Tom Cruise released a YouTube video thanking the public for returning to the theater to see Top Gun: Maverick. Then he jumped out of a plane. No, really…

And this is why Tom Cruise has been a major movie star for 40 years.

Tom Cruise is pure showman. Pure movie star. Pure filmmaker.

This is how it’s done.

This is how you earn audience goodwill.

This is how you remain on top for 40 years.

Humility, charm, humor, gratitude, self-deprecation, no talking down to us, no pushing social issues, and one helluva show.

The guy jumped out of a freaken plane!

Believe it or not, this is how the entire Star System used to operate. Big Stars understood the secret sauce to longevity, which is not all that secret:  If the customers like you, they will come to see your show — Broadway, movies, TV… They will be customers because they like you.

Stars have always had massive egos. Always. But what they didn’t have was contempt for their audience. And what they really didn’t have was a preening insecurity that made it impossible for them to hide that contempt. That’s all we see from today’s “stars” — contempt and superiority. It’s off-putting, which is why, unless they’re wearing a cape, there are no stars today except for Cruise, Sandra Bullock, Denzel Washington, Chris Pratt, Keanu Reeves, and Ryan Reynolds. What do those six have in common? We like them. They don’t take themselves too seriously. Cruise, Pratt, Keanu, and Denzel are cool. Sandra is beautiful and cool.  Reynolds makes us laugh, usually at his own expense.

That’s how it’s done.

Tom Cruise is a perfect example of how to remain a star, not just for what he’s done right, but for what he did wrong. Cruise’s couch-jumping/Scientology/Matt Lauer phase 17 years ago (has it been that long?) hurt him for a long time. All of a sudden, the showman was making everything about him and how he knew better. He’s pushing things on us. Lecturing us. What saved him? Going back to basics. Great movies. Great stunts. An eagerness to please that pops right off the screen.

Through discipline, pure showmanship, a passion to deliver entertainment, public humility, gratitude, and excellent taste in choosing his projects, Cruise has earned back the public’s goodwill.

In real life, Cruise (like many Golden era stars) might be a grade-A, self-involved, self-righteous, Communist jerk who thinks his audience is made up of simple-minded rubes.

But.

Unlike 90 percent of name actors today, he’s smart enough to present an entirely different persona. To be clear…

I’m just making a point here. There’s no evidence Cruise is any of those things. After 40 years in the public eye, he appears to be a pretty decent, private, and intense guy.

I like Tom Cruise.

I’ve always liked Tom Cruise.

Time and again, the guy delivers.

Once you’ve arrived as a star, it’s not hard to stay there. Pick good projects. Don’t be a smug, sanctimonious jerk.  Unfortunately, that’s something all these failures who once had it all — like Jennifer Lawrence — find too difficult. They’re too spoiled, entitled, egotistical, ungrateful, dumb, and immature.

UPDATE: Added Keanu and Pratt to list of stars.

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