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Tom Cruise Channels 'Risky Business' in Jennifer Hudson Show Spirit Tunnel
Confirmed
In Short: Actor Tom Cruise brought back his iconic dance moves from 'Risky Business' for an appearance on 'The Jennifer Hudson Show,' drawing a record number of participants in the show's spirit tunnel.
The tradition of the Spirit Tunnel began in the show’s early days, when the staff would hype up host Jennifer Hudson before each taping.
In the video, the hallway is packed on both sides with staffers, with Cruise at the far end wearing dark shades and an all-black outfit.
The clip that took over social media shows how he chose to play it, with the crew singing a customized song to welcome him to the stage.
The nod is to the 1983 film, in which a 20-year-old Cruise slides across the floor in a shirt and underwear while lip-syncing to Bob Seger’s song.
In the video, the hallway is packed on both sides with staffers, with Cruise at the far end wearing dark shades and an all-black outfit.
The crew sang a 'Risky Business' homage to the 'Digger' star cued to Bob Seger’s 'Old Time Rock & Roll,' but with Cruise-centric lyrics.
Cruise, dressed all in black, spun, bopped and kicked his way down the carpet, pulling several staffers in to dance with him.
One commenter under the show’s Instagram post said the hallway had not been that full since Michelle Obama visited, while another joked that nobody missed work that day.
The show is now in its 5th season, and Cruise’s visit is his first-ever appearance on it.
The Spirit Tunnel has become the most talked-about ritual in daytime TV.
The role required Cruise to transform with prosthetics (including a fat suit and thinning white hair) and a put-on Southern accent, but, mostly, the absurdist satire demanded his full acting range.
Cruise described the project as 'the most original film I’ve ever seen,' and said it was one of the most 'moving' movies.
What this adds
The tradition of the Spirit Tunnel began in the show’s early days, when the staff would hype up host Jennifer Hudson before each taping.
The clip that took over social media shows how he chose to play it, with the crew singing a customized song to welcome him to the stage.
The Spirit Tunnel has become the most talked-about ritual in daytime TV.
The role required Cruise to transform with prosthetics (including a fat suit and thinning white hair) and a put-on Southern accent, but, mostly, the absurdist satire demanded his full acting range.
Background
Tom Cruise brought back his iconic dance moves from 'Risky Business' for an appearance on 'The Jennifer Hudson Show,' drawing a record number of participants in the show's spirit tunnel.
Risky Business is a 1983 American coming-of-age teen comedy film written and directed by Paul Brickman and starring Tom Cruise and Rebecca De Mornay. It follows the sexual exploits of high school senior Joel Goodson (Cruise), who is staying home alone during his parents' vacation trip and meets a call girl named Lana.
What's confirmed
- The show reported that the tunnel drew a record number of participants.
- Tom Cruise doing the Spirit Tunnel at The Jennifer Hudson Show.
What's still developing
- According to Variety, Hudson revealed in her Power of Women cover story that she booked Cruise at the World Cup final this summer, and she asked him to imagine what the crew would sing for his tunnel.
- It turned out Cruise already knew exactly what he was signing up for.
- He told Hudson he watches the show, and she has said he agreed so quickly it made her head spin.
- One said Cruise appearing on it was a big deal that elevates the whole series.
- It also shows how much an actor with ‘Digger’ to promote is willing to lean into a good bit.
- It has grown into a viral sensation and even a barometer of a celebrity’s cultural standing, so a Tom Cruise Spirit Tunnel moment was always going to be an event.
- But don’t be surprised if Anne Hathaway takes out Tom Cruise head-to-head to claim her third box office win of the year.
- Just one more day, the countdown to Tom Cruise doing the spirit tunnel is upon us.
- And, ahead of the episode’s release, the program released footage of Cruise participating in the popular spirit tunnel.
- “I was like, ‘Tom, could you imagine your Spirit Tunnel. What do you think they’re going to sing for you?’” Hudson said, shooting her shot.
- “I have never had something that could challenge me in this way, and neither has Alejandro,” Cruise said about starring in the black comedy.
- (Sure, some of his hand claps are off-beat, but Cruise is just as gleefully game here as he is to doing his own stunts in the “Mission: Impossible” movies.) Likewise, “Digger,” in theaters Friday, is a massive test of Cruise’s dedication.