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Story by: Jack Foley
THOUSANDS of people braved soaring temperatures to greet Tom
Cruise at the premiere of his new movie, War of the Worlds, in
Leicester Square on Sunday, June 19, 2005 - but the event was
almost ruined when the actor was sprayed in the face with water
following an interview 'prank'.
The recently-engaged star, who attended the event with his new
fiance, Katie Holmes, had been chatting to journalists when he
was suddenly sprayed in the face with water by a man holding a
microphone.
Struggling to maintain his composure, the star held on to the
man while security guards moved in and said: "That's incredibly
rude. I'm here giving you an interview and you do that, it's incredibly
rude."
The 'journalist' in question was reportedly part of a four-man
freelance film crew who were working on a new Channel 4 programme
designed to play comedy pranks on celebrities.
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But they were all immediately arrested
on suspicion of assault and held overnight.
A Channel 4 spokesman said: "The incident was for a new
Channel 4 entertainment show, part of which involves playing comedy
pranks on celebrities and on members of the public.
"The water squirting was not intended to cause offence and
was very much in a spirit of fun.
"We hope Tom Cruise will be able to see the joke in the
spirit with which it was intended."
Cruise, however, was visibly upset by the incident and referred
to the man as 'a jerk'.
He did recover his composure and went on an hour-long walkabout
with the Leicester Square crowds, signing autographs and chatting
on mobile phones in customary fashion.
The incident could have marred the star-studded event, which
saw Leicester Square being transformed into a scene from the movie,
which is directed by Steven Spielberg.
And it is credit to Cruise that he didn't allow the prank to
spoil the afternoon for the many people who had queued for hours
in sweltering conditions to catch a glimpse of their hero.
It remains to be seen what further action, if any, will be taken
on the four men in question.
Watch the War of the Worlds trailer
War of the Worlds: Preview
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