Tom Cruise knocked out Rob Lowe during filming of The Outsiders, Rob claims

Virgin Radio

17 Jul 2024, 11:04

Hollywood heavyweights, Tom Cruise and Rob Lowe, once sparred in a hotel hallway during the filming of the Francis Ford Coppola classic.

Move over Mission: Impossible stunts – Tom Cruise was delivering knockout punches long before Ethan Hunt was even a twinkle in Hollywood's eye!

Rob Lowe recently dished on The Rich Eisen Show about a time when he and Cruise turned a hotel hallway into their own personal boxing ring while filming the 1983 cult classic, The Outsiders.

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Recalling those wild days of youth, Lowe painted a vivid picture of teenage testosterone and hotel hi-jinks.

“He’s so competitive that we used to box in the hallway of the hotel we were staying during The Outsiders,” the Parks and Recreation star laughed.

“So much testosterone. We’re 18-year-old guys stuck on location. So we would wear headgear and we’d have mouthpieces in, but we would legitimately spar.”

In the film, Lowe played the ever-compassionate Sodapop Curtis, while Cruise took on the role of the cocky car enthusiast, Steve Randle.

Off-screen, however, their dynamic was anything but gentle. Lowe confessed that, compared to Cruise’s jacked physique, he had 'pipe cleaner' arms.

“Tom is like, this beast,” Lowe said. “But I hit him real clean and I rang his bell. And the next thing I knew, I woke up and I was coming to on the floor. He’d, like, completely knocked me out.”

So what drove Cruise to channel his inner Rocky Balboa? According to Lowe, it was his fierce competitiveness.

“I hit him hard, like his eyes just went black,” Lowe recalled.

“But that’s the stuff we did, that’s what guys do, it’s like Fight Club.” Who knew that behind Cruise’s charming smile was the heart of a prizefighter?

The Outsiders, based on S. E. Hinton’s iconic novel, was a breeding ground for future stars. Alongside Lowe and Cruise, the cast featured Patrick Swayze, Ralph Macchio, Matt Dillon, Emilio Estevez, and C. Thomas Howell.

But it seems Cruise’s drive and intensity were apparent even back then. In a 2020 interview on the Armchair Expert With Dax Shepard podcast, Lowe shared another gem about Cruise’s fiery spirit.

When the two actors discovered they were sharing a room at The Plaza Hotel in New York City, Cruise was less than thrilled.

“Tom finds out that we’re sharing a room, and just goes ballistic,” Lowe said.

“To me, what’s great about the story is: There’s certain people who have always been who they are, and that element of them has powered them to where they are today, and the rest is history.”

The incident left quite an impression on Lowe, who couldn’t help but admire Cruise’s determination.

He explained: “And the notion that an 18-year-old actor with a walk-on part in Endless Love, and like, a seventh lead in Taps, could have that kind of, like, wherewithal? I remember going, ‘Wow, this guy is the real deal.’”

Despite the 'gnarly' moment, Lowe saw the humour in it. “But at the end, you can’t argue with the results. He’s had his eye on the ball since day one,” he added.

While Rob Lowe went on to charm audiences in The West Wing and Parks and Recreation, Cruise became the action hero extraordinaire in the Mission: Impossible franchise.

But before they were Hollywood legends, they were just two teens, duking it out in hotel hallways and dreaming of the big time.