Jul 16, 2006 5:14 pm US/Central
Tom Cruise Pleasantly Surprises Spielberg, Chicago
Movie Star On Hand As Director Honored By Chicago Film Festival
by Bill Zwecker
CHICAGO (CBS) ―
Tom Cruise put to rest rumors that he's feuding with Steven Spielberg by making a surprise appearance here in Chicago on Saturday.
Tom Cruise loves to make a big splash in Chicago. It was in the Windy City that the actor hopped on a couch during Oprah Winfrey's show to declare his love for Katie Holmes.
And it was at the Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers on Saturday night that he showed up unannounced to surprise filmmaker Steven Spielberg, who was receiving a lifetime achievement award.
Spielberg, 59, was accepting the Golden Hugo award from the Chicago Film Festival when Cruise surprised his old pal as he handed him the award. Cruise then talked about his love for Spielberg's films.
"I had the great pleasure of meet Steven. And you took me to dinner when I was a young actor," Cruise said. "I've seen every one of his films many, many times. I actually study his films."
It has been rumored that Spielberg and Cruise had a falling out after Spielberg allegedly felt Cruise talked too much about Scientology and personal life during the promotion for last summer's "War of the Worlds."
Feud or no feud, Spielberg was happy to come to Chicago on Saturday (even though he's never made a film here) because 800 people were honoring him -- and he honored the fact that the Chicago Film Festival discovers new talent.
"The Golden Hugo is basically the mythological figure, Hugo, is the god of discovery," Spielberg told CBS 2's Bill Zwecker on Saturday. "And it's something this festival has contributed to our business by bringing so many amazing filmmakers into…popularity."
Spielberg also said some of the best people in his life have ties to Chicago. His protégé Robert Zemeckis is a Chicago native. And Spielberg's long-time director of photography, Janusz Kaminski, studied at Columbia College.
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