Tom Hanks himself suggested the director to cast Tom Cruise instead and even saw him fitting for the role

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SUMMARY

Tom Hanks was initially offered the role of Jerry Maguire in the 1996 film as the director created the character with him in mind
Hanks had to turn it down due to his already jam-packed schedule and suggested they cast Cruise for the role instead
The actor does not regret losing out on the role as he thinks Tom Cruise was a more fitting choice

One of the most brilliant and exceptionally renowned veterans of all time in Hollywood, Tom Hanks has left no stone unturned in giving his best-ever performance throughout his career.

He has brought some of the most legendary characters to life and has also passed on some other super-famous characters as well.

Tom Hanks
This includes the character of Jerry Maguire in the 1996 melodrama Jerry Maguire, which later went on to fellow name sharer Tom Cruise instead.

However, even though Cruise earned his first-ever Oscar nod for Best Actor through that, Tom Hanks doesn’t regret giving up on the role.

In fact, if anything, Hanks is even glad he let it go for a strangely understandable reason!

Tom Hanks Is Glad He Passed Down Jerry Maguire To Tom Cruise

Tom Cruise in a still from Jerry Maguire (1996)
Jerry Maguire was one of the biggest superhits of the year 1996, and Tom Cruise’s Oscar nomination for Best Actor justifies that.

However, that role wasn’t initially created keeping the Mission: Impossible actor in mind.

Rather, writer/director Cameron Crowe had his eyes on Forrest Gump actor, Tom Hanks, right from the beginning.

And despite liking the script for the film very much, Hanks had no option but to turn the film down because he was busy directing That Thing You Do.

Thus, it was passed on to Cruise, who was kept as a backup right from the start.

But that doesn’t mean Hanks regrets it. Years after the release of the film, the Cast Away star shared how he is ‘glad’ to have turned down the role because ‘he would have ruined a brilliant film’, as per Contactmusic.com.

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“I think you look at it now and it couldn’t have been anybody other than Tom Cruise,” Hanks said.

“It’s the way the movie’s operated. I don’t think anybody would look at that now and say, ‘That movie was not perfect.’”
However, Tom Hanks wasn’t the only actor who was tempted by such a fine script — Hugh Grant fell into the same trap as well!

Hugh Grant’s Hilarious Reaction To Having Received The Script For Jerry Maguire

Hugh Grant when he was offered Jerry Maguire in 1996
As it turns out, after Tom Hanks, it was Hugh Grant‘s chance to be enthralled by such a brilliant script. But Grant’s reaction was more hilariously sarcastic than understandable.
“I do remember them sending me the script for Jerry Maguire and I rang up my agent and said, ‘There must be some mistake because you sent me a good script,’” Grant recalled.
As the series of truly unfortunate events would have it for the Notting Hill star, the script for Jerry Maguire was, in fact, sent to him by mistake and was intended to be sent to Tom Cruise instead.
“They said, ‘Sorry, there has been a mistake. It was meant for Tom Cruise.’”
Nonetheless, after making rounds between some of the greatest actors of all time, Jerry Maguire’s role finally landed in Tom Cruise‘s lap, who did a spectacular job at portraying him — to the point where it won him his first Oscar nomination!