David Arquette Once Made A Major Faux Pas With Tom Cruise

One of the biggest faux pas you can make is forgetting someone's name or calling them the wrong one. "Scream" actor David Arquette found that out when he accidentally did just that to none other than Hollywood legend Tom Cruise. 

According to Yahoo! Entertainment, Arquette was interviewed by Howard Stern in December 2010 and recounted the awkward interaction. During the interview, Arquette discussed his separation from Courteney Cox and how upset he was by it. He was drinking heavily because of it. The actor revealed he had attended Adam Sandler's holiday party that year, and Cruise was there as well. After Cruise greeted Arquette, he returned the greeting but called him "Sean" due to being intoxicated. "Then I realized it was Tom Cruise," Arquette told Stern. He also said Cruise's then-wife Katie Holmes was there when it happened. 

Although Arquette didn't provide Cruise's reaction to the misspoken name, it's possible the delicious dessert Cruise sends as a holiday gift to everyone on his list won't ever make its way to Arquette.

Arquette and Cruise had a connection prior to the infamous Sean Cruise incident. Arquette played Drew Barrymore's on-screen brother in "Never Been Kissed," and for Halloween, his character dressed as Cruise's character in "Risky Business" (via YouTube).

In January 2011, shortly after that Howard Stern interview, David Arquette went to rehab. An insider told People (via CBS News) regarding his split from Courteney Cox, "He's just not handling this situation well. He's really depressed." At the time, Cox's rep released a statement to TMZ, in which she said, "I really admire David and his choice to take charge and better his life. I love and support him."

After rehab, Arquette still struggled with alcohol sometimes. In a March 2020 article with IndieWire for his documentary "You Cannot Kill David Arquette," he said sobriety has "been a complicated sort of journey for me." He admitted he still smokes pot and drinks sometimes, adding, "I understand if people will judge me for that, but I'm trying to live my life the best I can. I've just never been a full-on sober person." 

In a November 2020 interview with The Sun, Arquette revealed he had been to rehab two times. His commitment to his professional wrestling career motivated him to try and quit drinking. "It's an ongoing struggle. I am better sober," Arquette said. His documentary showed him using ketamine as an anxiety treatment but told Esquire that was done with the help of a psychiatrist.

If you or anyone you know needs help with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).

During a 2023 appearance on the wrestling talk show "Hey! (EW)," David Arquette recounted his Tom Cruise mistake once more. When interviewer RJ City (seemingly sarcastically) asked David if more wrestlers should join the religion of Scientology, David mentioned famous Scientologist Cruise and told the story of calling him "Sean."

"I said, 'Hey Sean!' And I was like, 'No, that's — your name is not Sean,'" David said, recounting that conversation. The "Spree" actor also mentioned that John Travolta — another famous Scientologist — called him out of the blue once to try and convince him to go to rehab. (However, it's been speculated that Travolta is no longer a Scientologist.)

David is not the only member of his family who has had an awkward interaction with Tom Cruise. His sister, Patricia Arquette, spoke with Variety and explained how she auditioned for a role in Cruise's movie "Jerry Maguire" — but due to being "a notoriously bad auditioner," she didn't get the part. "Everyone was saying, 'Oh, this is just a formality, you're gonna read with Tom Cruise for 'Jerry Maguire,' but this is your part, you got it,' and I blew it," Patricia said. She also admitted that Renée Zellweger was the correct choice for the role.