Days of Thunder

Cruise plays Cole Trickle, an up and coming NASCAR racer in this car racing drama directed by Tony Scott. Trickle wants to win the Indianapolis 500 but faces obstacles, including lack of a proper car. A twist of fate allows him the opportunity to compete at the top level. The character of Cole is largely based off of real race car driver, Dale Earnhardt. Co-starring Nicole Kidman, Robert Duvall, Randy Quaid and Cary Elwes.

The characters are really well developed and it reaches all different levels of what I feel of American culture…To me, racing, there’s something very heroic about the drivers. Almost like modern day gladiators.