Rob Lowe Says Tom Cruise Went “Ballistic” When They Had to Share a Room in the ‘80s

Rob Lowe is getting real about Tom Cruise‘s diva behavior during the audition process for The Outsiders. In a new episode of Dax Shepard’s Armchair Expert podcast, Lowe recalled his tense experience sharing a hotel room with Cruise, who went “ballistic” when he learned that he wouldn’t have his own room. “It made me laugh,” said the Parks and Recreation star. “It was gnarly.”

In the early 1980s, Lowe and Cruise both auditioned for Francis Ford Coppola’s The Outsiders. At the time, Cruise had only two credits — a bit part in Endless Love and a major supporting role in Taps — but the young star was already confident in his abilities. “All the L.A. people survived the L.A. auditions and then the handpicked people had to go to New York to face the New York version,” Lowe told Shepard. “So it was me and Tom Cruise and Emilio [Estevez] and C. Thomas Howell.”

Lowe recalled that the New York trip was his first-ever time staying at the Plaza Hotel, and he was eager to see the room. Cruise, not so much. “We check in, and Tom finds out that we’re sharing a room and just goes ballistic,” he said.

“To me what’s great about the story is, there are certain people who have always been who they are, and that element has powered them to who they are today and the rest is history,” he continued. “And the notion that an 18-year-old actor with a walk-on part in Endless Love and like a seventh lead in Taps could have that kind of like wherewithal. I remember going, ‘Wow, this guy is the real deal.'”

Cruise went on to snag the role of Steve Randle in The Outsiders, while Lowe played Sodapop Curtis. Howell and Estevez were also cast as Ponyboy Curtis (Sodapop’s younger brother) and Keith “Two Bit” Matthews, respectively. The cult classic also stars Patrick Swayze, Matt Dillon, and Ralph Macchio.

Lowe added that regardless of the bizarre experience, “you can’t argue with the results” of Cruise’s attitude. “He’s had his eye on the ball since day one,” he told Shepard.

Listen to Rob Lowe’s entire interview with Dax Shepard on the Armchair Expert podcast.

Where to stream The Outsiders