Tom Cruise was burned out. The previous day's shooting on The Color of Money, a sequel to The Hustler, in which he costars with Paul Newman, had run into the early hours of an icy Chicago morning. Now, what the 23-year-old actor wanted most was some sack time. But it would have to wait. Instead, in preparation for his talk with Contributing Editor David Rensin, Cruise had reserved a suite at the Ritz-Carbon and had ordered coffee, tea, orange juice, croissants and assorted fruits. He wore cuffed and pleated slacks, a red shirt and cowboy boots. His hair was cut close, and he spouted a gold-plated stud in his pierced left ear." It's something my character, Vincent, wears," he offered. "After this is all over, I may just let the hole close up."

Q 1

PLAYBOY: Once and for all: Are you part of the Brat Pack?

Tom Cruise: It's something that the press made up. I want no part of that or this Brat Pack. Putting me in there is absolutely absurd and it pisses me off, because I work hard and then some guy just slaps me together with everybody else. We're all different. Paul Newman said to me, "The only way you are going to survive is learning how to get thick-skinned about some things." If I seem angry now, it's because I've been working very hard, I'm tired and the whole thing is just so much bull. This used to bother me a lot more. But one morning I woke up and said, "Why am I giving these guys the power? Forget it."

Q 2

PLAYBOY: Do you have any free career advice for your peers?

Tom Cruise: Take big risks. You've got to. I'm constantly looking for material that will expand me. I want my characters to be fresh and real. Was it Spencer Tracy who said, "Acting is great. Just don't ever let anyone catch you doing it"? So it's a matter of constantly searching for characters who will let me explore different aspects of myself. What makes an actor's performance interesting is the choices. Once I've done something, I don't want to do it again. That just bores me. I like feeling nervous and excited about my roles. When I find good material, it wakes me up. It's exciting. But I always ask myself why I would want to do a film. What does it offer me? What do I have to offer it?

Q 3

PLAYBOY: You suggested that we ask you about the three stages of an actor's career. What are they?

Tom Cruise: This is classy. I'm stealing this from Newman. One day he comes to see me and says that the first stage of an actor's career is when he shows up on the set and says, "You should have seen the girl I was with last night. God. I didn't sleep. She was amazing." In the second stage, he's a leading man. He says, "You know, I found the most wonderful restaurant. You wouldn't believe the fish." By the third stage, he's a character actor. Now he says, "Oh, I had the most lovely bowel movement last night." Newman's a funny guy. We love telling each other jokes. We see who can tell the worst.

Q 4

PLAYBOY: What can an actor--like you--still in the first stage of his career learn from watching Newman? Ever watch him cook?

Tom Cruise: Mostly, I get the sense that there's a life beyond film. He's got a family. He's had the same wife for years. To a young actor, that's inspiring. Sometimes I'm working so much that I'm alone 95 percent of the time. It's tough having a relationship, because when I'm doing a film, that's all l think about. Now, I've done only eight films and Newman's done about 60. And with each film, I can feel myself becoming more and more relaxed; so seeing him, his ease and what he's achieved, makes me think that it's possible for me.

Yeah, I've watched him cook. He prepares cod and ham hocks and a fantastic steamed lobster.

Q 5

PLAYBOY: You get very involved in each film you make. Since there is usually a well-defined separation of powers in the movie business, how do you get your way? What kind of resistance have you encountered?

Tom Cruise: It's always seemed natural to me to be involved. I love movies. I'm really interested in the whole film process: editing, make-up, acting, how it gets to the screen. I like working closely with a director, and that means finding one I can trust. Paul Brickman, for example, who directed Risky Business, could really listen. When I worked with Ridley Scott on Legend, I went to script meetings and talked with the writer, William Hjortsberg.

Doing Top Gun is probably the best example. I don't like to be at the mercy of scripts already written. This script happened to have been written with me in mind. When I met with the producers, Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer, I told them I was interested in the project but that I wanted a couple of months to see where the script went and that I would commit to the film on that basis. At first, Don, who has a pretty good story sense, was a little apprehensive. But after a script meeting, he began to trust me. Eventually, I spent a lot of time going down to San Diego and the air base and coming back to L.A. with information for the script.

Now I have my own development deal at Columbia Pictures. It's what I've always wanted to do.