Tom Cruise is renowned for performing his own stunts, but one of his most surprising on-set injuries didn’t happen during a daring action sequence—it occurred during a love scene in the 1988 film Cocktail. His former co-star Gina Gershon recently revealed a memorable behind-the-scenes mishap that nearly left Cruise with a broken nose.
While filming a risqué bedroom scene together, Gershon—who was shooting her first-ever sex scene—was understandably nervous. She made it clear to Cruise that she was extremely ticklish, specifically warning him, “No, no, don’t ever do that,” as they prepared for a take. Despite the warning, Cruise playfully grabbed her stomach in an attempt to get a genuine reaction.
“I think he wanted a reaction, he grabbed my stomach and I kneed him right in the nose,” Gershon recalled during an appearance on Watch What Happens Live. “I was like, ‘Oh my god! I just broke Tom Cruise’s nose.’ He’s like, ‘No, no, you told me.’ I was like, ‘I’m so sorry!’ He was like, ‘No, it was my fault.’”
The incident resulted in Cruise bleeding from the nose, but the actor remained gracious and supportive. Gershon praised Cruise for being a “gentleman” and noted how protective he was of her throughout the process, especially since it was her debut in such a scene. “He was so protective over me. He was great,” she said.
As for rumors that the two ever hooked up off set, Gershon laughed off the question, pointing out that Cruise had just married his first wife, Mimi Rogers, and that his wife was very present during filming. However, she did admit, “But we did kiss as much as we could. Every scene it was like, ‘Should we kiss in this scene? Yeah, I think we should kiss in this scene.’”
Despite the mishap, Cocktail went on to become a box office hit, though it received mixed reviews. The incident remains a memorable story for both actors—a reminder that even the most carefully planned scenes can take an unexpected turn.
