Rob Lowe reflects on 1983 movie with Tom Cruise: He ‘took it to another level'

Rob Lowe became a known actor even before he turned 18, thanks to The Outsiders.

Francis Ford Coppola's 1983 coming-of-age classic starred Lowe alongside Tom Cruise, Emilio Estevez and Matt Dillon.

"I turned 18 on-set in Tulsa... Those [costars] are my guys, my homies, my frat brothers," Lowe told People.

Reflecting on the cast’s attitude toward the movie, he said: “We all were deadly serious and super-competitive.”

He pointed out how competitive and committed Tom Cruise was even at the age of 21.

“Tom [Cruise] being Tom took it to another level. He was just born with that kind of commitment and was inspiring," he said.

In the film, Lowe played Sodapop Curtis and Cruise portrayed Steve Randle.

"It's funny, the movie meant different things to me over the years. As it was happening, it seemed perfectly natural, [and] that was my fraternity," he reflected.

"And now with time, and with so many generations growing up and accepting the movie, and it being a part of their lives... to be part of it is really special," he shared.

He went on to say that all the young actors in The Outsiders brought their own colors to the roles.

“Looking back, Lowe says the seeds of who the actors matured into were evident early on. “All of us brought our individual things that you would see later in our careers,” he said.

"I think my [Outsiders] character is sort of funny on his feet, and good-natured and light [and] if you look at something like Parks and Recreation, you can see elements of Soda Pop Curtis even in that," he noted.