Manager Eileen Berlin took a calculated chance when she agreed to help Tom Cruise with his career. Just 18 at the time, Cruise had recently moved to New York to pursue his acting dreams. But, like many just starting in the industry, he was working as a waiter to pay the bills, and the salary wasn’t enough to cover the rents in Manhattan even in the ’80s. A sympathetic Berlin and her husband let him stay with them while he looked for performing work. It was far from easy.
Berlin helped “Tommy” land his first plum role in 1983’s “Risky Business,” and her client immediately took advantage of his star power by writing out a list of demands. He insisted on getting a guaranteed “pay or play” $75,000 salary. Cruise also requested top billing on the film’s advertising (or second billing if the female lead was a bigger star), first-class flights and hotel during filming, reimbursement for health and gym expenses, and the “most favorable dressing room.” Recalled Berlin to the Daily Mail: “He was very self-centered. Everything revolved around ‘me.’”
Cruise’s talent and ambition quickly helped him rise to A-list status, which didn’t surprise Berlin at all. Still, there’s one thing she claims the actor hasn’t achieved: “What I have never seen is a real display of happiness in Tommy,” she said.
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