of Cruise messing around on the venue's massive pipe organ, which, with its 9,999 pipes, is the second-largest in the United Kingdom.
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Although Cruise isn't generally thought of as a musical performer, he has starred in a musical movie, 2012's Rock of Ages, and many of his most memorable moments across his career have close associations with music: His underwear-and-sock slide set to Bob Seger's "Old Time Rock and Roll" in Risky Business, his swooning to Berlin's love theme "Take My Breath Away" in Top Gun, his jamming out to Tom Petty in the car in Jerry Maguire, the cast's rendition of Aimee Mann's "Wise Up" in Magnolia, and Les Grossman's grotesque dancing in Tropic Thunder all come to mind.
Cruise will next star in Mission: Impossible 8, set to hit theaters on May 23, 2025. After that, he will headline the next film from Birdman auteur Alejandro Gonzalez Iñárritu.
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