Tom Cruise was honored with the 2023 David O. Selznick Achievement Award at the Producers Guild of America Awards in Los Angeles on Saturday night.
The award is the PGA’s highest film honor and recognizes a producer or team for outstanding filmography.
The 60-year-old superstar joins an illustrious pantheon of previous honorees that include Steven Spielberg, Mary Parent, Barbara Broccoli, David Heyman, Brian Grazer and Kevin Feige.
The box-office titan earned his highest-grossing film of all time with Top Gun: Maverick, which, according to The Numbers, grossed nearly $1.5 billion at the box office through December on a budget of just $170 million.
Cruise was striking in his classic black tuxedo at the star-studded 2023 Producers Guild Awards on Saturday night, where a beautiful Mindy Kaling, 43, was in attendance to accept the prestigious Norman Lear Award.
Career achievement: Tom Cruise, 60, was honored with the 2023 David O. Selznick Achievement Award from the Producers Guild of America
“Tom Cruise showed us that cinema admissions are back,” explained Sherry Lansing, giving Cruise an enthusiastic introduction. “You are an extraordinary person and have had a tremendous impact on my career.”
Cruise, who dominated the podium, began his speech by discussing his childhood love of films: “Whenever I didn’t have money, I found a way to sneak in.”
He added: “I like to see people doing well. I know things don’t just happen. I know it’s not just luck.
“You have to create this happiness. You have to create it. I want you to know that I always cheer for you. I cheer for you all.”
The megastar continued to talk about his close relationship with Stephen Spielberg and shared an anecdote about Spielberg’s meeting with famed director Brian De Palma.
“I spent many hours in it [Spielberg’s] talk about movies at home and at his table. At his dining table, I met Brian De Palma.” De Palma would direct Cruise in the first Mission: Impossible.
In conclusion, Cruise said, “The better each studio is, the better each film is, the better we all are, and the better it is for everyone.
“So I look forward to seeing what you create in the future and I will continue to do everything I can to contribute and help this industry and this art form that I love.”
Legend: The 60-year-old superstar joins an illustrious pantheon of previous honorees that include Steven Spielberg, Mary Parent, Barbara Broccoli, David Heyman, Brian Grazer and Kevin Feige
King of Hollywood: The box office titan earned its highest-grossing film of all time with Top Gun: Maverick, which, according to The Numbers, grossed nearly $1.5 billion at the box office through December on a budget of just $170 million
Big winner: Mindy Kaling, 43, received the prestigious Norman Lear Award, given to “a producer or producing team for exceptional work in television.”
Stunner: Kaling stunned in a strapless black dress and diamond wreath
Kaling’s shiny hair fell in waves to one side of her face for a glamorous effect
During her speech, Mindy thanked her parents and greeted Lady Luck. “Like most people, everything goes back to the parents. I’m an immigrant kid and that unexpectedly became my secret weapon. I owe it to my parents, but also to luck.
Stunning in a strapless black dress and diamond wreath, Kaling wowed the event when she was honored with the Normal Lear Award, given to “a producer or producing team for exceptional work on television.”
Mindy took the podium and began, “Like most people, it all starts with the parents. I’m an immigrant kid and that unexpectedly became my secret weapon.
“I owe that to my parents, but also to luck. I won the lottery mentoring with Greg Daniels and Howard Klein, the producers of The Office.
“I wasn’t even one of her nieces or anyone who could possibly become one of her second wives,” she joked.
The star thanked “pioneering icons like Norman Lear who paved the way for all types of people” and spoke about the importance of diversity.
The award was presented to Mindy by her former partner BJ Novak, who starred alongside Mindy in The Office.
Novak gushed about his former girlfriend’s passion, saying, “There was nothing she didn’t care about.”
The actor affectionately described his bond with Kaling as a “boundless, romantic, toxic mess” of a relationship, saying, “We were in love with each other.”
His Biggest Hit: Alongside box office gold, Top Gun: Maverick also received critical acclaim, earning a 96% on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes and an 8.4 out of 10 according to IMDb
Previous work: Cruise as Nathan Algren in The Last Samurai (2003).
Iconic: Tom was photographed during a high-stakes scene from Mission Impossible 2
Ahead of the ceremony, Producers Guild Presidents Donald De Line and Stephanie Allain said in a joint statement, “Starting with Mission: Impossible, Tom Cruise has developed a talent for producing that matches his extraordinary talent as an actor.”
They added, “Tom approaches production with the same meticulous attention to detail that he brings to all his professional endeavors.
“His dedication to telling bold, cinematic, and entertaining stories has enhanced the global theater experience and resulted in some of the most beloved motion pictures in history.”
The PGA also noted that Cruise “has worked for the past 40 years to produce and star in films that stand the test of time.
“His prowess as a creative filmmaker has influenced the evolution of cinema, as together he develops new ways of capturing what he envisions for the big screen – always at the service of the story – and always putting the audience’s experience first puts.”
Aside from going gold at the box office, Top Gun: Maverick also received critical acclaim, earning a 96% on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes and an 8.4 out of 10 according to IMDb.
The film is Cruise’s highest-grossing film of all time and the biggest worldwide hit in Paramount Pictures history.
The National Board of Review also voted Top Gun Maverick the best movie of 2022.
Best Picture: (Left to right) Ke Huy Quan, Michelle Yeoh, Jamie Lee Curtis and Stephanie Hsu couldn’t contain their excitement when their hit Everything Everywhere All at Once won Best Picture
The Norman Lear Award was presented to Mindy by her former partner BJ Novak, 43, who starred opposite Mindy in The Office. The actor affectionately referred to Kaling as a “boundless, romantic, toxic mess” of a relationship, saying, “We were in love with each other.”
Guillermo del Toro accepted the award for Outstanding Producer of Animated Motion Pictures for his acclaimed version of Pinocchio
The film is Cruise’s highest-grossing film of all time and the biggest worldwide hit in Paramount Pictures history.
The National Board of Review also voted Top Gun Maverick the best movie of 2022.
In his five-decade career, the Hollywood star’s projects have grossed over $11 billion.
His most famous films include the Jack Reacher franchise, Vanilla Sky, The Last Samurai and Elizabethtown.
His first producer was Mission Impossible in 1996, which later became an internationally recognized franchise.
Cate Blanchett looked stunning in an embellished gold dress
Angela Bassett was a vision in white
Austin Butler looked handsome in a classic suit as he took to the podium
Stephen Colbert was elegant in a black tuxedo
Billy Eichner
Brendan Fraser
Leslie Odom Jr and Kate Hudson
Ron Howard
Sherry Lansing
Paul Dano and Michelle Williams
Bob Odenkirk
The 34th Annual Producers Guild of America Awards honors “the most impactful and entertaining producer achievements in the world of film and television,” according to the official website.
Other honorees of the evening included Warner Bros. Pictures Group CEOs Michael De Luca and Pamela Adby, who accepted the Milestone Award.
The drama Till received the Stanley Kramer Award, which honors those “who use cinema as a platform to raise awareness of social issues from the past to the present”.
The big winner of the night was Everything Everywhere All at Once, Best Picture.
Winner of the 2023 Producers Guild Awards
Darryl F. Zanuck Award for Outstanding Motion Picture Producer
Avatar: The Way of Water
The Banshees by Inisherin
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
elvis
All everywhere at once – WINNER
The Fabelmans
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery
tar
Top Gun: Maverick
The whale
Norman Felton Award for Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television – Drama
Andor
Better call Saul
ozark
severance pay
The White Lotus – WINNER
David L. Wolper Award for Outstanding Producer of Limited Edition Television Series or Anthology
DAHMER – Monsters: The Story of Jeffrey Dahmer
The dropout – WINNER
invent Anna
Obi Wan Kenobi
Pam & Tommy
Outstanding Nonfiction Producer
30 for 30
60 minutes
George Carlin’s American Dream
Lucie and Desi
Stanley Tucci: In Search of Italy – WINNER
Outstanding Producer of Game and Competition Television
The amazing race
Lizzo’s Watch Out For The Big Grrrls – WINNER
RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars
top chef
The voice
Excellent sports program
Formula 1: Drive to survive
Hard Knocks: Training camp with the Detroit Lions
Legacy: The True Story of the LA Lakers
McEnroe
Tony Hawk: Until the wheels fall off – WINNER
PGA Innovation Award
Dancing Monsters (Lime Pictures)
Experience Yosemite (CityLights)
Ghostbusters VR Academy (HOLOGATE)
LeMusk – A Cinematic Sensory Experience (Intel Corporation)
Lustration (New Canvas)
On The Morning You Wake (ASTREA)
OXYMORE by Jean-Michel Jarre (VRROOM)
PerfectoVerse (View & Play)
Space Explorers: Artemis Ascending (Felix and Paul Studios, with contribution from MeetMo) (Meta Quest)
Stay alive my son (UME Studios) – WINNER
Stranger Things Immersive Watch Party (Sawhorse Productions)
Verizon Pepsi Halftime Ultra Pass (R/GA)
Outstanding Producer of Animated Motion Pictures
Pinocchio by Guillermo del Toro – WINNER
Marcel the Shell with shoes on
Minions: The Rise of Gru
Puss in Boots: The Last Wish
To redden
Danny Thomas Award for Outstanding Producer, Episodic Television – Comedy
Abbott Elementary School
barry
The Bear – WINNER
Chop
Only murders in the building
Outstanding Producer of Televised or Streamed Motion Pictures
fire island
Hocus pocus 2
Pinocchio
prey
Weird: The Al Yankovic Story – WINNER
Outstanding Producer of Live Entertainment, Variety, Sketch, Standup & Talk Television
The Daily Show with Trevor Noah
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
Last week tonight with John Oliver – WINNER
The late show with Stephen Colbert
Saturday night live
Outstanding Producer of Documentaries
Anything that breathes
descendant
fire of love
Navalny – WINNER
Nothing compares
declining
the territory
Excellent children’s program
Fraggle Rock: Back to the rock
Green eggs and ham
Sesame Street – WINNER
Snoopy Presents: It’s the little things, Charlie Brown
Waffles + Mochis Restaurant
Outstanding short form program
Better Call Saul: Filmmaker Training
Love, Death + Robots
Only Murders in the Building: A Killer Question – WINNER
The #ComingTogether Series Word of the Day Sesame Street
Tales of the Jedi
HONOR AWARDS
David O. Selznick Achievement Award – Tom Cruise
Stanley Kramer Prize – Till
Milestone Awards – Michael De Luca and Pam Abby
Norman Lear Achievement Award – Mindy Kaling
Vance Van Petton Entrepreneurship Award – Lena Waithe