- The Cruise impression began as a silly way to meet girls in college.
- When Evan found himself in financial debt, he turned to this party trick for help.
- Here, Evan Ferrante, 44, shares his story…
My classmate Alex had recently discovered that not only do I look and sound like Tom Cruise,
I did a decent impression
of him, too.
“This will be a great way to meet girls,” he grinned.
So, the two of us set off down the hallway of our university accommodation and Alex knocked on one
of the rooms.
Then I whipped on a pair of aviator sunglasses as the door opened to two girls.
“Help me, help you!”
I pleaded, mimicking an iconic scene from the movie Jerry Maguire.
The girls laughed before closing the door in my face.
Fortunately, most of the other students appreciated my impersonation and I was soon known around campus as ‘Tom’ or ‘the Cruise guy’.
It remained a party trick until 2008, when I was 29.
A video I’d posted on YouTube a few years earlier playing Tom gained some attention in Hollywood and I received a call from a producer
at Disney.
“We want you to come to LA and film some sketches as Cruise,” he said.
At the time, I was living in a rundown apartment and had amassed $15,000 in credit card debt.
It occurred to me that my silly talent might be a way of making some money, so
I flew to LA and recorded three funny sketches.
In one,
I played
Tom Cruise auditioning
for the teen vampire movie Twilight.
Within weeks of it going online, it had racked up over five million views!
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Soon, I was receiving calls from other impersonators hoping to collaborate, and large companies started hiring me for events and
TV commercials.
One Aussie company paid me $40,000 to appear as Tom drinking a coffee and buying salmon at the shops.
From that one gig I was able to pay off my credit card debt and then some!
I’d been playing Tom for about five years, when I was having cocktails at a hotel bar with my girlfriend, Donna, and
some mates.
“I heard Tom Cruise is here,” one of my friends said.
I looked around, but couldn’t find him anywhere.
Later, while waiting for Donna to return from the bathroom, my mate Jimmy’s phone rang.
“It’s Donna,” he said. “She says Tom Cruise is waiting for you at the valet!”
I sprinted outside and sure enough Tom was standing there with Donna and actor Jeremy Renner.
“It’s an honour and privilege to meet you,” I said, shaking Tom’s hand.
Turned out, he’d seen my videos and knew about me.
“Your voice is uncanny,” Tom said.
It was the ultimate compliment and went straight on my website!
A few years ago, I began
to wonder if my work was coming to an end.
But in 2021, Top Gun: Maverick was released and became one of the biggest films of all time.
After that, requests started coming in daily.
Occasionally, I’ll make
an appearance at a film premiere, and people believe I’m the real deal.
Although it’s flattering
to have a fan cry when
I talk to them, I always
let them down gently
with the truth.
Thankfully, Cruise is showing no signs of slowing down, and as long as he keeps working, so will I.
