Spielberg Speechless Over Cruise Surprise

By Hanna Aronovich in Arts & Entertainment on Jul 18, 2006 1:46PM

There was no couch-jumping, but Steven Spielberg’s visit to Chicago this weekend was still full of exclamation points. Spielberg was in town to receive the Golden Hugo Lifetime Achievement Award at the Chicago International Film Festival 2006 Summer Gala.

Held at the Sheraton Chicago on Saturday, Spielberg was honored by video tributes from notables including Catherine Zeta-Jones, Jude Law, George Lucas and Roger Ebert. Even Tom Cruise made an appearance on the video.

So, when Cruise showed up in person, the crowd reportedly burst into cheers. Spielberg exclaimed, “I can’t believe you’re standing here! I’m speechless.”

Cruise’s appearance is especially unexpected given the two’s reported feuding. However, Cruise put aside any differences, if any, to personally - personally! - thank Spielberg. “I couldn’t let him be honored without me being here,” Cruise said to the crowd. “That’s an impossibility.”

It seems the ceremony was a smashing success. Cruise gets bonus points for using the word “impossibility,” while Spielberg gets points for not being glib.

Image via Gossip Rocks.