Cruise also repeatedly said that he doesn’t particularly enjoy talking about himself. “It’s a constant challenge of one step to the next,” he said. “And things that I’ve never talked about — the things that I’ve done and why and what I’m exploring — have been very deliberate. I’m exploring my skill, learning new skills, constantly pushing myself. When you’re looking at it, it’s story, it’s character. It’s: How do you make Top Gun a sequel? That has its own challenge. Those are the things that have always fascinated me, always interested me. Less about talking about myself, believe me.”
Cruise doesn’t tend to ruminate on the past. “I look back to evaluate how I can do things better. Where I’m going, ‘What worked and what didn’t work?’ I can look back at things in a joyful way,” he said. “I’m looking at history. I’m looking at what worked previously. We’re now going back to older lenses, and we’re looking at how do we get that look and how do we get this today and where are we moving forward? I’m not someone who lives in the past. Do you know what I’m saying? I’m not stuck in the past.”
