In Magnolia, Tom Cruise Far Outperformed Real-Life Andrew Tate

Cruise’s performance as Mackey offers a unique opportunity to make sense of a Tate, and to see what all really lies right under the surface of this ongoing phenomenon.

* * *

Twenty-six years ago, superstar actor Tom Cruise played a rare supporting role in director Paul Thomas Anderson’s epic ensemble Magnolia (1999). Amongst a slew of other great performances (Jason Robards, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Julianne Moore, et al.), Cruise stood out, even earning a Golden Globe award and an Academy Award nomination. His character, Frank TJ Mackey, encapsulated something called a “pick-up artist” (PUA) culture, and more. That is, Anderson had modeled Mackey after a real-life, self-proclaimed “seduction guru” of the time, and the character would further anticipate a 2025 iteration of the same, such as the social media influencer, and face of “toxic masculinity,” Andrew Tate.1 In retrospect, Cruise’s performance as Mackey offers a unique opportunity to make sense of a Tate, and to see what all really lies right under the surface of this ongoing phenomenon.

Magnolia was largely praised critically, although its epic scope and three-hour running time were not for everyone. A brief summary of the film’s expansive theme: life can seem incredibly random and really tough – but if we can face truths about our pasts, we can find meaning and even some peace. If we don’t face things, though, we might continue to act out the same negative patterns, over and over.

At first, the various characters in Magnolia, including a police officer, a hunky bartender with braces, and two kid quiz show champs, don’t seem to have much in common. Anderson, though, is like a symphony conductor weaving the numerous storylines together. By the end, many characters cross paths, and all can be seen with much in common via very human experiences of family tribulations, pain, love, regret, and acceptance. Somehow, it works.

No one’s arc is more dramatic than Frank Mackey’s. Cruise had seen Anderson’s preceding, second film, the also acclaimed Boogie Nights (1997), and reached out to the director. The pair discussed the film, and it also came up that both had lost their fathers to cancer. Anderson’s father had just passed. Cruise’s father had been abusive and abandoned him when he was twelve; he only saw him two more times, including in 1984 when he saw him on his deathbed – something Mackey would do in the film as well.2

Paul Thomas Anderson. Photo by Jürgen Fauth, December 10, 2007, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Anderson then wrote the Magnolia screenplay with Cruise in mind for Mackey, and modeled the character after the original pick-up guru Ross Jeffries. Jeffries was the author of the book How to Get the Women You Desire into Bed (1992), which found a significant following with certain alienated and frustrated males. Most were young adults and teenagers who felt marginalized and even vilified in a society that, in their eyes, had become oppressively feminist. Many embraced Jeffries’s systematic approach and manipulations for getting women into bed: “Chapter One: How to Have Confidence and Power with Women.”3 Detractors, however, saw it all as the worst kind of deception, often preying on insecurities, such as: “Chapter Six: How to Fake Like You Are Warm and Friendly,” and worse: “Chapter 16: How to Handle Bitches Who Try to Cancel Dates.”4 Jeffries’s ultimate promise was embodied in phrases such as “The Vaginal Victor on V-Day!” and “master the muffin.”5

Cruise’s Mackey character is introduced in the film as a hyper-energized speaker, in front of a raucous audience, as he delivers his seminar titled “Seduce & Destroy.” Cruise taps into every bit of his superstar powers, but instead of playing a fighter jock or a pool shark, here he is inspiring men in their pursuit of sex and dominance over women, preaching things like: “Respect the cock and tame the cunt.” “No! You will not control me. . . . No! You will not win this game.” “I am the one who is in charge.”

In a 2015 interview with the website UpRoxx, first, a man named Paul Ross asserted that Ross Jeffries was his pseudonym. Ross then commented on the film and the Mackey-Jeffries connection, saying there were differences: “Mackey is more manic. Mackey is far more misogynistic,” though he also acknowledged that Anderson was “basically taking stuff from where I was in 1998.” Also, Paul Ross asserted, “Ross Jeffries doesn’t exist,” explaining, “Ross Jeffries was a character I created, a loudmouth, obnoxious, larger than life, sort of a bit of a showman to get the message out there, to be a loud mouthpiece.”6 Paul Ross also stated that he believed that Cruise and Anderson had missed the mark in that they “didn’t realize they were portraying a character created by an actor.”7 More on that point in a moment.

Jeffries’s book and his subsequent seminars and classes all sold relatively well. Later, he became a mentor to former Rolling Stone reporter Neil Strauss, and Strauss brought even more exposure to the world of “pick-up artists” with a best-selling book about his experiences with Ross, The Game (2005). A short-lived reality TV series followed in 2007, hosted by another Jeffries protégé named Mystery.

Enter Andrew Tate. There are many figures in the pick-up and “manosphere” communities today, but with numbers such as more than 10 million followers on X alone and videos with billions of views, Tate is clearly the face of it.

Andrew Tate. Screenshot from a YouTube podcast from 2023, uploaded by James Tamin and used with permission of Wikimedia Commons

Tate is a 38-year-old, biracial son of a U.S. Air Force employee and chess master father, and a British mother. He was a professional kickboxing champion and then garnered greater attention and controversy on the British version of the Big Brother reality TV show in 2016. From there, he took to social media and became a popular influencer, with an audience of primarily teenage boys and young men. Tate advises followers both on how to make money, such as via crypto-currency, as well as on how to handle women.8 He has proclaimed himself “absolutely a misogynist,” and his community has been described as one fostering a brew of “misogyny, alt-right and conspiracy theory” messaging.9

Like Mackey, Tate also speaks with a self-assuredness taken to wild extremes. He will, for example, proudly contradict even the most well-established evidence, instead relying strictly on his gut instinct: “One of my habits now is ignoring all data” (in this instance, specifically with regard to climate change and all election results). Why? “How can you think anything else?” This apparent lack of even the slightest bit of self-doubt can be especially enticing to younger males who feel unsure of themselves and unsure of their roles in the world.10

Tate, along with his brother Tristan and other partners, also started a profitable webcam business, employing dozens of young women as sex workers. Andrew further brags to his followers about how he controls and exploits women, both sexually and for profit.11

The Jeffries’ strain of influence is evident, though it has been taken to new extremes, and it then spread exponentially via the internet. It has gotten to a point, in fact, that various educators and women’s rights groups have expressed alarm at Tate’s “toxic masculinity” and his immense influence on a generation of boys.12

Starting in 2022, however, Tate was charged criminally in Romania and then in the United Kingdom for offenses including sexual assault, sex trafficking, tax evasion, and money laundering.13 The cases are pending at this writing. Then, earlier this year, tech billionaire Elon Musk also announced that he was supporting Tate’s effort to become the prime minister of the UK. On February 27, 2025, the Trump administration reportedly pressured Romanian authorities to lift travel restrictions on the Tates, and the brothers flew to the United States.14 Welcome to Earth, 2025.15 Welcome to Earth, 2025.

So, then, exactly how similar are Tate and Frank TJ Mackey? On some key topics, the connection is apparent enough. For example, on controlling and exploiting women:

Mackey: [from the film’s DVD extra “Mackey Informercial”] Bottom line? Language. The magical key to unlocking the female analytical mindset. Tap directly into her hopes, her wants, her fears, her desires and her sweet little panties.

Tate: I take girls who don’t have the will and put them on webcam. I take 100% of their profit. I know how to make sure they don’t run away.16

On women as possessions:

Mackey: In this big game that we play it is not what you like and it’s not what you deserve – it’s what you take.

Tate: [Women are] given to the man and belong to the man.17

And on a hatred of women:

Mackey: They are not your friends. Do you really think that she’s gonna be there for you when things go bad? Huh, guys? . . . Oh, you think again. Oh, fuckin’ Denise, “Denise the Piece.”

Tate [in a message from Tate to one of his rape accusers, per VICE]: I fucking loved how much you hated it.18

Both Mackey and Tate often also play up personas that seem designed as much for garnering attention, positive or negative, as anything else:

Mackey: I’m full afterburners, full throttle through hottie heaven . . . just dodgin’ left and right these bullets from these terrorist babe beauties . . .

Tate: The number one problem in the world is that not enough men walk around their houses with swords.19

Tate means the last statement literally, though he says you must “extrapolate” its more practical applications. Thus, he follows by explaining that if your wife “panics” or is talking inappropriately, a sword adds necessary emphasis when you tell her, “Shut up!”20

As assertive and outspoken as both the Mackey character and Tate are, however, both can be very difficult and quite defensive interviewees.

In Magnolia, for example, the Mackey has a sit-down interview with a woman reporter, Gwenovier (April Grace). It is right after his live seminar, and Mackey is still full of adrenaline. He proceeds to change his clothes, and he is shirtless and then just in his underwear, as he begins to talk to her. He doesn’t know the reporter, but she is friendly and seems open enough. Mackey also seems to assume that he will overwhelm Gwenovier with his wild, masculine energy, his megawatt smile, his muscles, some martial arts sort of moves, and his over-the-top confidence. He gets into a free-flowing spiel: “I finish one of these seminars, Gwenovier, I swear to fucking God, I mean I am Batman. I’m Superman. I’m like a fucking action hero the way I feel. Like I could walk out of this room right now, Gwenovier, I would walk down the hall, down the street, and I can pick up pick up any sweet little honey that I meet.”

The reporter is calm, engaged, and genuinely friendly. She is even empathetic, though something along the lines of a nurse understanding that she is dealing with a wounded person, which is what the Mackey character is.

The reporter gets into Mackey’s background and asks about his mother:

Gwenovier: Are you close?

Mackey [smiling, as if it is a silly question]: She’s my mother.

Gwenovier: Yes, but I mean she’s a woman, too, so how does she feel about “Seduce and Destroy,” I mean, what does she say?

Mackey [chuckling]: Well, she says, uh . . . “You go get ’em, honey.”

One senses that, and maybe for the first time in a long time, Mackey does not believe his own statement, thus, he cannot fully sell it.

One could also imagine a mother having various reactions to a son like Mackey. Maybe she doesn’t like his vocation but still loves and accepts him. Or maybe she is just horrified. Still, because Mackey’s program displays a clear hatred for women, the idea of dear old mom actually being a passionate advocate of “Seduce and Destroy” rings totally false. Further, if Mackey had just not wanted to discuss his family, he could have simply said so and moved on. This would, however, have run completely contrary to his in-your-face persona. So, he lies.

Continuing on, the reporter asks:

Gwenovier: And what about your father?

Mackey: Oh, my father, unfortunately he passed away . . .

Gwenovier: Oh, well, I’m sorry.

The reporter expresses genuine sympathy for Mackey’s loss, but Mackey clearly wants to move on, and quickly:

Mackey: No, no, don’t, please. . . . Listen, I mean you have to move forward. The past has its place and it was a long time ago. People die.

The reporter then follows up to clarify some apparent discrepancies in Mackey’s story, including determining his actual name, and that, apparently, his mother may be deceased and his father still alive – the exact opposite of what he had just asserted. Gwenovier is polite and respectful and, really, just doing her job, but Mackey is not appreciating it: “Is this the attack portion of the interview?” he asks.

The Mackey character aggressively controls the narrative, and one could assume that he would be used to intense reactions and conflict in his life. But when someone firmly and respectfully challenges him on some tough topics? Mackey gets quiet. Now, for the first time, film viewers can see – right behind Cruise’s eyes – where Mackey’s façade starts to crack.

Mackey then dives into his philosophy as to how he thinks one should view the past, which is, essentially: Don’t. Says Mackey: “There is no need for insight or understanding things of the past! Gone, over, Done. Do you realize how fucking miraculous this is? How fucking razor sharp and cutting-edge and ahead of its time this concept is?” Finally, he claims, the past is: “So boring, so useless. . . . Facing the past is an important way in not making progress, I tell my men that over and over.”

Mackey’s response is actually not entirely dissimilar to Tate’s, such as when a VICE reporter had come to Tate’s home for a documentary on the Tate phenomenon, in 2023. The reporter, there, had been friendly and seemed fair enough, despite Tate and his team having hazed him for no apparent reason, and then stringently limiting who he could talk to and what he could ask about. Even a woman sitting on a couch in Tate’s home was barely allowed to be greeted.21

When the reporter asks about the fact that Tate had been completely banned from the major social media apps, a worldwide news story, he gets serious pushback. The reporter finally, and respectfully, confronts Tate and explains that in documentaries, the whole idea is to be able to freely ask questions and talk to whomever. One of Tate’s team members interjects. He angrily asserts that Tate does lots of positive things for young men that he could be asked about. Instead of answering the questions and speaking to these points, though, the Tate spokesman claims that the reporter is making “attacks” and asking “leading questions.” The interview is ended.22

As to family issues, Tate, too, seems defensive and elusive. In an interview with a reporter for The Daily Mail, he defends his own response to a question – though no one has challenged him on it:

Reporter: What kind of father was he?

Tate: He was authoritarian but that’s not a bad thing.23

Tate goes on to say that his father, who died of heart attack in 2015 at 56, had not just raised him well but states: “I was raised perfectly.” Of course, for Tate, “perfect” includes being regularly hit as a child if he “made a mistake,” and, according to him, as another example, he was subjected to grueling, nearly-all night chess training, for a week, after a chess loss.24

Tate has a lengthy narrative to explain the purely positive impact of what he acknowledges was “authoritarian” and what is legally defined as child abuse. He explained: “Everything around us was built on the back of children getting hit when they made a mistake. We built the pyramids . . . .We built all of civilised society.”25 Tate’s philosophy does not, however, leave any room for looking at how his own past may have impacted him negatively. Instead, he is specifically and solely focused on external factors and comparing oneself with others. Thus, in his words: “Being happy as a man is not so important. . . . You feel happy when you feel better than others.”26 He put what he sees as most important in an Instagram post: “The feeling of superiority is intrinsic to masculine contentment.”27

So, back to Magnolia. The pivotal scene in the film, one that some might see as absurd but others as pure cinematic genius, has all of the cast hitting various bottoms in their lives – and then suddenly, and separately, all breaking out and singing along with the Aimee Mann song “Wise Up.” (It really needs to be seen.) As Mann gently but insistently reminds in the song, again and again, we can avoid or repress painful pasts, but it may well haunt us until we have had enough, and are ready to “wise up.” Here, wise up means that instead of working to maintain a façade and repress emotions, one can instead “just . . . give up” – that is, be real. Feel. Only then can a person truly get over whatever it is.

After the musical interlude, Mackey goes to see his dad at his deathbed – again, precisely what real-life Tom Cruise had done. There Mackey opens up, and he begins to grapple with a mountain of repressed hate, rage, and grief and also, somewhere in there, actual love. It’s intense.

It is an open question how much Cruise is actually acting in this scene and how much is him conducting a very real psychodrama. It probably doesn’t matter. Whatever one might think of Cruise (or the Scientology religion he famously promotes), his performance is stunning. It is powerful and yet remarkably nuanced at the same time. It is a lifetime of Mackey’s denial crashing down, exposing his raw, true self and, in Cruise’s real world, apparently, he is revisiting a profound experience and drawing from it.

In his 2015 interview regarding the Mackey character, Jeff Ross had made the remark that Cruise and Anderson had messed up because they “didn’t realize they were portraying a character created by an actor.”28 Of course, Cruise and Anderson no doubt knew precisely what they were doing. They may have even understood Jeff Ross’s character, Ross Jeffries, and Jeff Ross himself, better than Ross did. Yes, Cruise was playing some version of the Ross Jeffries character, but when Frank Mackey drops his façade in the film, he is effectively dropping both Jeffries’s and Ross’s façades.

So, back to Tate. He may be going to prison. Or he may not. He may just continue on as he has been, and Musk – and maybe voters – might help him move forward with political ambitions. Musk has, of course, already put his notoriety and vast wealth behind no less than current U.S. president, Donald Trump. And Trump, too, has his own well-documented “toxic masculinity” issues, and a deep desire for power over others – e.g., “Grab them by the pussy.”29. And Trump also happens to be very much opposed to self-reflection of any kind. As he once told a biographer, “I don’t like to analyze myself because I don’t like what I might see.”30 So, Tate certainly has a political blueprint of sorts to follow.

Finally, as to Tate on a personal level: Is it all a facade? Or is he actually unscathed from a childhood of “authoritarianism” and abuse?

To be entirely fair, it should be said that facing such personal topics may be as hard a challenge as a person can face. Indeed, this is not the sort of challenge that requires the typical “strength” that even a cocksure Mackey or a trained kickboxer like Tate is necessarily prepared to face. This may require a very different sort of courage needed for one of the scariest of propositions: allowing oneself to drop the walls and become emotionally vulnerable. Again, though, not doing so may well mean a person will continue to act out that pain and trauma and never really move on.

In any event, Cruise’s performance as Mackey was entirely convincing and deeply moving. He also made Mackey seem far more human – and more real – than Tate. Thus far, anyway.

 * * *

Unless otherwise noted, all images are screenshots from the film.