My Cult Characters: #1 Les Grossman

In the comedy hit Tropic Thunder there were many hilarious performances. From Robert Downey Jr. to Ben Stiller to Jack Black, but one that stood out as an unexpected fav was Tom Cruise's character. Les Grossman is the studio executive in the film and is the tough and demanding boss of Damien Cockburn.
Tom Cruise hasn't been doing very well in popular lately. He hasn't had a better than decent film since Collateral in 2004. At first glace you might not even know it's Tom Cruise in that makeup and bodysuit. Then at second glance you might think "Tom Cruise? Oh god why is he in this movie? That is until he starts talking and acting like the total ass that Les Grossman is. That's when the hilarity begins. Pretty much every sentence Cruise spits out is comedy gold and makes you laugh constantly. Even when he dances to Get Back by Ludacris, it still is a really funny moment. Cruise played this character perfectly and was the second funniest character in the movie, next to Robert Downey Jr.'s Sergeant Lincoln Osiris.
Any fans of this movie will tell you that Les Grossman is one of their favourite characters in the movie. The characters popularity grew so much that he reprized his role at the 2010 MTV Movie Awards. Also in 2010 it was announced that a spin-off film would be developed centering on Les Grossman.
Tom Cruise was initially set to cameo as Stiller's character's agent Rick Peck, but Cruise suggested instead they should add a studio head character. Stiller and Cruise worked together to create the new character, as a middle-aged businessman. The role required Cruise to wear a fatsuit , large prosthetic and a bald cap. Stiller's idea was to keep Cruise's character a secret until the release, but pictures appeared on Inside Edition. Cruise's attorneys made a lawsuit against anyone who published the photos.
Many people have speculated that Cruise based his performance of Les Grossman on Sumner Redstone, with whom Cruise had a public falling out after Redstone had Paramount terminate their development deal with Cruise. Grossman's physical appearance is more than likely based on Tropic Thunder producer Stuart Cornfeld.
The reason I believe Les Grossman is a Cult Character is because of how different the role is compared to Cruise's other roles. Usually Cruise is in some action movie or a drama role, but this shows that once in a while Tom Cruise can actually give us something really unique. Les Grossman was vulgar, mean, absurd and hysterically funny.
"Now I want you to take a step back... and literally fuck your own face"