PARK CITY, Utah — He can run. He can climb cliff sides without harnesses. Heck, he can even scale the surface of the world's tallest building. And now, for his next trick, Tom Cruise will truly do the impossible: sing his heart out in front of moviegoers nationwide.
The "Mission Impossible" actor will next be seen as fictional rock god Stacee Jaxx in "Rock of Ages," director Adam Shankman's adaptation of the Broadway musical. If you think it's bizarre casting, take it from Cruise's costar, Malin Akerman — according to her, there is literally nothing that Cruise can't do, carrying a tune included.
"He's brilliant. You're going to be blown away," Akerman told at the Sundance Film Festival, which she's attending as an ambassador for the Brita FilterForGood Music Project campaign. "His voice is ridiculous."
Akerman should know. As reporter Constance Sack, she only has one musical number in "Rock of Ages" — a cover of "I Want to Know What Love Is" by Foreigner — which she sings opposite Cruise. "I auditioned with Cruise. We did our scene together and then I had to sing in the studio [for a musical audition]," she said of landing the role. "My role was actually one of the last ones cast, so I was the last onboard and had the least amount of prep [time]. It was nerve-wracking, to have to go in and sing in the audition."
But Akerman says any anxiety was transformed into elation when performing opposite Cruise, a Hollywood icon she likens to an equally iconic superhero.
"He's Superman to me. He can do anything he sets his mind to," she said, adding that on top of his talent as an actor and his ability to perform breathtaking stunts, Cruise can also "sing like an opera singer."
"When you're with Tom, you give it your all," Akerman said. "It was really amazing and surreal."
The 2012 Sundance Film Festival is officially under way, and the MTV Movies team is on the ground reporting on the hottest stars and the movies everyone will be talking about in the year to come. Keep it locked with MTV Movies for everything there is to know about Sundance.