Andra Day Says Tom Cruise Proves You Can Be ‘Genius’ and ‘Kind Human’ at Same Time
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- Andra Day had a “fun” interaction with Tom Cruise at the 2025 Governors Awards, where he was an honoree
- Cruise is proof that “you can be a genius” and a “kind human being,” she told PEOPLE at the Ralph Lauren Holiday Experience on Dec. 6
- Day also raves about how “sensitive and considerate” Cruise is
Andra Day is singing Tom Cruise’s praises.
The actress and singer-songwriter, 40, ran into the Mission: Impossible actor, 63, as he was honored at this year’s Governors Awards in November.
When asked about the encounter at another Los Angeles event — the Ralph Lauren Holiday Experience — weeks later, Day praised the actor for his kindness and “genius.”
“It was so fun,” she told PEOPLE amid the holiday festivities on Saturday, Dec. 6. “My goodness. He is amazing. My God.”
The Is This Thing On? actress adds that Cruise’s “body of work is incredible,” but so was “his person,” which she says shone through as the actor navigated the star-studded Governors Awards.
Footage shared by Variety’s Clayton Davis shows the pair chatting and posing for group photos at the Nov. 16 event, held at The Ray Dolby Ballroom in Los Angeles. At one point, Day also came to Cruise’s rescue after noticing one of the buttons on his shirt had come undone.
Speaking with PEOPLE, Day not only raves about “how sensitive and considerate he was of everyone in the room,” but says Cruise’s treatment of fellow guests acted as a “reminder” to herself.
“I’m like, wow, you know what? It’s just a reminder. You can be a genius and be a kind human being at the same time, you know what I mean?” she says.
“He was great,” she adds of the Top Gun star, echoing that the actors’ interaction “was amazing.”
Circling back to the movie star’s extensive body of work, The United States vs. Billie Holiday actress tells PEOPLE, “Also, I’m like, you’ve been in every movie, like even the movies where we didn’t see you. … You were probably in those movies too.”
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“I was joking with my friends, I was like, ‘You guys, I think he was also in Lady Sings the Blues. We’re gonna have to run it back and see,’” she says of the 1972 film, before joking that he could have appeared in yet another Diana Ross drama. “‘Tom Cruise starring in Mahogany,’” she jokes. “Like, yeah, I’m here for it.”
Would the “Rise Up” singer would collaborate with Cruise on a film? That’s a no-brainer, though she admits she isn’t quite sure what it would look like. Day says she would be “100 percent” down to star in a movie alongside the actor. “It better have some action,” she adds with a laugh. “I need to do some kicks and some flips.”
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At the 2025 Governors Awards, Cruise received an Academy Honorary Award alongside honorees Dolly Parton, Debbie Allen and Wynn Thomas. Cruise, who has been nominated at the Oscars four times, used his acceptance speech to acknowledge all of the people who make movies and the unifying power of cinema.
Day, an Oscar-nominated actress herself, congratulated all four honorees, including Cruise, in her Instagram post documenting the Nov. 16 event. “God bless yall,” she wrote in the caption.
The actress stars in the upcoming Bradley Cooper-directed drama Is This Thing On? as well as season 2 of Disney+’s Percy Jackson and the Olympians, in which she plays Athena.