When you think of Tom Cruise on set, you probably picture precision, control, and maybe a few death-defying stunts. But according to one of his co-stars, one of his most painful on-set moments didn’t come from a new action movie sequence. It came from a sex scene gone sideways, which left the actor with a broken nose.
During a recent interview shared by Page Six Radio on YouTube, actress Gina Gershon opened up about filming the classic '80s romp Cocktail and revealed one moment that was meant to be playful ended with Cruise taking a knee directly to the face. Gershon explained that the scene in question was her first-ever sex scene, and by her account, he couldn’t have been more supportive, even after the face-smooshing. She explained:
He was my very first love scene. I have to say he was very protective and very sweet and such a gentleman. like such a great guy really, truly in real life and definitely on the set. And I think I had the great idea of, ‘Oh, you know, maybe we start [and] you’re under the covers and then you realize you’re going down on me and you pop up and then whatever. And he’s like, 'Oh, that's a great idea.' We're just trying to make the scene work in a fun way.
It sounds like a pretty standard bit of on-set collaboration, and long before movies had on-set intimacy coordinators to help with such sequences. No matter how much actors work together to try and make moments feel natural, and maybe even a little fun, things can always get a bit unpredictable. According to Gershon, the turning point came when Cruise tried to elicit a more genuine reaction from her, though he unfortunately picked the exact wrong method. She continued:
Article continues belowAnd then by accident he kind of tickled me once. I said, 'Don't do that.' I said, 'Seriously don't do that cause I had a big brother who tickled me. I really go insane.' And I think maybe he thought, 'Oh, this will be a great reaction.' So he probably just did touch me. And I just - I didn't mean to - I had literally a knee-jerk reaction. I was traumatized by the tickle. had a big brother who would pin me down and tickle and do the loogie thing. It was disgusting. So I kicked him in the nose. I didn't mean to. I just kneed him. And I was like, 'Oh my god, I just broke his nose. Oh my.’
Gershon made it clear that tickling wasn’t just a minor annoyance for her, but a hard boundary thanks to an older brother's torment, but apparently, Cruise didn’t think she was being serious. In the middle of filming, he apparently tried it again. That’s when instinct took over, and she kneed him in the face.
But, per Gershon's account, the Top Gun icon took it like a champ. She added:
He was like, 'No, no, no. My fault. My bad. You warned me. He owned up. He goes, 'You told me not to tickle.' And he was trying to make me feel OK. But I could tell the poor guy was in pain.
Not exactly the kind of on-screen chemistry you plan for, but to his credit, the Mission Impossible leading man handled it like a pro. Instead of getting upset, he immediately took the blame and tried to ease Gina Gershon’s panic, all while clearly dealing with a very real injury.
It’s a small moment, but it fits with the reputation he’s built over the years as someone who takes the work seriously and looks out for his co-stars. And it’s kind of wild to think that after decades of doing death-defying stunts, one of his more painful on-set moments came from something much simpler: a tickle.
And no, this isn’t some April Fool’s setup. If you want to revisit the moment (minus the behind-the-scenes chaos), Cocktail is available to stream for free on Tubi beginning on April 1, 2026.
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