Tom Cruise honored with honorary Oscar: “Making films is not what I do, it is who I am”

The 16th Governors Awards took place on Nov. 16 at the Ray Dolby Ballroom in Los Angeles, bringing together actors, filmmakers, and industry figures ahead of the upcoming awards season.

Among the honorees, Tom Cruise received an Honorary Academy Award in recognition of his decades-long contributions to cinema.

The award was presented by director Alejandro G. Iñárritu, who is working with Cruise on an untitled film scheduled for release in October 2026.

Onstage, Cruise reflected on the collaborative nature of filmmaking and the global impact of cinema. He highlighted how movies bring people together, showing both differences and shared humanity.

“In that theater, we laugh together, we feel together, we hope together, and that is the power of this art form. And that is why it matters to me. So making films is not what I do, it is who I am,” he said.

Cruise also spoke about the origins of his passion for film, recalling the experience of seeing movies as a child.

He described how a beam of light in a theater sparked his imagination, opened his curiosity about the world, and inspired his lifelong pursuit of storytelling and understanding humanity.

Cruise has previously been nominated for four Oscars: Best Actor for Born on the Fourth of July and Jerry Maguire, Best Supporting Actor for Magnolia, and Best Picture as a producer of Top Gun: Maverick.

This Honorary Oscar marks his first Academy Award statuette.

The ceremony also honored choreographer Debbie Allen and production designer Wynn Thomas with honorary Oscars. Dolly Parton received the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award via pre-recorded message due to health reasons.

The Governors Awards red carpet featured stars including Jennifer Lawrence, Leonardo DiCaprio, Sydney Sweeney, Emma Stone, Michael B. Jordan, and Dwayne Johnson.