Schmooze Cruise

Hollywood mainstay Tom Cruise grinned his way through another outing in the West End yesterday, at the glitzy premiere of new crime-thriller, Collater

17:21 03 September 2004

Hollywood mainstay Tom Cruise grinned his way through another outing in the West End yesterday, at the glitzy premiere of new crime-thriller, Collateral.

Crowds were out in force to catch a glimpse of the 42 year-old star who spent over two-and-a-half hours signing autographs and meeting fans after arriving in a replica Los Angeles taxi-cab.

Cruise, a notoriously selective figure when it comes to his dealings with the British press after enduring some of its worst elements during his break up from then wife Nicole Kidman when he was living in Dulwich, is fast gaining a reputation for wowing the crowds at his glitzy movie premieres.

According to reports one girl had her dreams come true when Cruise proposed to her on behalf of her boyfriend, via mobile phone.

Collateral, directed by Heat helmsman Michael Mann, tells the story of two strangers Vincent and Max whose lives are turned upside-down after a chance meeting, with Cruise playing against type as a contract killer hired to kill five people involved in a messy trial.

"I like finding a good character and playing that," he commented. "I enjoyed playing Vincent and I enjoyed playing Algren in The Last Samurai. They were both challenging in different ways," he added.