In his terrific autobiography, Robert Evans talks about meeting Darryl Zanuck, the legendary studio chief, and realizing where the real power resides in Hollywood: "Not some actor shitting his pants over whether he gets a role, but the guy [i.e., the producer] who says, 'The kid stays in the picture.'" It's as true today as it ever was. Which just goes to show you, Tom Cruise is awesome. And very, very smart.