Tom Cruise: what did the actor look like in his first role?

Do you know the first role of Tom Cruise? His first appearance on screen dates back to 1979, when he was only 17 years old, in a role that (already) highlights his appearance.

Adapted from the eponymous novel by Scott Spencer published the same year, the film is called An infinite love, and tells the passionate love between two teenagers in the suburbs of Chicago. The main roles are played by Brooke Shields (La Petite, Le Lagon bleu, Jane the Virgin) and Martin Hewitt (Out of control). The feature film was released two years after its shooting, in July 1981 in the United States and in August 81 in France.

The name of Tom Cruise appears 18th in the credits to interpret Billy, who we discover playing football then taking a sunbath. He wears very short denim shorts and a tank top that he quickly removes to expose his bare chest.

Billy tells the hero played by Hewitt that when he was eight he set fire to some damp newspapers and when he was found by his mother she thought he was trying to put out the fire and the took for a hero.

This is the actor’s only scene in the film, but it turns out to be decisive for the main character who, to take revenge on his girlfriend’s parents who take a dim view of their union, decides to set fire to their house following Billy’s story.

These days, Endless Love is best known for the debut of Tom Cruise or Ian Ziering (Steve of Beverly Hills) or the track from its soundtrack performed by Lionel Richie and Diana Ross (Endless Love) than for its cinematographic qualities.

However, this drama is directed by Franco Zeffirelli, a specialist in love stories made impossible by the family since he had brought Romeo and Juliet (1968) to the screen and was going to continue with La Traviata (1982). Moreover, he supervised the production of many adaptations of tragic operas. Alas, he fails to give the breath it takes to the plot which, stretched over two hours, struggles to excite.

The love scenes will earn the first cut of the film an X rating in the United States, before it is reviewed and corrected in order to be demoted to “R”, i.e. a ban on children under 17 not accompanied by a an adult.

What’s the worst Tom Cruise movie according to your ratings (and it’s not Endless Love)?