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  1. Entertainment
  2. Movies
  3. Comedy Movies
  4. tropic thunder

Tom Cruise had two bizarre requests for Tropic Thunder, according to Ben Stiller

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By Molly Edwards published 6 February 2025

Ben Stiller has revealed the two odd requests Tom Cruise had for his Tropic Thunder character

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Tom Cruise as Les Grossman in Tropic Thunder
(Image credit: Dreamworks)
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Tropic Thunder star and director Ben Stiller has revealed the bizarre requests Tom Cruise had for his character.

Cruise played Les Grossman in the movie, a studio executive with a bad temper who was producing the fictional Tropic Thunder film.

So what were Cruise's two requests? "He wanted to have big, thick forearms that were hairy," Stiller told Conan O'Brien, adding: "And he wanted to dance."

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Stiller went on to say that he originally wanted Cruise to play his own part in the movie, but ultimately, Cruise ended up having the idea for a studio executive character. "And so we went back and came up with Les Grossman, and it changed the whole plot of the movie," Stiller said. "But made it so much better."

Along with Cruise and Stiller, Tropic Thunder also stars Jack Black, Robert Downey Jr., Steve Coogan, Nick Nolte, Jay Baruchel, Danny McBride, Bill Hader, Matthew McConaughey, Brandon T. Jackson, Brandon Soo Hoo, and Reggie Lee.

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Stiller's latest project is Severance season 2, which is currently releasing on Apple TV Plus. "We had no idea if anybody would even watch or get [into it], but it's a different kind of thing when people had watched the show and really gotten into it," Stiller told us on a season 2 set visit. "The fans have gotten into it. So you do feel like you want to give them something that's worth the wait."

Severance season 2 continues weekly, and you can keep up with our Severance season 2 release schedule. For more, fill out your watchlist with our guide to the best shows on Apple TV Plus.

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Molly Edwards
Molly Edwards
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Senior Entertainment Writer

I'm a Senior Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, covering all things film and TV for the site's Total Film section. I previously worked on the Disney magazines team at Immediate Media, and also wrote on the CBeebies, MEGA!, and Star Wars Galaxy titles after graduating with a BA in English.

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