Tom Cruise once secured his spot in an epic Hollywood pic after it had already been taken without him, thanks to post-production.
Back when he was shooting The Last Samurai with Ed Zwick in 2002, the actor had himself photoshopped into an onset snap of Zwick, David Fincher and Cameron Crowe, according to Zwick.
The Blood Diamond helmer recalled the hilarious anecdote during an interview with The Hollywood Reporter on Thursday, saying directors Fincher and Crowe had stopped by the Warner Bros set to court Cruise for upcoming projects.
‘The great part of the story is that the unit photographer saw us all together and said, “Hey, can I just take your picture?” So there’s a picture of all of us — except Tom had been called away to do something,’ he explained.
‘And then [Cruise] heard about the picture later, and he saw it and he said, “I want to be in that picture!” So we shot Tom, and then photoshopped him into the picture.’
![Tom Cruise Revealed to Have Photoshopped Himself into Onset Snap with Acclaimed Directors David Fincher and Cameron Crowe: 'I Wanted to be in that Picture!' 1 Tom Cruise once secured his spot in an epic Hollywood pic after it had already been taken without him, thanks to post-production; pictured in February 2024](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/02/16/23/81377247-13093821-Tom_Cruise_once_secured_his_spot_in_an_epic_Hollywood_pic_after_-a-16_1708126554399.jpg)
Tom Cruise once secured his spot in an epic Hollywood pic after it had already been taken without him, thanks to post-production; pictured in February 2024
![Tom Cruise Revealed to Have Photoshopped Himself into Onset Snap with Acclaimed Directors David Fincher and Cameron Crowe: 'I Wanted to be in that Picture!' 3 Back when he was shooting The Last Samurai with Ed Zwick in 2002, the actor had himself photoshopped into an onset snap of Zwick and directors David Fincher and Cameron Crowe, according to Zwick](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/02/16/23/81375803-13093821-Back_when_he_was_shooting_The_Last_Samurai_with_Ed_Zwick_in_2002-a-19_1708126554562.jpg)
Back when he was shooting The Last Samurai with Ed Zwick in 2002, the actor had himself photoshopped into an onset snap of Zwick and directors David Fincher and Cameron Crowe, according to Zwick
Zwick noted that he was taken by surprise to see the iconic filmmakers – including Steven Spielberg – poking around the stage built for The Last Samurai.
‘People were going to look at this old Hollywood recreation of the [19th century Tokyo] street,’ he said. ‘And at one point, I happen to turn around. And it’s almost like a joke — you know, there’s Cameron Crowe. There is Steven Spielberg. There’s David Fincher.
‘And I’m sitting in my [director] chair, and they’re like, all behind me. It’s like, “Oh — hey.” I didn’t want to feel too self-conscious about this. But whoa.’
Released in 2003, The Last Samurai received a mixed critical reception.
While praised for its visual spectacle and Tom Cruise’s performance, some critics expressed concerns about cultural inaccuracies.
However, it found success at the box office, grossing over $456 million worldwide, becoming a commercially viable venture.
The hilarious photo anecdote comes on the heels of news that Tom has made things ‘official’ with new love interest Elsina Khayrova.
The actor is said to be ‘growing closer’ to the glamorous Russian socialite and he has been regularly spending nights at her London apartment, friends told MailOnline.
![Tom Cruise Revealed to Have Photoshopped Himself into Onset Snap with Acclaimed Directors David Fincher and Cameron Crowe: 'I Wanted to be in that Picture!' 5 The Blood Diamond helmer recalled the hilarious anecdote during an interview with The Hollywood Reporter on Thursday, saying Fincher and Crowe had stopped by the Warner Bros set to court Cruise for upcoming projects; Zwick in 2019](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/02/16/23/81377253-13093821-The_Blood_Diamond_helmer_recalled_the_hilarious_anecdote_during_-a-14_1708126554292.jpg)
The Blood Diamond helmer recalled the hilarious anecdote during an interview with The Hollywood Reporter on Thursday, saying Fincher and Crowe had stopped by the Warner Bros set to court Cruise for upcoming projects; Zwick in 2019
![Tom Cruise Revealed to Have Photoshopped Himself into Onset Snap with Acclaimed Directors David Fincher and Cameron Crowe: 'I Wanted to be in that Picture!' 7 'The great part of the story is that the unit photographer saw us all together and said, ‘Hey, can I just take your picture?’ So there’s a picture of all of us — except Tom had been called away to do something,' he explained; Cruise seen in The Last Samurai](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/02/16/23/81377555-13093821-_The_great_part_of_the_story_is_that_the_unit_photographer_saw_u-a-17_1708126554543.jpg)
‘The great part of the story is that the unit photographer saw us all together and said, ‘Hey, can I just take your picture?’ So there’s a picture of all of us — except Tom had been called away to do something,’ he explained; Cruise seen in The Last Samurai
![Tom Cruise Revealed to Have Photoshopped Himself into Onset Snap with Acclaimed Directors David Fincher and Cameron Crowe: 'I Wanted to be in that Picture!' 9 'And then [Cruise] heard about the picture later, and he saw it and he said, "I want to be in that picture!" So we shot Tom, and then photoshopped him into the picture.'](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/02/16/23/81377233-13093821-_And_then_Cruise_heard_about_the_picture_later_and_he_saw_it_and-a-18_1708126554545.jpg)
‘And then [Cruise] heard about the picture later, and he saw it and he said, “I want to be in that picture!” So we shot Tom, and then photoshopped him into the picture.’
He and Khayrova, 36, both attended a dinner gala last week in support of London’s Air Ambulance Charity at the five-star Raffles Hotel.
A source told MailOnline that the pair are now official: ‘It’s well known within Elsina’s circle that she and Tom are now an item.
‘They’ve grown very close over the past few weeks but take a lot of care not to be photographed together because they want to maintain their privacy.’
The person went on to say: ‘Tom has been staying the night at Elsina’s apartment, which as you can imagine, is a very beautiful place. They enjoy hanging out together and despite their wealth, do a lot of the things that normal couples do.’
The source revealed that the two have also dined privately at a number of exclusive London restaurants and have enjoyed strolls through Hyde Park, while in disguise.
![Tom Cruise Revealed to Have Photoshopped Himself into Onset Snap with Acclaimed Directors David Fincher and Cameron Crowe: 'I Wanted to be in that Picture!' 11 The anecdote comes on the heels of news that Tom has made things 'official' with new love interest Elsina Khayrova](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/02/16/23/81165273-13093821-The_anecdote_comes_on_the_heels_of_news_that_Tom_has_made_things-a-15_1708126554365.jpg)
![Tom Cruise Revealed to Have Photoshopped Himself into Onset Snap with Acclaimed Directors David Fincher and Cameron Crowe: 'I Wanted to be in that Picture!' 13 Khayrova, 36, is the daughter of a prominent Russian MP and ex-wife of a diamond-trading oligarch and is believed to have met Cruise at a party last December; pictured in 2018](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/02/16/23/78880047-13093821-Khayrova_36_is_the_daughter_of_a_prominent_Russian_MP_and_ex_wif-a-20_1708126554722.jpg)
The anecdote comes on the heels of news that Tom has made things ‘official’ with new love interest Elsina Khayrova
![Tom Cruise Revealed to Have Photoshopped Himself into Onset Snap with Acclaimed Directors David Fincher and Cameron Crowe: 'I Wanted to be in that Picture!' 15 Meanwhile, Tom's ex-wife Katie Holmes was spotted on a walk with their only child, daughter Suri, 17, in New York on Valentine's Day.; The father and daughter pictured in 2008](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/02/16/23/81188423-13093821-Meanwhile_Tom_s_ex_wife_Katie_Holmes_was_spotted_on_a_walk_with_-a-21_1708126554723.jpg)
Meanwhile, Tom’s ex-wife Katie Holmes was spotted on a walk with their only child, daughter Suri, 17, in New York on Valentine’s Day.; The father and daughter pictured in 2008
Meanwhile, Tom’s ex-wife Katie Holmes was spotted on a walk with their only child, daughter Suri, 17, in New York on Valentine’s Day.
The two Hollywood heavyweights married in 2006 before filing for divorce in 2012.
Since then Katie has had custody of Suri, who has reportedly not had a relationship with her father since 2013.