Tom Cruise\’s Deleted Role Inspired Patrick Bateman in \”American Psycho\”

Director Mary Harron mentioned she wished he could have been part of the movie, but playfully noted she probably wouldn’t have managed to cast Tom Cruise in such an appalling project.

Though
Tom Cruise
doesn\’t appear in
American Psycho
His presence casts a shadow over the narrative.

The author of
the novel
that director
Mary Harron
turned into the 2000 classic,
Bret Easton Ellis
, seamlessly integrated Cruise into the existence of his aggressive and self-obsessed main character, Patrick Bateman. The book reveals that Cruise and Bateman reside in the same apartment complex, a situation which makes Bateman feel alternately pleased and repulsed. However, during the adaptation for the screen, the unpredictable
Top Gun
The actor did not make the last list.

In a recent discussion with
Letterboxd
, Harron joked she and the creative team behind
American Psycho
I love the Tom Cruise aspect, but we wouldn’t have been able to get Tom Cruise involved in such an appalling project like this.
American Psycho
!\”

However, she mentions that Cruise still had a crucial part in the movie.

Harron remembered what her portrayal of Patrick Bateman was like.
Christian Bale
, found inspiration for the character in the
Jerry Maguire
The star mentioned that Bale once told him, \”\’I watched Tom Cruise on a talk show recently, and I noticed his amiability, yet there seemed to be an emptiness behind those friendly looks.\’\”

In Ellis\’ 1991 novel, Cruise has a notable cameo where Bateman enters an elevator to go up to his luxurious penthouse. \”Just as the doors are about to close, someone gets in,” Ellis describes. “Instinctively, I turn to greet them, and it’s the actor Tom Cruise.”

Ellis, through Bateman, characterizes the actor as being \”considerably shorter in real life.\” Battling with unease, Bateman interrupts the \”clearly tense quietness\” to comment, \”I found you impressive in \’Bartender.\’ I thought it turned out to be a rather decent film,\”
Top Gun
I truly believed that was well done.

\”It was called
Cocktail
Not Bartender. The movie went by that title.
Cocktail
Cruise responds. Their interrupted dialogue flounders over Bateman’s minor error, an oversight that grows larger within his malevolent thoughts. Despite multiple failed tries to resume their talk, Cruise ultimately departs from Bateman, leaving him with this remark as he ascends higher towards his apartment at the top of the building: “Uh… your nose is bleeding.”

Although Ellis\’ book and Harran\’s movie differ significantly in many aspects, they both emphasize the stark contrast depicted in this particular scene—the immense gap between Bateman’s inflated ego and his divine self-perception, and the “nerdy and absurd” person he actually is, as described by Harran.

Harron has earlier talked about what inspired Bale,
nothing in an interview from 2009
(via
Comic Book Resources
that she believed it was Cruise making an appearance
David Letterman
\’s
Late Show
specifically what he focused on.

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Around the time Bale was seeing him on the talk show circuit, Cruise depicted some of the most unsettling roles of his career, including a narcissistic self-help guru.
Magnolia
and a man found himself entangled in a perilous network of cult-like activities
Eyes Wide Shut
.

Bale garnered praise from critics for his role in
American Psycho
, but the film, like the novel, caused plenty of controversy.
Entertainment Weekly
reported in 1990 that
Ellis\’ book was dumped
published by Simon & Schuster because of its \”violent and misogynistic material.\” Ten years afterward, EW reported once more on
demonstrations initiated against the movie
– Even before its theatrical release, the movie had started gaining traction. However, it has continued to attract more followers over time, resulting in a sequel and even a
Broadway adaptation
in 2016.

EW has contacted representatives for both Cruise and Bale.

Read the initial article on
Entertainment Weekly