The Hollywood stage was ablaze with excitement as Tom Cruise, the iconic US film superstar, finally embraced his long-awaited Oscar at the annual Governors Awards in Hollywood. The 63-year-old actor, accompanied by the singing-philanthropist Dolly Parton, choreographer Debbie Allen, and production designer Wynn Thomas, received an honorary Oscar, a moment that encapsulated his four-fold Oscar nomination and a 45-year career in the film industry.
"Making films is not what I do, it is who I am," Cruise said in his acceptance speech, his eyes shining with the thrill of finally receiving this prestigious award. He paid tribute to the filmmakers both in front of and behind the lens, those he has worked with over the years, and the power of cinema to unite us all.
As he stepped onto the stage, Cruise was greeted with a standing ovation and rapturous applause from the film luminaries in the audience, including Steven Spielberg, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Jerry Bruckheimer. Alejandro G. Iñárritu, the director of an upcoming Cruise film, presented him with the Governors Award.
"The cinema takes me around the world," Cruise said. "It helps me to appreciate and respect differences. It shows me our shared humanity, how alike we are in so many ways. And no matter where we come from, in that theatre, we laugh together, we feel together, we hope together, we dream together. That is the power of this art form."
Cruise's film debut came in 1981, and he was previously nominated for Best Actor for Born on the Fourth of July and Jerry Maguire. He was also nominated as Best Supporting Actor in the film Magnolia and for producing Top Gun: Maverick. The Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences selected Cruise for his "incredible commitment to our film-making community, to the theatrical experience, and to the stunts community."
The Risky Business actor told the ceremony that cinema had opened his eyes to the vast possibilities that life could hold. "It opened my imagination to the possibility that life could expand far beyond the boundaries that I then perceived in my own life. And that beam of light opened a desire to open the world, and I have been following it ever since."
The actor, known for performing his own stunts, has been a fervent advocate for cinema as the streaming industry and social media compete for viewers' time and attention. "I want you to know that I will always do everything I can to help this art form, to support and champion new voices, to protect what makes cinema powerful - hopefully without too many more broken bones."
Notably, earlier this year Cruise was reportedly set to be recognized by US President Donald Trump when he announced his picks for this year's Kennedy Center Honors, but the actor declined due to scheduling conflicts.
