Tom Cruise Finally Gets His Oscar At Star-Packed Governors Awards Gala In Hollywood

After four and a half decades in front of the camera, Sunday night at the 16th Governors Awards it was finally time for arguably the world’s biggest movie star to get his long-deserved Academy Award. Nominated three times for acting, and now receiving the Oscar for “his unwavering commitment to our filmmaking community, his vital support of the theatrical experience, and his unmatched body of work,” Tom Cruise accepted what presenter Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu said would not be his last Oscar. He may know something because Inarritu is currently editing Cruise’s most recent film, still untitled, for Warner Bros. release next year. During a conversation a few days ago for an upcoming episode of my Deadline video series, The Actor’s Side, I asked Jesse Plemons, a co-star in that film about the experience of working with him. Without hesitation, and with much praise, he simply said, “he’s still got it!” Could Cruise follow Henry Fonda and his The Color Of Money co-star Paul Newman and do what they did by winning a competitive Best Actor Oscar the year after the Academy gave them Honorary Awards? Could be from what I have heard.

The terrific film reel producer Jennifer Fox and her team put together was mind boggling to be sure and really showed the remarkable breadth of Cruise’s talent. He has been called the “last movie star” and he may well be. This is still a guy who hasn’t done television, doesn’t succumb to the paychecks of streaming movies, and genuinely believes in the theatrical experience. The standing ovation in the room at the Ray Dolby Ballroom at Hollywood and Highland was truly thunderous. It wasn’t lost on him as he spread the credit around. “A single performance is built by communities who pass that knowledge, hand to hand, set to set, generation to generations. Extraordinary directors, extraordinary writers and actors and editors, cinematographers and designers and stunt teams film crews, all with their imagination,” he said. “Studios, talent agencies, the theater exhibitors, everyone here who make it possible for audiences to gather and experience something together. And the audiences themselves, because without you, none of this has meaning. So this evening, I cannot name all of those who shared and shaped my life, my work, with giving me this opportunity to have this amazing adventure.”

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He also said he hoped that maybe there’s a kid out there who will be inspired by him, by the kid he was who had to figure out a way, any way to get into that movie theatre and see worlds they never imagined. Front and center sitting near Cruise was his Minority Report and War Of The Worlds director Steven Spielberg who, as I caught up with him as he was leaving the ballroom, stopped to tell me how moved he was by the evening and that he first met Cruise way back when the future superstar was making an early film, Risky Business. “Geffen introduced me to him,” he said of his partner in founding Dreamworks and producer of that film.

The Cruise tribute was certainly a highlight of the night, but as is the case every year, it wasn’t the only highlight because there were three other honorees. The evening began with the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award presentation to Dolly Parton who couldn’t attend due to medical reasons but seemed her effervescent self in the brief taped acceptance she sent, shiny new Oscar in hand for all her philanthropic work. Her 9 To 5 co-star Lily Tomlin presided over it but had a rough encounter with the teleprompter, explaining she suffers from double vision and couldn’t make out the words. Although she made us laugh along with her at the efforts to get the words off the prompter and into her mouth it was awkward. Andra Day closed out the segment singing a soaring version of a Parton signature song, Jolene.

Octavia Spencer, wisely foregoing the prompter, brought her own notes in presenting to the great artisan Wynn Thomas, the first Black production designer to make a mark on the profession, but who proudly emphasized he only made it because he was good. He received an Honorary Oscar “in recognition of artistic innovation, visionary eye, and lasting influence in the field of production design.” He thanked many of the directors he has worked with frequently, notably Spike Lee and Ron Howard who both appeared on tape to sing his praises. In an eloquent speech Thomas thanked two special women in his life – his mother and grandmother. “I tell you this because those two women instilled in me a sense of determination and fearlessness that has never left me, that has helped me navigate the barriers and complexities of show business,” he said. “These two simple, working class women, my mom, and my grandmother, these two women who never understood this art thing that I was telling them about, these two women who never understood what set design was, these two women who had no idea who Chekhov or Fellini were, but these two women that were willing to let me go so that I could make the journey that would take me around the world and bring it to you.”

Debbie Allen was also honored by presenter Cynthia Erivo handing her an Honorary Oscar inscribed for “her career as a trailblazing choreographer and actor. Her work across multiple disciplines has captivated and inspired generations.” Allen got a very warm reception for her long career which includes a record 17 times choreographing the Oscar show alone, but also making her mark in films like Fame, Jo Jo Dancer, Amistad and many others. “I want to thank the Academy, the Board Of Governors for this glorious golden moment in the sun with Oscar,” she said in the beginning of her remarks, and then at the end kidded that she just may marry Oscar now. “Everything that I’ve done and continue to do, I have not done alone. I had masters and mentors that have trained me, encouraged me, criticized me, given me the opportunity, uplifted me and helped me become the person that you’re celebrating tonight. And I want to say thank you to those Masters,” she said before going on to mention many from Alvin Ailey to Spielberg, to whom she brought that story of Amistad, suggesting it had to be made for the movies.

I have been to every single one of the 16 Governors Awards shows established by the Academy to provide more of a spotlight and proper time for these special awards than they could on the Academy Award broadcast. I even wrote the 2nd Governors Awards. Fox has now produced it seven times and it never loses the mission of what it is all about, bringing the community together to honor those who have achieved the heights in their particular corner of the industry, and to serve as an inspirational reminder of why they chose this business in the first place.

And then there is another reason this has become such a special can’t miss night on the calender: the current Oscar campaign season. All the studios buy tables and fill them with contenders who are in the conversation, and this year was no different. In fact the Academy has described the evening, at least in part, as the kickoff for the Oscar season that will end on March 15th at the Dolby Theatre and the Governors Ball right back in this same ballroom. When I told first time attendee and Frankenstein co-star Jacob Elordi the Academy considers this the start of the season, he asked “then what have I been doing the last three months already?” Indeed most in the room have been on the trail for quite a while, at least since the fall festivals in late summer. Colin Farrell, here for the second time, described the packed pre-reception in the courtyard entrance as “atomic,” but was thankful the glad handing calmed down once inside where you could catch up with colleagues and, well, talk movies.

I stumbled on to a great conversation between a couple of directors with current movies about movies, Jay Kelly’s Noah Baumbach and Nouvelle Vague’s Richard Linklater. They were arguing who was better: Truffaut or Godard. When I joined we started reeling off our favorites of each, and then Sentimental Value’s Joaquim Trier walked by, heard the conversation, and gave his two cents, before Sony Pictures Classics’ Michael Barker piped in he once attended a conference with both Truffaut and Godard expressing opinions about each other’s movies. It was that kind of night.

I was introduced to singer Aiyana-Lee who has a song in Spike Lee’s Highest To Lowest, and while we talking Spielberg walked by and unknowingly had his foot on her very long gown. I told her, “Steven Spielberg is standing on your dress.” She seemed thrilled. I had just done the same thing to Sentimental Value’s Renate Reinsve. It is a great conversation ice breaker at these things. Roadside Attraction’s head Howard Cohen was freaking out after reading three Sunday articles that all seemed to predict the apocalypse for the movie industry, with one surveying theatres across the country and finding they were empty. I told him don’t take the cyanide yet, Wicked For Good opens Friday. In that regard, Universal’s Donna Langley told me she is extremely proud of this conclusion to the biggest boxoffice Broadway movie adaptation ever.

I caught up with Guillermo del Toro, said hi to Adam Sandler and his wife Jackie who is starring in a movie on her own now. Sydney Sweeney was there taking it all in, Jennifer Lopez and Leonardo DiCaprio were (separately) greeting friends as I passed by them. Kathryn Bigelow told me she talked to Senator Markey who was deeply affected by her nuclear warning movie, A House Of Dynamite which should be required viewing by every world leader. Kate Winslet and her son, Joe Anders were at the Netflix table. Winslet is making her directorial debut with Goodbye June, which was written by Anders and will debut December 12 in theaters and on Netflix Christmas eve. She is very proud of it and the great cast they put together. Meanwhile, Anders is also following in her footsteps acting in new versions of Cape Fear and East Of Eden. Ted Sarandos said he moderated a conversation with del Toro when they debuted Frankenstein in Mexico City a couple of weeks ago. Lots of talk. Lots of fun in Hollywood Sunday night.

It is a bit of an overwhelming task to “work” this room. Covering the Oscar trail you meet so many of these stars and filmmakers everywhere from film festivals to Q&As and interviews to the many many events along the way. This one, the first black tie gathering of the season, is definitely one that those lucky enough to be invited won’t soon forget.

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