Tom Cruise receives the Navy’s highest civilian honor

Who is the frontrunner now?

Actor and producer Tom Cruise was honored Tuesday with the U.S. Navy’s highest civilian honor, a nod to his support of the military in films such as “Top Gun,” “A Few Good Men” and “Born on the Fourth of July.”

Cruise, 62, accepted the Distinguished Public Service Award for “outstanding service to the Navy and Marine Corps” and posed with Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro, who presented the award at Longcross Studios in London.

“I know that it is very important for me in life to lead, to serve. And I know that to the core. And that’s what I see in the servicemen and women,” the “Mission: Impossible” actor and producer said in an Associated Press video of the ceremony.

“Her work has inspired generations to pursue careers serving our country!” Del Toro posted on X-Tuesday about the award for the Oscar-winning actor.

Some have criticized the “Top Gun” films and other military-positive films as propaganda, while others see them as patriotic and, through Cruise’s contributions to Hollywood, a recruiting boost.

When the original Top Gun movie starring Cruise came out in 1986, recruiters in some cities set up tables outside theaters to speed up sign-ups.

The U.S. military regularly reviews Hollywood scripts, offers on-location filming at bases and has uniformed soldiers appear as extras to maintain a measure of control over how the public sees the military on the big screen.

When Cruise reprized his role as Pete “Maverick” Mitchell in the “Top Gun” sequel, it sparked a wave of nostalgia, according to a Navy statement, but also “purposefully stimulated younger audiences’ interest in the capabilities and possibilities.” the Navy.

As one YouTube commenter put it, “Tom Cruise is the best recruiting tool the Navy has ever had.”

Cruise will next be seen in “Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning,” the eighth installment in the series, in theaters May 23.