Tom Cruise Demanded a Monkey Sidekick for ‘Rock of Ages’
Tom Cruise has gone from mega 80s superstar to couch-jumping nutball over the course of his career. With his off-screen demeanor calming down a bit, he's revived his career (see: 'Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol') and he's back on top of the Hollywood mountain, especially with his upcoming role in 'Rock of Ages.' But has his career resurgence made him go a bit bananas again?
While playing the role of sexed up 80's rock idol Stacee Jaxx in the upcoming film adaptation of the popular musical 'Rock of Ages,' Cruise decided his character needed a sidekick to play with him in his musical jungle of groupies and glam. In W Magazine, Cruise talked about an accessory he felt the character of Jaxx needed to have for the movie:
I was thinking about the character, and I said, 'You know what? I need a monkey.' [Director] Adam [Shankman] said, 'What the f--- are you talking about?' And I said, 'I'm serious — I need a monkey.' When Stacee's not onstage, he's kind of sad. And I thought, This guy has to have a monkey that's his best friend. Adam found this baboon. He sent me the baboon's audition tape, and I said 'The baboon's name has to be Hey Man.' Stacee Jaxx doesn't work without Hey Man.
Want Tom Cruise wants, Tom Cruise gets. If he wants a giant elephant in the room dressed as the Red Baron then I'm pretty sure Shankman is going to ask the costume designer to get to work. Cruise's last film, 'Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol' earned rave reviews, and his quirky characters like Les Grossman in 'Tropic Thunder' showcased just how crazy-fun he can get. We're looking forward to Cruise's part in this movie musical but we just hope he doesn't monkey around too much (ahem) when it comes to his performance.
'Rock of Ages,' which also stars Julianne Hough, Diego Boneta, Russell Brand, Paul Giamatti, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Malin Ackerman, Mary J. Blige, Bryan Cranston and Alec Baldwin, rocks theaters on June 15th.