Tom Cruise ‘went ballistic’ over having to share a room during The Outsiders auditions, claims Rob Lowe

Actor also apparently insisted on doing his own stunts in the film

Rob Lowe has reflected on working with Tom Cruise on the 1983 movie The Outsiders, saying the actor went “ballistic” when the pair were told to share a hotel room.

When the young stars went to New York for the final selection for Francis Ford Coppola’s film, Cruise was apparently upset about not having his own suite.

“It was the first time I ever stayed at The Plaza Hotel, and we check in, and Tom finds out that we’re sharing a room and just goes ballistic,” Lowe said on Dax Shepard’s podcast, Armchair Expert.

“I remember going, ‘Wow, this guy is the real deal.’ I mean it made me laugh, it was gnarly. But in the end of it, you can’t argue with the results. He’s had his eye on the ball since day one.”

Lowe added that Cruise managed to persuade producers to let him do his own stunts early on his career. “He ended up being the only one who could do a backflip. It is in the movie The Outsiders for no reason. He runs out of the house and does a backflip for no reason. Just to do it…

“To me, what’s great about the story is, there’s certain people who have always been who they are, and that element of them has powered them to where they are today and the rest is history.

“And the notion that a 18-year-old actor with a walk-on part in Endless Love and like a seventh lead in Taps could have that kind of wherewithal.”

Cruise was 18 when he auditioned for The Outsiders, which he eventually starred in alongside Lowe, Matt Dillon and Patrick Swayze.

The actor can next be seen in the Top Gun sequel, which has been postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic.