Tom Cruise’s Drastic Transformation Leaves Fans Stunned at How Unrecognizable He Looks
Tom Cruise’s on-screen roles are getting him recognition from more than just fans and entertainment awards shows.
On Dec. 17, the “Top Gun” actor was awarded the Department of the Navy Distinguished Public Service (DPS) Award by the U.S. Navy in London. Cruise received the accolade for his “contributions” to the Navy and Marine Corps through the roles he has played throughout his career.
The award is the highest honor any civilian outside of the Navy can receive. In a statement, it said that because of Cruise’s work in the film industry, “recruitment for Navy pilots surged in the late 1980s and early 1990s.”
According to IMDb, Top Gun was the highest-grossing film of 1986. Cruise reprised his role as Lt. Pete “Maverick” Mitchell in “Top Gun: Maverick”. The film was released in May 2022 and ended up becoming the fifth highest-grossing film of all time by September. According to Box Office Mojo, it now sits at number 13 for highest-grossing films of all time.
During the ceremony, Cruise expressed gratitude by acknowledging his peers who helped bring his characters to life, not only for entertainment but also to inspire those who want to serve.
He said, “I’m happy I have been able to be a source of inspiration to many of the sailors who serve today or have served in the past. The effort was not just on my end, but the cast and crew I got to work with on all our sets. They are what really bring the work to life.”
Secretary Del Toro said, “It was an honor to present Tom Cruise with a Defense Public Service award for his decades of naval advocacy through many movies. His work has inspired generations to serve in our Navy and Marine Corps.”
A photo was taken of Cruise holding up his safely encased medal with a smile. His face looked swollen, prompting fans to notice he didn’t look like himself.
After being posted on several media outlets, comments came piling in from fans that were less interested in his medal and more concerned with his appearance.
Some people insinuated that Cruise had some cosmetic work done. “yikes! botched fillers & tox [sic],” one person said, commenting on ABC News’ Instagram post, followed by another commenter who wrote, “I hate to say this but that doesn’t look like Tom Cruise.” Gossip blogger Perez Hilton made similar accusations. He commented, “Tom Cruise got attacked by fillers!”
“What happened to his face asking for a friend,” a concerned fan asked.
Another joked, “Looks like he saved one of the old Mission Impossible masks and threw it in the microwave before awards ceremony.”
On People magazine’s Instagram page, someone else asked, “Why did he suddenly age 30yrs overnight in these pics?”
Several other people said the 62-year-old was starting to look like another actor. “He looks like he had surgery to look like Jason Bateman but the Temu version,” said a fourth person.
Cruise has not commented on any plastic surgery rumors.
