The other day, I decided to watch Knight and Day for the first time ever. I know. I know. Mistakes, they were made. C’est la vie.
Despite my love of guilty pleasure movies occasionally coming back to bite me, I regret nothing. Sure, Cameron Diaz’s character spends the first two acts being a walking #MeToo violation, but Tom Cruise doing an over-the-top version of the hyper-competent characters he always plays with a winking self-awareness is a great deal of fun. When he looks Cameron in the eyes and tells her he will get her out of their mess safely, I believed it. It got me thinking that if I were trapped in a real-life situation like that with Tom Cruise himself, I’d probably trust that he could keep us both alive considering the extensive training and crazy skills he’s learned for various roles.
So I asked Twitter.
Granted, quite a few people seemed to skip over the whole getting out alive part and simply responded with the actors and actresses they’re attracted to. But others got into the spirit of it and gave some great answers.
Tom Cruise
A handful of people agreed with my pick. Scientology weirdness aside, the man exudes competence and the sort of determination that makes you believe he can achieve anything he sets his mind to.
Keanu Reeves
Speaking of Keanu, he was also a popular choice because, come on, it’s Keanu. But beyond him being the hero of our collective heart, Reeves has an impressive history of immersing himself in martial arts, gun handling and marksmanship, skills that would all come in handy in a life or death scenario.
Charlize Theron
Charlize Theron was also a popular answer. She’s essentially become Our Lady of Action, and she believably throws down every time she throws a punch. Plus, she has swagger for days.
Jason Momoa
A few others chimed in with Jason Momoa. Hilariously, it was both because he is “the right level of crazy” but also “not crazy.” Maybe they’re just digging his barbarian vibe?
Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson
Obviously, Dwayne Johnson was on many people’s list. The muscles alone means he’ll be able to power his way out of plenty of situations. And if that fails, he’d turn on his charm to talk his way out of it.
Chris Evans
A number of people were on Team Best Chris. Because sure, he’s Captain America and a genuinely great guy. But mostly? You know he’d bring pictures of his dog, Dodger.
Adam Driver
Adam Driver popped up a few times, too. It’s honestly hard to argue with picking a guy who was a real-life Marine. He has a number of life-saving skills in one package.
Jackie Chan
The legendary Jackie Chan popped up often as an answer in my mentions. Because it’s Jackie Chan and he’s seemingly indestructible.
Stunt People
A number of people bypassed big-name actors entirely and went right for the crew members who make those actors look good: the stunt people. Considering many stunt people have weapons training, martial arts and hand-to-hand combat training, and a number of other handy skills, it’s a smart choice.
And Plenty Of Others
There were other interesting answers. Pretty sure some of those answers were just meant to mess with me, but they’re still fun!
And the answer I’m still thinking about days later…
It’s like he created a Twitter account solely to wait for the moment where he could wade in as a random stranger, inexplicably drop “Clint Howard” with zero context or explanation, and then ride off again like an enigmatic cowboy heading into the sunset after a deed done.
Why would your pick be?
