Entertainment
Rob Lowe Names Tom Cruise as Longtime Rival Who Beat Him to Iconic Roles
Rob Lowe has opened up about losing two major film roles to Tom Cruise, the actor he described as his 'dastardly nemesis' during the 1980s and 1990s. In an interview with the New York Post published on September 5, the 62-year-old actor discussed missing out on parts in Top Gun (1986) and Jerry Maguire (1996), both of which went to Cruise, his former co-star from the 1983 film The Outsiders. 'That dastardly Tom Cruise was always a nemesis,' Lowe said. 'I remember reading Jerry Maguire ... and they were like, Tom Cruise. I also remember reading Top Gun and going, Oh, this movie is going to be f***ing massive. They were like, Tom Cruise.' Cruise, 64, went on to portray Jerry Maguire in the film of the same name and Pete 'Maverick' Mitchell in the Top Gun franchise. Jerry Maguire earned approximately $273.6 million worldwide at the box office, while Top Gun grossed about $360 million globally. Before Cruise was cast in Top Gun, the role was reportedly offered to Matthew Modine, who declined it. Asked in a 2020 interview with Salon whether he regretted the decision, Modine said, 'Not for one second. Cruise said that he felt that Top Gun was a movie about individualism and personal strength. I just thought the movie was jingoistic.' Similarly, Tom Hanks was originally considered for the lead in Jerry Maguire, with Edward Burns as the second choice before Cruise was cast. Lowe also addressed longstanding rumors that he had been considered for the lead role in Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986), a part that eventually went to Matthew Broderick. He said director John Hughes never seriously considered him for any of his films. 'John Hughes never got what I was selling,' Lowe said. 'I met with John once and it's not like he didn't have a lot of parts I could have done. When you really look at it, there were more than a few parts, multiple parts in some movies. Never. Phone never rang.' Top Gun is currently available for streaming on Paramount+, while Jerry Maguire can be streamed on Hulu and Disney+.