Ben Stiller Reveals Tom Cruise’s Two Bizarre Requests for TROPIC THUNDER

When Tom Cruise signed on for Tropic Thunder he had some very specific, and pretty bizarre requests. Ben Stiller recently shared the details during an interview with Conan O’Brien.

Stiller, who directed and starred in the film, recalled that Cruise had two must-haves for his character, Les Grossman, the aggressive, foul-mouthed Hollywood executive overseeing the disastrous production at the heart of the movie.

Stiller revealed: "He wanted to have big, thick forearms that were hairy. And he wanted to dance."

I think it’s hilarious that Cruise was fixated on exaggeratedly hairy forearms and a dance number. But hey, it worked!

Cruise’s Grossman became one of the most talked-about parts of the film, with his over-the-top acting and explosive tirades stealing every scene he was in.

But according to Stiller, the Mission: Impossible star was originally supposed to play an entirely different role… his role, actually.

Stiller said: "I originally was asking him to play my part in the movie. And he had an idea about playing a studio executive.

“And so we went back and came up with Les Grossman, and it changed the whole plot of the movie. But made it so much better."

Tropic Thunder boasted a stacked cast that also included Jack Black, Robert Downey Jr., Steve Coogan, Nick Nolte, Jay Baruchel, Danny McBride, Bill Hader, and Matthew McConaughey.

While everyone was awesome in the film, Cruise’s unhinged studio exec remains one of the film’s most surprising and unforgettable parts of the movie. I mean, no one was expecting that from Tom Cruise!