{"id":34077,"date":"2026-08-09T06:46:32","date_gmt":"2026-08-09T01:46:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=34077"},"modified":"2026-08-09T06:46:32","modified_gmt":"2026-08-09T01:46:32","slug":"tom-cruise-look-alike-has-fans-doing-a-double-take","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=34077","title":{"rendered":"Tom Cruise look-alike has fans doing a double take"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<br \/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/pagesix.com\/wp-content%2Fuploads%2Fsites%2F3%2F2026%2F08%2F136867575-1.jpg?quality%3D90%26strip%3Dall\" \/><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>A Tom Cruise look-alike had fans completely caught off-guard when he stepped up to the plate to throw out the ceremonial first pitch at the San Francisco Giants\u2019 Thursday game.<\/p>\n<p>The celebrity doppelg\u00e4nger, dressed as Cruise\u2019s iconic \u201cTop Gun\u201d character Pete \u201cMaverick\u201d Mitchell, was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/reel\/Dbw5zwAJBhQ\/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&amp;igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">making an appearance<\/a> in celebration of original blockbuster, which marks its 40th anniversary this year \u2014 and fans on social media thought he could actually be the real thing.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIs that really Tom Cruise?\u201d one person queried on Instagram, while another wrote, \u201cHe nails the look, laugh and smile of Tom Cruise.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\"><figcaption>A Tom Cruise impersonator dressed as Pete \u201cMaverick\u201d Mitchell from \u201cTop Gun\u201d threw out the first pitch at a San Francisco Giants game on Friday, as seen above. <span class=\"credit\">Oracle Park\/Instagram<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\"><figcaption>Social media footage of the moment stunned fans, with one saying the impersonator looks \u201cmore like Tom Cruise than Tom Cruise does.\u201d <span class=\"credit\">Oracle Park\/Instagram<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Many social media users thought the image was AI because the person looked so much like Cruise (seen here in an Instagram upload). <span class=\"credit\">Getty Images for Warner Bros. Pictures<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module aligncenter wp-block-nypost-editor-primary-tag\">\n<\/aside>\n<p>A third quipped, \u201cWhat? That was the spitting image of Tom Cruise!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDude looks more like Tom Cruise than Tom Cruise does\u2026 I literally thought this was AI lol\u201d a fourth social media user remarked. <\/p>\n<p>Some were simply confused. \u201cIs that an impersonator or is this AI? I can\u2019t tell any more,\u201d one person admitted. <\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\"><figcaption>Cruise starred in both 1986\u2019s \u201cTop Gun\u201d (as seen above) and the 2022 legacy sequel, \u201cTop Gun: Maverick.\u201d <span class=\"credit\">\u00a9Paramount\/Courtesy Everett Collection \/ Everett Collection<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\"><figcaption>Cruise\u2019s impersonator is Jerome LeBlanc, who goes by the moniker \u201cCalifornia Tom Cruise.\u201d He\u2019s seen here in May. <span class=\"credit\">Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"single__inline-module inline-module inline-module--newsletter aligncenter inline-module--nypostbusinessunit aligncenter wp-block-nypost-editor-newsletter\" data-source-unit=\"Inline Newsletter Module Page Six Daily\">\n<div class=\"inline-module__inner\">\n<div class=\"inline-module__title-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"inline-module__unsubmitted-title-wrapper\">\n<h3 class=\"inline-module__title headline headline--combo-sm-md\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tWant more celebrity and pop culture news?\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h3>\n<p class=\"inline-module__cta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tStart your day with Page Six Daily.\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><h3 class=\"inline-module__title headline headline--combo-sm-md\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\tThanks for signing up!\t\t\t\t\t<\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>The professional impersonator\u2019s name is actually Jerome LeBlanc, and he goes by the moniker <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/californiatomcruise\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u201cCalifornia Tom Cruise.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n<p>In an <a href=\"https:\/\/cockpitusa.com\/blogs\/blog\/off-duty-jerome-leblanc-a-k-a-california-tom-cruise?srsltid=AfmBOoq26l6PReX8V_3goo2Tgb9b6--CkKupVWOYDNiFsAxtgHVyy-E5\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">interview with Cockpit USA<\/a>, LeBlanc once admitted he\u2019d stumbled upon the opportunity to simply look like the \u201cRisky Business\u201d actor \u2014 specifically as \u201cMaverick\u201d \u2014 as a career.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen I moved from Montreal to Los Angeles, many people started telling me I looked like Tom Cruise,\u201d he divulged. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo, I put on the flight suit uniform from \u2018Top Gun,\u2019 and tried street performing. To my surprise, I did so unbelievably well \u2014 I made more than I did while bartending,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\"><figcaption>The impersonator said he began working as an entertainer after repeatedly being told he looks like Cruise.  <span class=\"credit\">Oracle Park\/Instagram<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\"><figcaption>LeBlanc once said he doesn\u2019t \u201creally have an interest in meeting a specific celebrity.\u201d Cruise is seen above in \u201cTop Gun: Maverick.\u201d  <span class=\"credit\">\u00a9Paramount\/Courtesy Everett Collection<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>LeBlanc also admitted that he\u2019s \u201cnot necessarily mistaken for Tom Cruise,\u201d given a roughly 30-year age gap with the 64-year-old actor.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut I do notice a lot of double takes and a lot of strangers approaching me to share that they think I look so much like the actor,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n<p>The entertainer \u2014 who now has a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@californiatomcruise\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">thriving social media career<\/a> on TikTok, where he regularly updates over 770,000 followers \u2014 has also shared that he doesn\u2019t actually have a celebrity he\u2019d prefer to meet in real life.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t really have an interest in meeting a specific celebrity,\u201d he said. \u201cSometimes, with public figures it\u2019s better to leave them to the imagination. Because, like myself, I\u2019m more than what I post. And either that can be appreciated or disappointing.\u201d <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><script async src=\"\/\/www.tiktok.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A Tom Cruise look-alike had fans completely caught off-guard when he stepped up to the plate to throw out the ceremonial first pitch at the San Francisco Giants\u2019 Thursday game. The celebrity doppelg\u00e4nger, dressed as Cruise\u2019s iconic \u201cTop Gun\u201d character Pete \u201cMaverick\u201d Mitchell, was making an appearance in celebration of original blockbuster, which marks its&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":34078,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/pagesix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/08\/136867575-1.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1200","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-34077","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-celebrity-gossip"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34077","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=34077"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34077\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/34078"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=34077"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=34077"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=34077"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}