NINETY-FIVE TAKES OF TOM CRUISE WALKING THROUGH A DOOR

Luckily, I died a few months before the film was released, so I never had to field any questions about what it means.

—Stanley Kubrick

For this shot we’re going to have you start here, walk through the door, across the room, and stop over there. Yes, right over there. Let’s take a look at the lighting. Good, good. Everyone ready? All right, Tom, walk through the door.

Let’s try it again. Please walk through the door.

Please walk through the door again.

All right, walk through the door, and this time, try doing it a just little differently.

Walk through the door, again, please.

This time try closing your eyes, taking a deep breath, slowly opening your eyes, and walking through the door.

You’re doing great, Tom. Please do it again.

Could I get a sound check? Larry, let’s check this setup again. Does the lighting look a bit off to you? It’s off. It’s off—Tom’s face should have a better hue. Tom, thank you for bearing with us a moment while we—that’s better… keep going… there it is. Perfect. Okay, Tom, we’re ready. Please walk through the door.

Let’s try that one more time, now that we’ve got the lighting right.

Try it once more, please.

One more time.

And again, please.

And again, please.

Let’s get that camera moved. We might need to reset the lighting. We’ll see how it looks. While they’re doing that, Tom, let’s chat a minute. I can tell you’re frustrated. It’s not that you’re doing anything wrong. Everything you’re doing is perfect. It would be hard for me to explain to you what I’m looking for. I don’t think I could explain it. I have been doing this over forty years. Sometimes, when you are an expert at something, you lose the ability to explain your area of expertise in words. For me, I will know when it is the right shot when I know it is the right shot. You don’t need to worry. All right, we’re ready? Okay, let me check it out. Let’s try moving the lens a fraction to the left. That looks good. Look at this, Larry, perfect, right? Perfect. Tom? Feeling good? Ready for this? Ha ha, he was born ready, he says. All right, walk through the doorway, Tom.

And again.

And again.

And again.

One more time.

Just one more time.

All right, one more time.

Okay, one more, and this time, try doing it just a little differently.

That was great! One more, please.

And one more time, please.

I wonder what’s not working. What do you think, Tom? Don’t you feel it, that the shot is not working? Is it only me who feels it? What about the rest of you? Do you see how the shot isn’t quite working? No one else sees? You see, Leon. No? You’re all fucking with me, I swear to God. You think I do this for my own amusement. Like I’m getting any younger. All right, let’s try it again.

Something you did there really, really worked. Try to do that again for this next one.

Hm, you didn’t do it that time. Try again.

Oh! That was it! Do that again!

Nope, lost it. Oh well. That last take was excellent. Absolutely excellent. That was exactly what I was looking for. If you can hit that note again, we’ll have this shot in the can. Right? Ready? Walk through the doorway.

Try this: I want to try doing ten takes, right in a row, camera rolling the whole time. So, you’ll walk through the door, camera will follow you, then you’ll stand there and look straight ahead. Then start from the beginning. Ten times. Yep. Ten. Well, you know, let’s see what happens.

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There was nothing wrong with any of those, Tom. That doesn’t mean we got the shot. I told you, I can’t tell you what you need to do here. It has to happen, and I’ll know when it happens. That one shot a while back was very close. I understand I said it was perfect, but the thing is, that’s actually a problem. There is perfect, and then there is beyond perfect. The kind of perfect that’s been exhausted of all the superficial qualities associated with perfection. That’s what I’m after. That is what we need. It’s difficult to describe. Do you not want to continue? Shall we send everyone home for the day? Okay, excellent. Seriously, though, if you need a break, let me know. Now, please walk through the doorway.

And please walk through the doorway again, Tom.

And again.

And again.

And again.

One more time.

One more time.

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And—

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Wow. It isn’t always like this, though, is it. There have been other shots we got in two or three takes. Others—most, I suppose—have taken more. It is very interesting how some shots need more tries than others, and it’s not always the shots you would think. Walking through a door, for example, does not seem at first glance like it would be a significant enough shot to warrant doing however many—what are we up to?—fifty-two takes. And yet, it is. Life is funny that way. You know, Shelley had to walk backwards up a staircase—exhausted, sobbing hysterically, terrified, swinging a bat at Jack Nicholson—over one hundred times. She nearly had a breakdown. But she did it, and you’ve seen the results. No one will ever touch Shelley’s performance. You sure you don’t want a break? Sure? I know you have this in you, Tom. Now walk through that doorway.

Good. Good. That was so much closer. Now we are getting somewhere. Please walk through it again.

Wonderful. Again.

Yes…. Yes. Again.

Yes! Yes! Again.

All right, once more.

For this one, try doing it just a little differently.

That’s it. Again.

You’re doing awesome, Tom. Again.

Again.

So good, Tom. Again, please.

And again.

Again.

And one more time, please.

And again.

Part of the problem is you are trying not to make any mistakes. You need to realize it is impossible for you to make mistakes, because I do not allow mistakes to be made. In fact, that’s what I want next. Give me a few takes where you intentionally do it wrong. I think it will stretch out our palette.

Loved how you grinned through that one. It looked very weird. What else you got?

Striding through the door. Interesting! Keep going.

Dancing through the door. Silly, but that’s what I like to see. Keep pushing!

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Yes, when I twirl my finger like that it means do another one.

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Running through the door. Ha ha.

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Tom, I realize it’s past eleven, and we have been shooting this for eight hours, and that no one has had dinner. If you like, I will call it a day, and we can start again tomorrow morning. I am fine to continue, but I don’t want to push you past your limits. I understand it’s only walking through a door, but that doesn’t matter. Just because it’s not walking backwards up a staircase swinging a bat doesn’t mean it’s easy. I see exhaustion on your face, Tom, and if this process is stressing you out, then I think we should stop. It’s your call. I leave it up to you. I’ll give you a minute to think about it. Well that was a fast minute. You’re sure? Fantastic. We’re close, I feel it. We really are. Okay, Tom. When you’re ready.

Another one, when you’re ready.

Sure you don’t want to break for a sandwich? Go ahead then.

Hold on a minute. Something about that Christmas tree is not quite right. There are too many ornaments. Let’s try it with about a third of the ornaments gone. Great. Go ahead.

Ah, now I see the issue. It wasn’t the ornaments, it’s the lights. Let’s put the ornaments back and add another short string of lights. Try it now.

What are we at? Eighty-four? I would say we should stop and start again tomorrow, but I really think we’re getting close. From my experience, I would say we are very, very close. You can feel it in the air.

It’s almost like you’re floating through the door. How wonderful.

I wonder if it’s the paint. We could try a different color. We could try more of a matte finish. But no, the door is fine.

It is just a doorway, Tom. I can’t tell you what it means. No, that doesn’t mean I don’t know, I’m just saying I can’t say any more than I already have said. Try not to think about the door as a metaphor. Think of the door as a door.

The door is a portal you are walking through.

It is just a simple door. It is also a portal.

Notice how the door is a perfect rectangle.

There are circular doors but from my experience they usually go down. Like a manhole.

Or a bank vault. Those are round, aren’t they? Imagine you are walking through a bank vault.

Imagine you are walking through the door and into a dream.

Imagine everything is a dream.

All right, Tom. One more time. I really feel like this will be the one. One more, and we’ll have it in the can. And this time, try doing it just a little differently.

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MW Fehrenbacher grew up in rural Illinois and currently resides in Denver, Colorado. He is a member of the Book Project at Lighthouse Writers Workshop, where Erika Krouse is his mentor. In addition to writing, he has worked as a civil engineer, construction laborer, short order cook, music video actor, group home counselor, and technology consultant.