Tom Cruise's sister helped him land Rain Man role
The actor has revealed he was having dinner with his younger sister Cass at a restaurant in New York City when they spotted 'The Graduate' star ordering takeout - and Cass made her brother go over and speak to him.
During an interview at the BFI in London on Sunday (11.05.25), Tom explained: "[Cass] goes: 'There's Dustin Hoffman.' I looked up and there he was, in a hat - he was doing 'Death of a Salesman' - and he was ordering takeout.
"She goes: 'You go over there and say hello to him.' I was like: 'I'm not going to say hello.' She goes: 'You know him, you know his movies.' And she doesn't do stuff like that. And I don't walk up to people, but she was so pushy ...
[She said] 'If you don't do it, I'm just going to go over there and tell him who you are' ... [I said]: 'He's not going to know who I am, that's going to be really humiliating!'"
However, Tom admitted his sister "pestered me so much" that he gave in and went over to the actor, saying: "'Excuse me, Mr. Hoffman, I'm sorry …' And he went: 'Cruise!'"
Hoffman invited the actor and his sister to come see him perform in 'Death of a Salesman' and it led to a role in 'Rain Main'.
Tom added: "As I was leaving he said: 'I want to make a movie with you.' And I said: 'That would be nice, sir.'And that's what happened, and basically a year later he sent 'Rain Man'."
The 1988 film went on to be a huge hit and won four Academy Awards including a Best Actor prize for Hoffman.
Tom is due to be presented with the BFI Fellowship at a dinner on Monday (12.05.25) and he previously admitted he's thrilled to be awarded the organisation's highest honour.
He said in a statement: "I am truly honored by this acknowledgement. I've been making films in the U.K. for over 40 years and have no plans to stop.
"The U.K. is home to incredibly talented professionals - actors, directors, writers and crews, as well as some of the most stunning locations in the world.
"I'm grateful for all the BFI has done to support U.K. filmmaking and this incredible art form we share."
BFI Chair Jay Hunt added: "We are thrilled to be honouring Tom Cruise with a BFI Fellowship. Tom has brought so much to the UK as a producer through choosing to make many of his films on our shores, where he is welcomed by our crews who step up to help make his cinematic visions a reality.
"In doing so, he also supports our studios and puts our locations on a world stage, in the process creating jobs and inspiring the next generation of film talent.
"He is, of course, also simply one of the world's great actors and a true movie star, delighting audiences as the action hero and romantic lead and then surprising us with brave, leftfield roles where his versatility and talent shine through."
Tom is also due to debut his new movie 'Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning' at the Cannes Film Festival in France later this week.
The film - the eighth installment in the action franchise - will screen out of competition on May 14 before it hits cinemas on May 21.
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