Tom Cruise is one of the biggest movie stars in the world, but did you know he turned down The Simpsons not once, but twice?
The first time was in 1993, during Season 4. The show’s writers created a special character named Tom for an episode called Brother from the Same Planet. In the story, Bart lies and says his dad left him, so he can get a new “older brother.” The character was cool, drove a motorcycle, and was clearly written with Tom Cruise in mind. At the time, Cruise was super famous for movies like A Few Good Men and The Firm. The producers really wanted him to do the voice, but even though he liked the show, he kept saying no. In the end, the voice was done by Phil Hartman, and the episode was still a big hit.
The second time was in Season 10, in the episode When You Criticize a Star. In that story, Homer becomes friends with movie stars Alec Baldwin and Kim Basinger. But originally, the show wanted Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman. At the time, Cruise and Kidman were filming Eyes Wide Shut, and their real-life relationship was having problems. So again, Tom said no.
Even though many stars have appeared on The Simpsons, Tom Cruise is one of the few who turned them down. But who knows? Maybe one day he’ll say yes.
