Jerry Maguire writer-director Cameron Crowe has paid tribute to the kindness of leading man Tom Cruise, revealing how he went out of his way to help the young actor who was originally meant to play his stepson in the box office hit.
Telling the story of a down-on-his-luck sports agent (Cruise) who rebuilds his personal and professional life, Jerry Maguire was hailed as a beguiling mix of romance, comedy, drama and sports movie when it was released in the US in December 1996 and in Ireland in March 1997.
The film, which gave the world "Show me the money!" and "You had me at hello", focussed on Maguire's three key relationships: with Dorothy Boyd (Renée Zellweger), the colleague he decides to marry; her young son Ray (Jonathan Lipnicki) and Maguire's sole client, disgruntled American footballer Rod Tidwell (an Oscar-winning Cuba Gooding Jr).
In a movie filled with standout moments, some of the most heartwarming scenes involved Cruise's interaction with Lipnicki, but in an interview to mark the film's 20th anniversary, director Crowe told US film industry website Deadline that the youngster was not the original choice for the role - and was only cast after disaster struck.
"We hired this young actor, spent two or three weeks filming with him," recalled Crowe. "Late one night, we were doing a two-shot where Tom comes over drunk to Renée's apartment, and he confides in the kid. And the kid just kind of ran out of gas and announced to the room, 'I don't want to do this'. There was such simple conviction in the way this young man said he didn't want to do this that we knew we had to replace him. That he was not born for the silver screen, at all. Tom understood it and was great about it."
However, a few weeks later Crowe discovered just how understanding Cruise had been.
"The mother of the first kid calls the office," he said. "I got on the phone and she says, 'Will you please tell Tom Cruise thank you for the way he has kept in touch with my son, sent him letters and gifts, and just let him know all is well?'"
"I thought, wow, I had no idea Tom Cruise was doing that," continued Crowe. "She said, 'It really helped my son. He's over it now, he's fine, and Tom did a beautiful job helping him transition back to his life'."
Later, Crowe went to thank Cruise for helping the child "through what could have been a terrible transition" and asked the star why he had never mentioned they had been in contact.
"Tom said, 'I just didn't want that first actor to go to the movies, look at the screen and think he'd failed. I wanted him to love movies, his entire life'. That is the quiet way Tom Cruise conducts his professional life."
Lipnicki, who was cast during a frantic weekend search for a replacement, went on to make the role of Ray his own, and in the same interview Crowe said that his chemistry with Cruise was instant.
"We bring this kid into Tom's trailer for an audition, and he is exactly what you see in the movie," he recounted.
"He's got the hair, the glasses. He is completely thrilled to be acting with Tom Cruise. He says to Tom, 'I've been a fan of yours, my entire life'. He's six. He kills every scene, and as he is leaving the trailer, gives Tom a Maverick Top Gun thumbs up. We look at each other, like we've just seen Elvis in '56."
"He stepped right into the part, and would improv things," added Crowe. "He says, 'The human head weighs eight pounds', and I'm like, 'That's going in the script'. That was his line. Jonathan Lipnicki was a gift from above."
