Tom Cruise Fans Flood Cannes: ‘He’s One of the Last Great Action Actors’

variety.com:

Tom Cruise fans – many of whom weren’t born when the original “Top Gun” movie came out in 1986 – were out in force in Cannes on Wednesday evening for a special screening of “Top Gun: Maverick,” Cruise’s hotly anticipated sequel to 1986 hit “Top Gun.”The crowd outside the Palais des Festivals convention center, where the screening was set to take place, ran 20-people deep in some places, while the street opposite the red carpet was also crowded to the point that passers by were struggling to squeeze through.

Meanwhile onlookers were also gathering on the balconies in the apartment block above the street, which faces the Palais, camera phones ready to catch a glimpse of Monsieur Cruise.

On the ground nearby, 25-year-old Gastien (he declined to give his last name) was dressed in black tie holding up a hand-written sign requesting a ticket to the screening.

Earlier in the day he attended a masterclass Cruise had given as part of his visit to the festival. “It’s a big, big thing,” Gastien said of the screening. “It’s my first time in Cannes, I would be really willing to climb the red carpet for ‘Top Gun: Maverick.’ I really liked the first movie.”On the other side of the Palais, 24-year-old Elie (he declined to give his last name) was also dressed to the nines and holding a sign begging for a ticket. “I think Tom Cruise is one of the last great action actors for great blockbuster movies who does his own stunts and makes practical effects in his movies so they are more immersive and effective,” Elie said. “That’s why I think he’s a very important actor today.”Elie grew up watching “Top Gun” with his mom but cites “Magnolia” and the Mission Impossible series as other favorites.