‘Genie’ writer got permission from Tom Cruise to include joke in movie – The Hollywood Reporter

Richard Curtis and Tom Cruise

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Richard Curtis said he was keen to include a Tom Cruise joke in his new holiday comedy The genie By Action Star.

In the film, the genie Flora, played by Melissa McCarthy, develops a huge crush on Cruise after going to a movie theater for the first time and seeing him in a movie. Mission: Impossible film. This leads her to cover her bedroom walls with posters of the actor, as well as getting a sweater bearing Cruz’s face as a Christmas gift from her new friend Bernard (Papa Essiedu).

In an interview with the people The magazine was published online on Wednesday Love indeed The writer said they definitely should have asked Cruise for permission before filming.

“I mean we asked him through his people,” Curtis explained. “I’m lucky enough to know Tom a little bit. He’s always been very nice to me. And we worked on a movie for a while, which didn’t happen.

After the Oscar-nominated writer found out Top Gun: Maverick The actor gave him the green light, and said in response: “I don’t know if this was known to me and Melissa or if someone in the mailroom said, ‘This sounds good.’ But it means that after all these years, I’m finally directing a movie.” For Tom Cruise.

Curtis noted that he was also “very pleased” that he was able to include a three-second clip Mission: Impossible In the flick.

The genie It follows Bernard, a workaholic man who enlists the help of the magical elf Flora to help restore his family before Christmas.

As for the many other jokes in the Sam Boyd-directed film,… Notting Hill The writer said that McCarthy actually came up with some of them herself.

“When Melissa thinks of a funny new joke, she does it, and it will be great,” Curtis said. “But then, of course, you have to do it four more times. You have to make sure you get it right. You have to make sure you get the right speed from the right angle. So it’s always a combination of kind of mischief and very conscientious behavior in movies.”

He added: “In my films, you want it to be emotionally real and at the same time silly. So Melissa went between being a villain and just being a really proper, serious actress.

The genie It is currently streaming on Peacock.