Actress Gina Gershon detailed what it was like working with Tom Cruise, revealing she almost broke his nose on set. The pair starred opposite each other in the 1988 romantic comedy, Cocktail, which tells the story of Cruise's character, business student Brian Flanagan, who becomes a bartender to make ends meet. Gershon, 64, portrayed Coral, who has a love scene with Cruise's character.
Chemistry and a Near Accident
During a recent appearance on Vanessa Feltz's Channel 5 show, The P.S. I Love You star opened up about the chemistry she shared with the Hollywood actor after they first met. She said: "We had met when he had turned 21 and I was at his birthday party. I was really attracted to him. We had a thing. By the time I got cast, he had just gotten married."
"We had a great chemistry and the idea of what the scene was supposed to be was kind of dumb so we said let's do this instead. He was so protective over me and so sweet."
However, while on set preparing for an intimate scene, Gershon revealed she almost broke her co-star's nose after he tickled her. She added: "I kicked him in the nose by accident because he tickled me and I told him not to because I'm really ticklish. He could not have been a more perfect gentleman and just the greatest scene partner."
Supportive Co-Star
The Riverdale star opened up further about their intimate scene during an interview with The Guardian last year, praising Cruise, 64, for being supportive during such a vulnerable moment. She shared: "I almost broke his nose. I had never done a love scene before and it was going to be with Tom Cruise. I thought: God, I get paid for this. He was so cute. I had a crush on him immediately. He was very protective and very much a gentleman, saying, 'Let’s keep you covered.' He was very concerned."
Gershon recalled how supportive Cruise was during their intimate scenes. She continued: "Originally, we were supposed to be running around naked, but I thought: I don’t wanna do that. That seems dumb. I suggested, 'Why don’t you go down on me under the covers? Then when you pop up, it’ll be a surprise.'"
"He loved the idea, but I’d told him I was very ticklish, because he had started to tickle me earlier. I said, 'Just don’t do that. I lose control because I was tortured as a child by my brother.'"
"Right before the take, he was down there and grabbed my waist in a tickly, sweet manner. I didn’t mean to, but I had a kneejerk reaction right into his nose. It was full of blood. I thought: I just broke Tom Cruise's nose. I will never work in Hollywood again." She added: "I was mortified because I really kicked him good. I didn’t mean to. He said, 'Nope. My bad. You warned me.' I remember thinking: this guy is a movie star. He deserves everything he gets. He was just so kind and so sweet with me in a situation where I was quite vulnerable. I’m glad he was my first."
