A Few Good Men is a classic courtroom drama with a modern twist. The credit for its success goes to its stellar cast — which includes actors like Tom Cruise, Demi Moore, Jack Nicholson, Kevin Pollak, and more.
Tom Cruise and Demi Moore in a still from A Few Good Men
Directed by Rob Reiner, it explores the distinction between obeying orders and listening to one’s conscience. In the movie, Cruise plays a bold Navy attorney, Daniel Kaffee, paired with a gung-ho litigator (portrayed by Moore) in a political murder case.
A Few Good Men earned four Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture. The movie is already known for its Oscar nomination and ensemble cast. The chemistry between the cast members was so homely. Kevin Pollak, the actor who portrayed Lt. Sam Weinberg in the movie, spoke about his experience when big stars like Tom Cruise and Demi Moore were so sweet to him on the set.
Kevin Pollak Said Tom Cruise Created a Comfortable Atmosphere For Him on Set
Kevin Pollak with Tom Cruise
Working with the Hollywood icons in Reiner’s 1992 film was all rainbows and unicorns for Kevin Pollak. In a column in The US Sun, Pollak shared that Tom Cruise immediately made him feel comfortable when they first met in his trailer. They often shared jokes on set during breaks between takes. The actor went on to say:
“I remember being in the make-up trailer and telling somebody that it was my eighth film and Tom overheard and said, ‘This is your eighth already? Man, I’ve only done six!’ And I said, ‘Tom, you’ve starred in six films, you’re a movie star. I’ve acted in eight, as a character actor.
It all seemed quite unbelievable to Pollak because Cruise (the giant movie star) treated him as his equal within the first nine seconds of their meeting. He also said that his inner stand-up comedian couldn’t resist teasing the Hollywood star about whatever he felt like because they “became equals and friends within two hours.”
Kevin Pollak Faced Challenge Yelling at Sweet Demi Moore On-Set
Tom Cruise, Demi Moore, and Kevin Pollak in A Few Good Men
Kevin Pollak’s bond with male actors was evident, which caught the attention of their female co-star — Demi Moore. He said in the same column of The US Sun:
“She really wanted to look after us and would bring in special treats and cakes for the whole crew.
In one of the big scenes in the film, the actor was supposed to shout at Demi Moore‘s character after a courtroom mistake. But his attempts at the scene didn’t meet expectations — which increased Pollak’s anxieties about being “found out” as a non-actor. He couldn’t make it because he had to lay into Demi Moore’s character:
“She’s so lovely and wonderful, and we had a scene where I’m supposed to turn on Demi and yell at her and be really angry, but all I could see was this sweet, sweet wonderful face of hers and I couldn’t get it right.”
Pollak couldn’t make it in the scene because Moore was always too sweet to him, and whenever he tried to perform the act, he got distracted by her sweet, innocent face.
Watch A Few Good Men in Prime Video.
Source: The US Sun