PLAYBOY: You had help from Axl Rose?s vocal coach. How do you develop an arena voice?
CRUISE: He was an opera singer who taught me how to control my voice. It?s like learning a new sport or a skill for a character. I had to find out how to move air through the vocal cords and where to place it in my head, in the chest. It?s something you have to do every day to strengthen your voice.
PLAYBOY: After singing 1980s rock anthems in front of a wild crowd in Rock of Ages, is it more fun to be Tom Cruise or Bruce Springsteen?
CRUISE: For Bruce, I?m sure it?s more fun to be Bruce. I like being me because making movies is all I ever wanted to do. But when I look at Bono, Springsteen, Bon Jovi or Axl Rose and hear the songs they wrote and how they perform them and the life they have, I have a greater appreciation. It takes so much work to get to that level.
PLAYBOY: It?s hard to take your character that seriously. He?s prone to theatrics, and his only real friend is a baboon.
CRUISE: He?s a slave to rock and roll. When he?s onstage, he gives it everything. Off it, he?s looking for soulful moments in odd ways, and that?s where the comedy comes in. We had this sweet love song, ?I Want to Know What Love Is,? and I?m falling in love with this girl. But it?s a sex scene, and that?s where it has to be funny, because it?s rock and roll. I read all this stuff about Led Zeppelin, the Stones, Axl Rose, Motley Crue and the groupies. My character has them, but suddenly there?s this sweet scene that changes everything. If it works, people will laugh and it?ll be emotional. This hard-rock guy is singing this romantic duet, falling in love with this woman. But since it?s rock and roll, he?s singing most of it to her backside.
For those who enjoy Tom, heres the full interview:
http://www.playboy.com/playground/interviews/playboy-interview-tom-cruise
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