Tuesday, February 9, 2010 Previous editions
Four men were arrested tonight after Hollywood star Tom Cruise was drenched with water at the London premiere of his new film.
They were working on a new Channel 4 comedy programme and may now be charged with assaulting the A-list actor.
He reacted angrily to the prank, repeatedly calling the man who soaked him a “jerk”.
Cruise was on a walkabout talking to some of the 5,000 fans who had packed into Leicester Square for the star-studded premiere of War of the Worlds and he was accompanied by his new fiancé, actress Katie Holmes.
As he answered questions from journalists a bogus reporter, wearing a white and green t-shirt, stuck out a joke microphone and used it to squirt water into Cruise’s face.
The star struggled to maintain his composure and rounded on the man, saying: “Why would you do that ... why would you do that ... why would you do that?”
As the prankster offered a barely audible excuse, Cruise said: “Do you like thinking less of people, is that it?”
After an uncomfortable silence the joker went to walk away but Cruise said: “Don’t run away.”
He told his assailant: “That’s incredibly rude. I’m here giving you an interview and you do that ... it’s incredibly rude.”
Cruise then said forcibly: “You’re a jerk ... jerk ... you’re a jerk.”
The man was escorted away by security guards and taken inside the cinema where he and the three other members of his freelance camera crew were arrested.
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.”
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