Beau Bridges Says “Jerry Maguire” Costar Tom Cruise ‘Gets Better with Age’ with ‘All Those Crazy Stunts’ (Exclusive)

Lexi Lane, Abby SternSat, June 6, 2026 at 4:30 PM UTC

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Tom Cruise and Beau Bridges in 'Jerry Maguire' (1996)Credit: Tri Star/Kobal/Shutterstock; TriStar Pictures -

Beau Bridges reflected on his role in Jerry Maguire and praised costar Tom Cruise as having gotten "better with age"

"He's a wonderful actor and just gets better with age. I mean, he's still doing all those crazy stunts and stuff," Bridges said

Bridges is currently starring in the Matlock reboot alongside Kathy Bates, who he said is "really funny" to work with

Beau Bridges "really appreciated" the chance to work with Tom Cruise in Jerry Maguire.

The actor chatted exclusively with PEOPLE during the Matlock For Your Consideration event at Los Angeles' Linwood Dunn Theater on Wednesday, June 3, where he looked back on his time in the 1996 film.

"Yeah, that was so long ago, I can't remember exactly why, but it was probably kind of stupid of me to do that," Bridges, 84, said about being listed as uncredited in the film. "I don't know because I get a lot of people coming up to me and talking to me about that show. I didn't even remember."

Beau Bridges at the 'Matlock' FYC event in Los Angeles on June 3, 2026; Tom Cruise in 2023Credit: Amy Sussman/Getty; Bryan Bedder/Getty

He added, "Well, the first time someone told me that I wasn't credited, I didn't even remember doing that. There must have been some reason. I can't remember why."

However, Bridges did play Matt Cushman in the movie, who was the father of Frank "Cush" Cushman, played by Jerry O'Connell.

Cruise, 63, famously starred as the title character, a sports agent who sets out to start his own agency. He was nominated for an Oscar for Best Actor for the role. Cuba Gooding Jr. won for Best Supporting Actor for playing Rod Tidwell.

"I really appreciated working with him," Bridges said about Cruise. "He's a wonderful actor and just gets better with age. I mean, he's still doing all those crazy stunts and stuff. Yeah. And I like working with him. I thought he was great."

Over the years, a few other actors have looked back on Jerry Maguire as well. Patricia Arquette revealed to Varietyin 2023 that she had a "notoriously bad" audition for the part of the love interest Dorothy Boyd.

"I'm a notoriously bad auditioner," said Arquette, 58. "Everyone was saying, 'Oh, this is just a formality. You're gonna read with Tom Cruise for Jerry Maguire. But this is your part, you've got it.' And I blew it."

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The role of Dorothy ultimately went to Renée Zellweger. "I actually think she was better for it, and she was great," Arquette added.

Zellweger, 57, also appeared on The Late Late Show with James Corden in 2019, where she helped recreate her character's famous "Shut up. You had me at hello" line.

During the episode, she decided to perform Cruise's monologue, while actor Ben Kingsley played Dorothy and kept repeating "You had me at hello."

"Sir Ben, you have given some iconic performances in your career and I was interested to see how you would fare delivering some of Renée's most iconic lines," Corden, 47, explained.

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Beau Bridges in 'Matlock' (2026)Credit: Michael Yarish/CBS

As for what Bridges is up to today, he plays Howard "Senior" Markston on the legal drama. The series draws from the original Matlock, but features Kathy Bates as Madeline "Matty" Matlock / Madeline Kingston.

"She's really funny. It's hard for me to keep a straight face with her. She's great," Bridges told Deadlineabout Bates, 77, in March 2024.

After premiering in 2024, followed by season 2 in 2025, Matlock was renewed for season 3 in January.

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”