``Taps,'' a coming-of-age movie starring the unknown Tom Cruise as a teenager.

Tom, a newcomer, builds a foothold in Hollywood.

Director Harold Becker is a late bloomer who first came into the limelight as a film director in his 50s. After gaining attention with this film, he released another teen drama that symbolizes the 1980s , Vision Quest (1985). After that, he released a string of suspense hits, including Sea of ​​Love (1989), The Woman in the Cold (1993), The City of the Dead (1996), and Mercury Rising (1998).

To make Taps a realistic story, director Becker's first step was to give the young actors playing the cadets plenty of time to prepare. With no prior knowledge of the military, they were sent to a 45-day basic training camp at the United States Military Academy in Pennsylvania. They practiced acting in the mornings and underwent military training in the afternoons. This process allowed the actors to assimilate into the boys who aspire to be soldiers and at the same time foster a strong sense of camaraderie.

“Taps” (c)Photofest / Getty Images

Through their work together, Hutton, Penn, and Cruise developed a bond as close friends. For Cruise, who was still in his early career, working with these older actors was particularly helpful. Penn supported Cruise, who was trying to establish a base in Hollywood, and provided him with accommodation. It was Penn who introduced Cruise to the "Brat Pack," actors of his generation who would later co-star in " The Outsider " (1983), including Emilio Estevez and Rob Lowe.

As an aside, Penn had explained to Cruise, who was looking for a role to follow "Taps," the importance of a script. However, in his haste to achieve success, Cruise jumped at any opportunity to play the lead role, and instead starred in a B-grade teen comedy about sexual first experiences, which ended up being a box office and quality flop, forcing him to take a slight detour in his career. This was four years before the huge success of " Top Gun ."

A boy who goes out of control more than anyone else, his passion and sadness.