Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Live Today

Cruise, Spielberg Team Up for 'Minority Report'

Aired June 19, 2002 - 10:54   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Take one box office star like Tom Cruise, add in a little action, little adventure, and mix carefully under the direction of Steven Spielberg, and you might have the recipe for a moviegoer's treat.

CNN's Janine Sharell takes a look now at "Minority Report."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JANINE SHARELL, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: It is an almost daunting marquee. Steven Spielberg is behind the scenes, with Tom Cruise as the driving force of "Minority Report."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK, Jed (ph), what's coming?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Red ball (ph). Double homicide. One male, one female. Killer is male...

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SHARELL: The fictional, futuristic world they paint is one where there is no crime, no murder, and Cruise's character makes sure of it, arresting wrongdoers before they do wrong.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I am placing you under arrest for the future murder of Sarah Marks (ph).

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Give the man his hat (ph).

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SHARELL (on camera): When your name is attached to a project and Spielberg, automatically there have got to be so many expectations out there, and so much pressure.

TOM CRUISE, ACTOR: You always want to be on your game, but, you know, we felt it. We -- you know, I wanted to impress him, you know, and be there for him, and -- and just give him everything he needed and wanted. And I was just so excited to have that opportunity to work with him. I mean, I was just -- I couldn't believe it. SHARELL: He asked you to dance five times...

(LAUGHTER)

SHARELL: Come on.

CRUISE: It's got to be -- you know, it has got to be the right dance, and you know, and so we've come very close.

SHARELL (voice-over): Now, usually, the Oscar-winning director chooses for himself who will star in his films, but this time around, it was the star who chose him.

(on camera): The "Trades" was interesting. They said, "Cruise Taps Spielberg to Direct." What does it mean when you tap him? I mean, just -- you're it? What do you do?

CRUISE: You do. I just -- we just sent him the script, and he called us and said, "yes, I'm interested and want to do it." And I was like...

STEVEN SPIELBERG, DIRECTOR, "MINORITY REPORT": It's better working with close friends. You know the language. You speak each other's language. There is very little pussy footing around an issue.

SHARELL (voice-over): Despite their friendship, or maybe because of it, Spielberg insisted on having the last word when it came to Cruise's daring stunts.

CRUISE: He was always very conscious and he is very protective of me. He said, you OK? You OK? Say, yes, yes, I am all right, I am all right.

SPIELBERG: That's all I need. Thank you, great.

SHARELL: As Cruise stands on the cusp of his 40th birthday, he sports braces on that famous grin that graces magazines everywhere. With a well publicized divorce now behind him, and a romance with Penelope Cruz in full swing, the actor waxes poetic on his life -- the private and the public.

CRUISE: It is pretty incredible what has happened to me in my life. Really -- I mean, truly extraordinary, and it's something that I do take time to reflect, and I appreciate what has happened.

Janine Sharell, CNN, Hollywood.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com