Cuba Gooding Jr.'s Father Asks Tom Cruise 'So Are You Gay Or Not?'

Cuba Gooding Jr. took home the gold at the 1997 Oscars for his portrayal as the brash, catchphrase spinning football star, Rod Tidwell. But now Gooding revealed that his father that may have actually said the most memorable line, behind the scenes.

The "Red Tails" actor told Graham Norton that he "almost fainted" during his father's visit to the set of "Jerry Maguire" when he asked Tom Cruise if he was gay.

"He gave Tom Cruise a hug and said, 'I love you man. Now seriously, are you gay or not?'" Gooding recalled, saying that Cruise played it cool; laughing off the interaction, he said no.

Gooding told Norton the comment led him to ban his father from future set visits. (No kidding.)

Also -- just in case you run into Gooding at a bar -- he is not terribly fond of the movie's actual catch-phrase, "Show me the money!"

"It doesn't go away. I get it all the time," he said. "I wish I had a wand that would make people disappear whenever they say it.
It's hard especially when some drunk in a bar asks and finally you say it and he says, 'no, say it like you said it in the movie!'"

[via Dailymail]

Comments

[listentome]

06:22 PM on 02/17/2012

Why do celebrities feel it necessary to tell these so not cute stories? I don't think his father meant anything by it or that either Cuba Jr. or Sr. are homophobes. It's just that some things just aren't cute. Cuba Sr. wasn't old enough at that time for it to be a cute thing that old people say. He was only 51 or 52 years old at the time "Jerry McGuire" was made.

[campcranston]

03:27 PM on 02/17/2012

Hahaha, I guess it's about time somebody really did.

[aeweidman]

02:35 PM on 02/17/2012

To hell with Cruise ! I'd like to know if Cuba is. LOL

[Y Woodman Brown]

02:29 PM on 02/17/2012

I love parents that do stuff like that, you know, and really just spin their kid out on chagrin.

[fatuglynerd]

02:11 PM on 02/17/2012

Uhm, like anyone even has to ask.

Cruz is as ghey as a 3 dollar bill.

[John Hazelton Smith]

11:28 AM on 02/17/2012

i wonder is that why cuba's career failed? lol

[johnrf]

07:33 AM on 02/17/2012

Cuba is one of those actors who won an academy award at the end of his acting career. Of course no one knew at the time that he was done as an actor. Kind of sad.

[Mamadea]

02:31 AM on 02/17/2012

I would ask, why are you so curious?

[bluskiff]

01:49 AM on 02/17/2012

what a horrible thing to ask. I like to know as little as possible about film stars it makes them more believable in roles.

[Iggy T]

09:53 PM on 02/16/2012

His dad seems very blunt/clueless. Cuba's mother must have some mind blowing stories.

[fatuglynerd]

02:03 PM on 02/17/2012

Clueless?

Uhm, oh, I see, you're on of those scieno's who come here to protect.

He's not clueless. All of us have wondered the same thing ... The difference is, we don't question it anymore because we already know it's obviously TRUE.

ZENOZENO!

[sanfran55]

09:22 PM on 02/16/2012

Sometimes older folks are just missing an edit button when they talk...

[Barbara Randlett]

07:08 PM on 02/16/2012

of course he is!!

[billy goat]

05:01 PM on 02/16/2012

So what we're learning is that Cuba Gooding Jr. is a homophobe.

[Mindy Czech]

02:28 AM on 02/17/2012

How so? I didn't see anything homophobic in the relaying of this story. His dad is the one that could possibly be perceived as homophobic, but it's also entirely possible that he's just uncouth.

[billy goat]

02:53 PM on 02/17/2012

Cuba's father asked Tom Cruise whether or not he was gay. Cuba banned his father from the set as a result. I think Cuba was upset that his father had asked TC a personal question asking him to clarify his sexuality. I see it CG response as a bit homophobic. I doubt that CG would have banned his father from the set had he asked who Tom was dating at the time.

[rockysparks]

03:30 PM on 02/16/2012

Cuba Gooding Jr: The 21st Century's Gary Coleman ...

[Iggy Toole]

09:41 PM on 02/16/2012

I know that was a stab at humor, but what does that mean?

[rockysparks]

04:32 AM on 02/17/2012

Something to do about how Cuba Gooding Jr. hasn't had a hit since "Jerry Maguire" and suggesting that his career may be going the way of Gary Coleman after "Diff'rent Strokes". It wasn't entirely meant to be humor, however ...

[fatuglynerd]

02:04 PM on 02/17/2012

Uhm, except that they were both alive during the 21st century. Sorry, hun.

[rockysparks]

05:22 PM on 02/17/2012

Your point is nitpicking and irrelevant, sweetie. Gary Coleman's career was pretty much over well before the beginning of the 21st century. Of course, so was Cuba Gooding's, so I guess you got me there. Wow. You scored a victory of sorts. You can die happy because you accomplished something.

[NickfromCali]

03:24 PM on 02/16/2012

Well...Everybody Plays The Fool (sometimes)