Is Tom Cruise left-handed?
Celebrities, just like other human beings, are unique in their own way. While some are right-handed, others are southpaws. Wondering if your favorite movie star and award-winning actor, Tom Cruise, is a southpaw. Could the talented actor be good with his left just as he with his right, or is he strictly left-handed? Sometimes, we ignore these details even as movie fans. However, it is essential to know this to gauge how Tom Cruise has been pulling those stunts in his movies.
Yes. Tom Cruise is left-handed, but he is also ambidextrous. While he acts most of his movies with his right hand, the star has revealed that he is left-handed, and he discovered this as a child. Keep reading to learn more about Tom’s life as a southpaw in Hollywood and beyond.
Tom Cruise’s Childhood Experience As A Southpaw.
Just like most southpaws, Tom did not get off easily for being left-handed. Born in a time when it was considered abnormal to be left-handed, the 57 year old movie star faced some challenges in school. He has stated that his teachers did not cut him any slack. He was always forced to write with his right hand even though he would rather write with his left. He could not differentiate his left hand from his right hand, and this made things difficult for him.
Apart from being naturally left-handed, Tom could hardly concentrate in school. He battled with undiagnosed dyslexia until age 7. As a result, he struggled with getting good grades and had to take remedial lessons to meet up. In his own words, “I had to focus if I wanted to graduate,… I really had to listen to what the teachers were saying.”
Home did not provide the necessary solace for young Tom Cruise as he had an abusive father who would beat him at the slightest provocation. According to the actor, he couldn’t trust his father and suffered anxiety around him. All these made growing up as Tom Cruise a bit difficult. Thankfully, he is all grown up now and does not have to live that life anymore. His life is glamourous as he is a good actor, and that is all that matters in today’s world.
On Being A Left-handed Actor
Being left-handed has helped Tom in his career. Tom had to master a challenging blade work, the two-handed daisho blade work, for the movie, The Last Samurai. His ability to use his left hand made it less challenging. It was still demanding as he had to spend 8 months learning the blade work to portray the character correctly. He obviously nailed this role as can be seen in the video clip below:
This is part of the sacrifices Tom Cruise makes as an actor and one of the reasons why his fans love him. However, apart from this movie, Tom Cruise uses his right hand more often in movies. Nevertheless, we can imagine that if Hollywood intends to cast a left-handed, gorgeous male character in any film, Tom Cruise will be a good fit.
Being part of the unique 10% of the world’s population that is left-handed also comes with some benefits. For an actor, it helps win over left-handed fans across the globe. Some of his supporters have shared their excitement about the fact that Tom is a member of the southpaw gang on Twitter. It is always lovely to see that you share something in common with a celebrity you adore.
Finally…
Being left-handed has not hindered Tom Cruise from getting to the peak of his career. If anything, it has helped him in his career. We would like to believe that it takes some left arm strength to pull some of the stunts he does flawlessly in his movies. Thus, being left-handed is a strong point and not a weak point for the actor.
