Redstone reaches out to Cruise

By Stone Martindale Mar 3, 2007, 17:08 GMT

Sumner Redstone - 2003 MTV Movie Awards - Shrine Auditorium - Los Angeles, CA © Glenn Harris / Photorazzi

Sumner Redstone, the movie chieftain who castigated Tom Cruise over his unprofessional and unpredictable behavior last summer, now wants to mend fences with the star.

Redstone is chairman of Paramount Pictures parent company Viacom, he and his wife made headlines in August when they openly criticized Cruise's behaviour, on the heels of revealing the studio severed its 14-year partnership with Cruise's and partner Paula Wagner's production company, C/W Prodictions.

Redstone told People magazine, "I haven't talked with him recently. But who knows, I look forward to seeing him again. He's a great, great actor, one of the best.

"He was a great friend. And I look forward to being his friend again."

Redstone told the Wall Street Journal back during the break, "We don't think that someone who effectuates creative suicide and costs the company revenue should be on the lot. His conduct has not been acceptable to Paramount."

Redstone claims he was "surprised" by the way his comments were interpreted adding, "I didn't know anything was going to be so explosive.

"What happened was, I just gave an interview to the Wall Street Journal. In the course of it, they asked me what was going on. I said, you know, he would no longer be in the lot.

"They treated that like I was firing him. I didn't fire him! I had nothing to do with it. But they treated it explosively. And I didn't like it."