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The Shawshank Redemptiondirector Frank Darabont opened up about meeting fantastic people in a callous industry like the film industry during a 2014 interview. He hated that the tabloids painted a bad picture of an actor like Tom Cruise without getting the full picture of how he is in real life. Darabont shared that people should ask his good friend Simon Pegg about the kind of human theMission: Impossibleactor was.
Darabont’s positive comments about the actor suggested that he had no bad blood against Cruise for rejectingThe Shawshank Redemption. Cruise was one of the frontrunners for the role of Andy Dufresne before Tim Robbins was cast in the film.
The Shawshank RedemptionDirector Bashed Tabloids For Going After Tom Cruise
Screenwriter-turned-directorFrank Darabonthad some brutally honest opinions about the industry when he appeared for an interview with The Independent in 2014. He was disappointed that the film industry had become just a business where people look to make money in any way possible. However, he still found some extraordinary people likeTom HanksandSimon Peggworking in the business with“great integrity, great heart, and great soul.”
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Darabont also bashed the tabloids for swaying public opinion in favor of or against actors at their will. He specifically mentioned the media portrayal ofTom Cruiseat the time. Cruise received some bad press due to his connections to the controversial movement of Scientology.His personal life was also dragged through the mudafter his wife Katie Holmes separated from him in 2012.
The Mistdirector felt that theTop Gunactor was unfairly treated, despite being a dedicated actor who treated everyone with respect. Darabont wanted people to not believe in what they read from the tabloids. He suggested asking Pegg about the actor, who worked together with Cruise inMission: Impossiblefilms andhad only great set stories to share about him. Darabont toldThe Independent:
“Tom Cruise, for instance, is the recipient of a lot of bad press, and unfairly so. He is a sensationally, fantastically smart and dedicated individual who treats everybody with enormous respect. You wouldn’t know that from reading the tabloids. Next time you see Simon Pegg, you ask him what kind of guy Tom Cruise is.”
Darabont’s incredible respect for Cruise is praise-worthy considering the actor had turned down starring in his film. Darabont has been largely absent from Hollywood and actor Thomas Jane shared on theKingcastpodcast that he was blacklisted for suing AMC overThe Walking Dead. Industry insiderJeff Sneiderreported that he is making a comeback bydirecting two episodes of Netflix’sStranger Things.
Tom Cruise RejectedThe Shawshank RedemptionOver Lack Of Trust
Frank Darabont bought the rights toStephen King’sRita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemptionfor $5000 in 1987. Interestingly, director Rob Reiner was interested in directing the film when it was in development. Reiner attempted to purchase the rights to direct the film from Darabont for $3 million and would have brought in Tom Cruise as the lead actor. However, Darabont turned down Reiner’s offer and believed in his vision for the film.
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Cruise didn’t want to stay on the project without Reiner. Interestingly, both of them have worked together on the successful 1992 film,A Few Good Men. He did not trust a relatively inexperienced director and turned down the offer to star in the film (via Collider). However, the film became a cult classic even without Cruise or Reiner’s names attached to it.
Frank Darabont’sThe Shawshank Redemptionis now available for rent on AppleTV+.
Hashim Asraff
Senior Writer
Articles Published :3018
Hashim Asraff is a Senior Entertainment Writer at FandomWire, with over 2,800 articles published on celebrity culture, comic book movies, and major TV franchises. With a background in Sociology and a keen interest in pop culture, Hashim brings a unique lens to breaking news stories, character deep-dives, film rankings, and fan-driven perspectives.His coverage often includes the MCU, DCU, hit network shows, and celebrity profiles, giving readers a rich blend of entertainment and analysis. A longtime fan of crime and investigative series, Hashim has watched thousands of episodes of NCIS, Criminal Minds, Law & Order: SVU, Bones, Blue Bloods, and The RookieA passionate storyteller and wordsmith, Hashim has also worked as a ghostwriter and managed multiple social media handles. He brought his writing expertise to FandomWire to also pursue his lifelong love for cinema and television.
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Frank DarabontSimon PeggTom Cruise
