Will Smith ‘Vowed’ to Always Work 2 More Hours Than Tom Cruise as He Tried to Break Into Hollywood

Will Smith has spent his adult life in the spotlight. While the actor is one of the most bankable entertainers in the industry, Tom Cruise tops him, something which has never sat well with him. Smith used the Mission: Impossible actor as a benchmark when starting out and vowed to always work two more hours than Cruise as he tried to break into Hollywood.

Tom Cruise is one of the hardest working actors in Hollywood

Cruise has racked up some serious acting credits, with many of his movies doing incredibly well at the box office. He recently joined the billion-dollar club when his sequel Top Gun: Maverick hit the billion-dollar mark in total gross. However, things haven’t always come easy for Cruise, who has had to work hard for what he has today.

While many directors today think of Cruise when casting an action movie, Cruise always had to work twice as hard to make a name for himself, earning the title of one of the most hardworking actors in Hollywood.

Cruise has 50 acting credits, according to IMDb. Cruise doesn’t take time off and anytime he is promoting a new film, he tries to outdo all other actors. As a top-grossing actor, it seems a given that flocks of people would flood movie theatres to see Cruise, but the star ensures he promotes his movies and not just use his charming looks to pull in the numbers.

Not only that, Cruise takes the extra steps when filming. He does most of his stunts and, according to the New York Times, trained actors on the Maverick set to perform in F-18s, which explains why the movie has been such a hit, as it didn’t rely on VFX for some of its daredevil sky stunts.

Will Smith vowed to outdo Tom Cruise on promotional tours

Smith’s memoir holds several secrets about his successful career. The star revealed that he tried to outdo Cruise at one point and admitted that advice from acting legends like Arnold Schwarzenegger helped him improve.

He wrote, “I started to notice how much other actors hate traveling, press and promoting. It seemed like utter insanity to me.” The actor shared that he began scanning across the board for someone he could consider competition and who held the secret of success and who was better than Cruise.

Smith said he began monitoring Cruise’s promotional movements and activities, revealing that he often asked for the Mission: Impossible star’s schedule. He said, “When I arrived in a country to promote my movie, I would ask the local movie executives to give me Tom’s promotional schedule. And I vowed to do two hours more than whatever he did in every country.”

Smith, however, realized that it was nearly impossible to beat Cruise, calling him a “cyborg.” The actor also reasoned that Cruise had to have body doubles to pull off the insane promotional hours and activities he did. “Tom Cruise’s global promotions were the individual best in Hollywood,” Smith wrote.

The Will Smith-Tom Cruise’s tenuous Scientology connection

Tom Cruis is well-known for his belief in Scientology and with his links to Will Smith and his family, many have wondered if the Smiths are also Scientologists.

Smith has been facing backlash months after his infamous Oscars slap. The scandal has seen people looking back at his supposed connection to Scientology which Cruise has been a part of for years.

Fans have speculated that Smith and his family could have some involvement in the church, especially after he opened a private elementary school that many felt had some ties to the religion. Smith and his wife vehemently denied the rumors saying he “doesn’t necessarily believe in organized religion.”