Tom Cruise has been backed to win an Oscar for the work he did on Top Gun: Maverick and for his movie back catalogue.
The actor, 60, bought film fans back into cinemas after the pandemic when he insisted Top Gun should be shown on the big screen rather than being sold to a streaming service.
And his friend and co-star Jay Ellis insists the screen star is worthy of an Academy Award for his work, with Tom having never won any of his three nominations
Jay, 41, who played Lt. Reuben ‘Payback’ Fitch in the film, told The Sun of Tom being deserving of a gong: ‘Absolutely he helped the business.
‘As the movie was pushed because of the pandemic, he would reach out to us and say, “This movie has been to be in theatres. The viewing experience of this movie is going to make people love going to theatres and love film again.”
‘And he was right. It was a gamble considering what was going on in this world. It was a gamble that paid off in an absolutely amazing way. It helped the world feel ready to go back to theatres.’
He added: ‘It’s a testament to him and his commitment to his craft, the power of film that he brought people together again.’
Jay said if Tom did not get a Best Actor award for his performance in last year’s Top Gun: Maverick, he should be given a special prize for his services to the industry.
The actor pointed out that Tom had ‘done every genre’ with Jay believing no other actors ‘can do it in the way [Tom] does’.
He said his pal is one of the ‘nicest, most genuine and just giving open’ people to work with on set.
Jay added that Paramount Pictures had already asked Tom to appear in a sequel for Top Gun: Maverick.
Nominations for this year’s Oscars will be announced later this month on January 24.
Tom previously earned Best Actor nominations for Born on the Fourth of July in 1990 and Jerry Maguire in 1997.
He also did not win the Best Supporting Actor award for his performance in 2000 for Magnolia. (DailyMail)