All of Tom Cruise's favourite boys have formed a cute cult.

My favourite thing about Tom Cruise — aside from his deranged predilection for jumping out of planes and his juicy private life and his penchant for coconut cakes — is his obsession with all things Hollywood. 

He is the popcorn-loving backbone of the film industry. He's the guy keeping one eye on the future of cinema, and a movie ticket in his back pocket. 

And it's evident in his ability to bring cult-like adoration from his action film co-stars. None more so than his band of brothers (and one diva) from Top Gun: Maverick.

Tom Cruise and his boys, his divas! Image: Getty.

When Cruise and Jerry Bruckheimer assembled a class of rising stars for Top Gun: Maverick, they likely didn't know they were facing the future of cinema. But then again, they likely did. I doubt there's a single decision that has been made in Cruise's life that wasn't meticulously calculated. 

Back in 2018, Glen Powell, Lewis Pullman, Danny Ramirez, Monica Barbaro, and Greg Tarzan Davis were all cast in supporting roles in the long-awaited Top Gun sequel. They joined more established actors like Miles Teller — who scored the supporting role of Bradley 'Rooster' Bradshaw — and Jay Ellis to portray elite Navy pilots with a daring mission. 

When they were cast, these actors had just a handful of smaller roles between them.

I can acknowledge that by the time the film premiered in 2022, after facing a series of delays due to COVID, these actors all had a bit more oomph to their resumes. But in 2018? Not so much.

Glen Powell had the most acting credits of this group. And yet his biggest role at the time was as a supporting character, Chad Radwell, in Scream Queens. We loved him dearly… I had high hopes his charisma would lead to bigger things when I clocked him in Everybody Wants Some. But I don't think he would've been on anyone's radar as the next great 'leading man'.

But Tom Cruise saw something. A twinkle in his eye. A vision of tornadoes and cowboy hats, perhaps.

He fought to have Powell included in the film, and even worked to rewrite the character and secure him more screen-time when Powell worried he was a 'Navy Draco Malfoy'. Cruise knew he needed Powell; that there was something there.

Glen Powell, Greg Tarzan Davis, Lewis Pullman, Danny Ramirez and Jay Ellis with Tom Cruise's longtime collaborator, Christopher McQuarrie. Image: Instagram.

Now, you can't turn a corner of the internet without seeing a fan edit, interview, thirst trap or trailer featuring Powell's signature smile. And he's certainly not the only one in the zeitgeist, as the others catch up in leaps and bounds in 2025.

You may not have noticed the rise of Tom Cruise's very favourite boys; the present power of his Top Gun children. But I am nothing if not a fan of noticing patterns and connecting dots. And I see them everywhere.

Lewis Pullman was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award and Critics' Choice TV Award for his role in Lessons In Chemistry in 2023, and scored a leading role in Marvel's Thunderbolts* — for which he's received substantial praise and quickly become a fan-favourite this year. His best mate and former co-star, Danny Ramirez, is also now a part of the MCU as Joaquin Torres. Both are currently filming the most-hyped Marvel project in years, Avengers: Doomsday. 

Monica Barbaro just nabbed a Golden Globe nomination for her portrayal of Joan Baez in A Complete Unknown. Greg Tarzan Davis just went back-to-back with Cruise in the final two Mission: Impossible films.  

And do I even need to tell you about Glen Powell's situation? After being enrolled in the Tom Cruise School of Film — yes, really, that's a thing — Powell went on his own personal mission to bring back the rom-com and re-launch his own blockbuster career with Twisters. At the premiere, Cruise was there by Powell's side to hold up a bucket of popcorn and show his support. Powell called his mentorship "invaluable".

Each one of these actors has credited their Top Gun training as one of the most defining moments of their careers.

And so I call this group the Cult of Cruise. A bunch of people tied together by their talent and deep-seated roots on a Top Gun navy ship somewhere in the Pacific Ocean.

The fab five at the 2023 Golden Globes. Image: Getty.

Sometimes Jay Ellis is part of the crew, laughing it up with old pals. He is a decade further along in his career and not quite so involved. But when he's out and about, he seems to be a key player in the Cruise clique. Miles Teller is never there. That… seems to be its own thing. About which I have no gossip, but many thoughts. Anyway! He's doing fine. It's the core five that I'm here to discuss.

Glen, Danny, Lewis, Greg and Monica: The pack is thriving. And I'm honestly putting it down to the power of friendship (or, the power of having friends in very high places). Because they hang out and talk about each other literally all the time.

Whether it's Ramirez showing up to the Mission: Impossible premiere as a cute surprise for Cruise and Davies, or all the boys standing around while Barbaro gave her phone number to Andrew Garfield (whom she is now dating), it's clear they've got bonds, baby.

It's like their pure love of Tom Cruise and their powerful friendship combined to blast them into Hollywood stardom. I mean… they also worked hard. Sure! But I can't shake the idea that Tom had them spend a day crafting vision boards on the set of Top Gun: Maverick and six years later, voilà.

Maybe they're still at it, leaving award shows together to go home and craft a new Pinterest board titled "Hollywood takeover". Taking manifestation classes where they jump out of planes and then make a wish.

Just a couple of bros watching another bro flirt with Spider-Man. While one eats a plate of food, and another stares down the barrel of the camera. Image: Instagram.

In a recent interview, my favourite guy of the group — Lewis Pullman — spoke about starring in Top Gun: Maverick and now Avengers with Danny Ramirez.

"We talk all the time. It's a friendship that I'm so lucky to have because we've been on such bizarrely similar trajectories," he said of their special relationship.

Bizarre? No, no. Orchestrated by a maniacal Hollywood actor with a plan to name his own next-gen of stars? Maybe. I certainly think so.

Any time they're asked about Cruise, the fab five can't talk highly enough about how much he taught them and how instrumental their weird group has been to their careers.

And Cruise is doing it again now with his Mission: Impossible cohort. Pom Klementief has spoken at length of how Tom took her under his action-man wing, gifting her skydiving lessons and even joining her for a few jumps. Which sounds like a terrible thing to do with a co-worker, but I digress.

Elsewhere, his rumoured GF and co-star Ana de Armas has spent just a couple of months in his company, and she's suddenly waxing lyrical about the importance of the cinema. Even Florence Pugh was recently raving about how he is the gold-standard in stunt work, and she hopes to emulate his success.

You spend a little time in his orbit, and you emerge a member of the cult of Cruise. One that seems to be immensely inspiring despite, you know, everything else he's got going on.

Cruise and his very best boy, Glen Powell. Image: Getty.

Now, there's a current silly theory that Cruise's career is just a longstanding ruse to give him frequent and unprecedented access to the world's number one supplier of popcorn: cinemas. 

But I genuinely believe this man just loves his industry. He's obsessed with it. And he doesn't want to be the only star doing it right, so he's hand-selected a new generation to follow in his footsteps.

He might be a divisive dude, but there's no denying he has a star quality that leaves his peers in awe. That there's a certain allure to his exclusive cult of favourites and that, once tapped, his influence can make or break your career.

And in the case of this cute little friendship circle, his impact has done wonders.

Feature Image: Getty.