Rob Lowe has explained that Tom Cruise denied him two roles he had wanted: Top Gun and Jerry Maguire. Lowe chose the term "dastardly" to explain the heated contest. He was quick to note there is no hard feelings between the pair.
Nicole Kidman, Cruise's former wife, has said she almost gave up acting because of him. Both of these remarks position him at the heart of major career turning points for people around him during the 1980s and 1990s.