Tom Cruise & Doug Liman Answer the Web's Most Searched Questions

Hi I'm Tom Cruise.

And I'm Doug Liman

and we're doing a WIRED Autocomplete Interview.

(upbeat dance music)

(laughing) Let's go.

(upbeat dance music)

You guy's ready?

So can Tom Cruise really sing?

Uh, well, yeah.

I mean, I did all my singing in Rock of Ages.

So, yes, I sing.

I've seen him do it.

Can Tom Cruise rock climb?

Yes, I trained for

a long time.

Many years actually with rock climbing.

Can Tom Cruise play guitar?

I love playing guitar and the uke.

I definitely need more practice,

but I enjoy playing guitar.

Can Tom Cruise fly a plane.

(laughing) Yes.

Yes, I fly airplanes.

I'm a multi-engine,

instrument rated, commercial pilot.

Doug and I are both aviators, so we both love to fly.

Can Tom Cruise hold his breath for six minutes?

Yes, I can hold my breath for six minutes.

You were there when I was doing it.

You were in the tank in Leavesdon, in London.

You'd swim back and forth in the bottom of the tank,

like four or five laps.

And I'd be up on the surface, with goggles, watching him.

I wasn't even working on the movie.

I just wanted to watch Tom Cruise

hold his breath for six minutes.

Can Tom Cruise fly a helicopter?

Yes, again, I fly helicopter.

I fly aerobatics and that

and a commercially rated helicopter pilot also.

I was in a helicopter with you

the first time you Yeah.

[Doug] were really learning to fly a helicopter.

Yeah when I was training.

Yeah, you've come a long way since then.

Yes, I have been trained very hard.

Doug.

Why are pilot's seats furry?

Mine aren't.

Maybe, I don't know, you sit for a long time

and you get sweaty,

but Tom Cruise of course does not sweat.

This one's really long.

Why do pilots usually fly in the stratosphere?

Well aerobatic pilots don't necessarily fly up there.

Yeah, no, the american made flying was low.

You were always a few feet over the tree tops

or a few feet over the water.

Sometimes actually going through the trees.

Why are pilots called pilots?

Uh, you got all the questions that make you seem smart.

I'm getting these questions like stratosphere.

Nautical.

Nautical term.

Okay, I'll go for that.

Why pilots can't be colorblind.

Geesh, like seriously, this thing is rigged.

That's just Naval, Air Force military pilots, I think.

Well there's one thing, you lose all radio communication.

They have to flash a light gun from the control tower

and green means land and red means don't land.

So, maybe there.

Why do pilots say niner?

I can anwer this one.

Yeah, go.

Cuz over the radio it can be hard to understand.

You say niner intsead of nine, so that it wouldn't

be confused with a different number.

And what number would that be confused with?

Nine like,

one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine.

Why don't we say eighter or oner, twoer.

I actually think I was right and I was sounding smart

until you challenged me there.

(laughing)

Why is Tom Cruise always running?

I'm usually in a big hurry to get places.

Lots to do in a day.

Why is Tom Cruise always named Jack?

Because it's easy for me to remember

and for others to remember the name Jack.

So it makes it easier for the crew and the director.

Why did Tom Cruise become an actor?

I just love movies and I wanted to make movies.

I remember as a kid I used to create characters

and write skits.

And I always did outrageous, physical stunts also.

I can only imagine

what it would've liked to been your mother.

I mean just look at the window while your doing the dishes

and there's your seven year old son, like, trying a stunt.

And breaking arm or a leg cuz you were injuring yourself

all the time.

My mother most definitely had incredible patience.

Did Tom Cruise really hang off the plane?

Yes, I did hang off the A400 .

I remember the second take actually

when we went through and I got hit with just a little,

little rock.

I mean it must've been about that big

and I honestly was like getting hit by a bullet.

But the thing I was most concerned about was the fuel.

You know the fumes from that

and the air that was hitting me.

Particularly, when we were taxing on the runway

because it had nowhere else to go.

It was quite an adventure.

Don't necessarily recommend it for everyone.

You know, it was interesting.

Are action movies realistic?

Yeah, I think they are.

I mean that's really the challenge of making

a great action film.

Is to find the honesty in it.

Are action movies good for a date?

Yeah, they're great for a date.

Are action movies scary?

Can be.

I think that's that visceral ride you get.

You know, in an action movie.

It's probably why Tom and I probably love

making action movies.

Yeah, when you really hit it,

you can turn it into comedy.

You can twist it into interesting drama.

How action movies are made?

How are they made?

Action isn't anything unless you really have the story,

and the investment, and character.

And the thing that I love about Doug Liman

and his movies is the interest.

First and foremost in character.

And when you have Tom Cruise in your movie,

you're gonna know you're gonna to get something incredible.

And it's gonna be real.

That's wher we try.

We just want to entertain you.

That really is the purpose, so we hope you enjoy it.