Cruise's religion not an issue, say co-stars
Eddie Izzard insisted today that Tom Cruise’s reputation as a strict Scientologist was not an issue when they worked together on Valkyrie.
The British comedian plays a Second World War German officer in the film about a conspiracy to assassinate Hitler and seize control of Germany from the Nazis, led by Colonel Stauffenberg, played by Cruise.
Izzard said: “He is a Scientologist and that’s fine and there are people who are Catholics and I have differences with what they think. I’m not sure exactly what the Scientologist thing is. Lots of people have different faiths. I personally don’t believe in any organised Gods because I don’t see any organisation in the way the world has progressed.
“And I always think if there was a God he would have flicked Hitler’s head off. He would have thought, hang on, this guy is going to take everyone out, I’ll flick his head off.
“So with Tom’s working method he wants to work hard, be focused and do a hard day’s work, which is what I like to do. And then we’d all get together and there’d be these big long meal that would go on, which was great.”
Bill Nighy, who plays another of the conspirators in the film, also dismissed Cruise’s religion.
Nighy said: “He was wonderful to work with, exemplary and I would have no idea what his system of belief was any more if he was a Jewish man or he had embraced Islam, any more than I would know what Eddie’s thoughts on God were.
“It was not a feature of the working experience. He was a dreamy guy to do business with, he was inspirational and courteous and generous to everyone around him.”
The cast and crew of Valkyrie admitted there were concerns about how the film would be received by German audiences.
Nighy said: “We were concerned that they should appreciate it obviously because it’s one of their big stories, it’s a treasure story. Although they have ambivalent feelings about the people involved but it is obviously a big story for them and a big responsibility.”
Tom Hollander, who plays Nazi officer Colonel Heinz Brandt in the thriller - directed by Bryan Singer and written and produced by Chris McQuarrie and Nathan Alexander – felt German people would never fully accept a Hollywood account of the events.
Hollander said: “I think in Germany it’s a tricky sell because it’s their story and it’s probably necessarily simplified because films do simplify things and this is entertaining.
“Chris and Bryan did want to do it very seriously, they did want to tell the truth and Tom Cruise was very aware of wanting to tell the story correctly.
“All of that said, I don’t think we can ever tell it well enough for a German audience, because they know the story and the idea that an English speaking Hollywood version takes their story is probably quite tricky for them.”
McQuarrie and Alexander said they thought of the film as “unmakeable” after writing it as they struggled to get interest from studios and then to get permission to film in Berlin.
McQuarrie said: “There were people [in Germany] that were rightfully concerned that this group of people were going to come in and exploit the story.
“I wouldn’t have believed it either if somebody had called and said ’We’re a bunch of Americans that want to come and tell the story about Germans that weren’t Nazis and Tom Cruise is in it and Bryan Singer is directing it and we’re going to be accurate.’ We understood everybody was a little apprehensive.”
But they were delighted with the response at the German premiere last night.
Nighy said: “At the German premiere which went extremely well there was a marvellous moment when Tom Cruise and the film received a standing ovation for three minutes which for Tom Cruise, I think is great. It’s a marvellous thing, very satisfying. It validates all the enormous amount of work he’s put in because he’s willed this film into existence.”
Izzard added: “And the German actors who were in our cast were saying ’This doesn’t happen’ – three minute standing ovations. And they’ve seen all the politics go down.
“It’s tracking through the roof in Germany. I think they’re all going to go and see it whether they like it or not.
“I think they’ll go and see it because it’s a big international film where the Germans go and kill Hitler, and they’re just not out there.
“For the German kids it’s the first time a film is going to be out like that, that they can watch with Germans trying to kill Hitler, which I think is great.
“And the Brits can get into it because it’s a load of British actors.”
