It was announced earlier today that multi-Academy Award-nominee Tom Cruise will be honored with the British Film Institute’s most prestigious award, the BFI Fellowship.
The Hollywood actor is currently in the U.K. filming Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s upcoming, untitled film for Warner Bros. and Legendary. Cruise will be recognized for his “achievements as an extraordinary, versatile actor,” says the BFI, and his “huge contribution to the UK film industry.”
Cruise has spent a significant portion of his career working in the U.K., particularly on the “Mission: Impossible” series, filming extensively across the country. Notably, he broke his ankle while shooting “Mission: Impossible – Fallout” in London, and the latest installment, “Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning” (rumored to have its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in May), was filmed at Longcross Studios and in the Lake District. Beyond the “Mission: Impossible” franchise, Cruise has worked on several major films shot in the U.K., including Ridley Scott’s “Legend,“ Stanley Kubrick’s “Eyes Wide Shut“ (which was famously shot in London and was made to look like New York City), Neil Jordan’s “Interview with the Vampire,“ and Doug Liman’s “Edge of Tomorrow.“
“I am truly honored by this acknowledgment,“ said Cruise. “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 institute chair Jay Hunt stated, “We are thrilled to be honoring Tom Cruise with a BFI Fellowship. Tom has brought so much to the U.K. as a producer … 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, left field roles where his versatility and talent shine through.”
Tom Cruise will receive the BFI Fellowship at the BFI Chair’s Dinner in London on May 12th. A day earlier, he will participate in a special “In Conversation“ event at BFI Southbank, which is also hosting a month-long retrospective of his career featuring screenings of 27 of his films. With this honor, Cruise joins an esteemed and ever-expanding group of BFI Fellowship recipients, including David Lean, Bette Davis, Akira Kurosawa, Elizabeth Taylor, Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger, Orson Welles, and Thelma Schoonmaker. Recent honorees include Tilda Swinton, Barbara Broccoli, Michael G. Wilson, Spike Lee, and Christopher Nolan. Clearly, Cruise is considered a titan within the industry so it was only a matter of time before he received such an honor.
We have recently speculated, especially after he was Oscar-nominated for producing “Top Gun: Maverick“ and was honored at the PGA Awards with the David O. Selznick tribute the same year, how Cruise is likely being tapped to win his first Oscar for Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s upcoming film and now with another tribute and honor from BFI, and if “Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning“ does well at the box office, it could all provide enough momentum for Hollywood to roll out the awards red carpet for Cruise once again, but this time for a long overdue win. Do you agree?
What do you think of this news? Do you think industry goodwill is building up enough for Tom Cruise to eventually win his first Oscar? Please let us know your thoughts in the comments section below or on our X account.
