Monica Barbaro reveals Tom Cruise's incredibly supportive gesture

Monica Barbaro is all praise for Tom Cruise, with whom she starred in Top Gun: Maverick.

Barbaro played a pilot in Top Gun: Maverick and says Cruise not only mentored her and other younger actors in the film but also reached out to A Complete Unknown director James Mangold and vouched for her.

In the Bob Dylan biopic, Barbaro plays iconic singer Joan Baez.

Speaking about Cruise’s support, she said during her appearance on Variety’s Awards Circuit podcast.

“He’s impossibly hardworking but also so generous. He mentored all of us and still makes himself available. I can text him questions, and he always responds. His attention to safety and precision in his stunts is inspiring,” she continued.

“He reached out to James Mangold and vouched for me,” she shared. “That kind of support means everything.”

Recalling her audition for the part, she shared that it took place during the COVID pandemic.

“My first audition was right before the world stopped. I obsessed over Joan Baez, but I didn’t let myself prepare too much — it wasn’t my job yet, and I had to protect myself emotionally.”

She then received an email from Mangold that said: “Joan is yours.”

“I froze, fell to the ground, and cried,” she recounted. “It was life-changing. I still have a screenshot of that email.”

Monica Barbaro played Phoenix in Top Gun: Maverick alongside Tom Cruise.