How A Ping Pong Match Between Tom Cruise & Robert Downey Jr. Went Over The Top

Robert Downey Jr. and Tom Cruise have more in common than you might think. Aside from being two of the most recognizable, and bankable, leading men in Hollywood, the famously dark-haired actors have been part of some of the biggest movie franchises in history. Downey Jr. is best known for playing snarky tech genius Tony Stark, aka Iron Man, in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). And, unless you've purposefully avoided movie theaters for the past few decades, you've likely seen Cruise on the big screen multiple times over. He's the frontman of two hugely popular action franchises, namely "Top Gun" and "Mission Impossible." 

In 2008, Downey and Cruise finally joined forces and appeared together in the action comedy "Tropic Thunder." The movie has been deemed problematic for multiple reasons in recent years (though it wouldn't be the first, or last, of Cruise's controversial moments). Still, the combined star power of Cruise, Downey Jr., Ben Stiller, and others brought it much success. Besides acting, something else Downey Jr. and Cruise have in common is their fiercely competitive nature. During one of their first meetings, the duo engaged in an intense game of ping pong that resulted in Cruise cutting off communication with Downey Jr. for a while.

We didn't know that Tony Stark's competitive nature carried over into Robert Downey Jr.'s real life personality, but his hilarious story about a disastrous ping-pong match with Tom Cruise proves that may be the case. In 1996, Downey Jr. paid a visit to "Letterman," with legendary host David Letterman. The actor was invited on the show to promote his latest movie, "Restoration," when the conversation flowed into his relationship with fellow actor Cruise. Of course, nobody in the audience was expecting the story of how the two actors first met.

Downey discussed how one of his first times interacting with Cruise was at a mutual friend's house. To keep the party lively, Cruise challenged Downey Jr. to a game of ping pong. The "Risky Business" star likely wasn't expecting the match to become quite as competitive as it did, though. Downey Jr. admitted that when the score was 21 to 4, with him on the losing side, he decided to do something drastic. "I jumped the net," the beloved actor admitted as the audience gasped and laughed. "I splintered this thing into about six thousand pieces."

Robert Downey Jr. doesn't make it a point to shatter ping pong tables left and right. There was a reason for his chagrined response to losing the game. As he informed Letterman during their chat, the actor was clearly intoxicated at the time. When the host asked how Tom Cruise reacted to the drunk "Iron Man" star leaping across the net and splintering the ping pong table, Downey Jr. had a hilarious but honest reply ready: "He was just feeling fear and sadness, I think. He hasn't called me since." The actor then fixed a forlorn expression on his face and turned to look directly into the camera before imploring, "Tom, drop a line."

Downey Jr. has been open about his addiction struggles, even getting candid about serving jail time as a result, but thankfully there don't seem to be any hard feelings between him and Cruise. Aside from starring alongside each other in "Tropic Thunder," both actors would be game for a sequel if the opportunity ever arose. Cruise, who played the villainous Les Grossman in the movie, has made it known he'd love to reprise the role, even in a spinoff project. And, when Extra asked Downey Jr. if he'd be game for doing another "Tropic Thunder," he too expressed interest in a sequel, especially if he got to work with Cruise.