I’ve heard people say that before, and I’ve never gotten it.
According to the Internet, he’s 5ft. 7 in. That makes him two inches taller than Alan Ladd, James Cagney and Audie Murphy. He’s the same height as Al Pacino and George Raft, and, depending on which source you believe, just one or two inches shorter than Humphrey Bogart. All of those men played convincing tough guys.
Yes, many of them could play tough guys convincingly (though Alan Ladd seemed a tad “dainty”). I just can’t quite put Cruise in that category of believability when it comes to actioners (besides, half the Hollywood “tough guys” parts today are more like variations of Superman. That’s another reason why they’re so ridiculous, and Cruise’s height just adds to the disbelief).
hey, Audie Murphy wasn't acting. He was demonstrating the real thing. "To Hell and Back" was sanitized for Hollywood - the real story was just too gritty and edgy for the movies. As was the real Murphy. "Tough Guys" is just a euphemism for "pretend tough". The depression and war produced some of the toughest Texans ever, civilized folk who were hardened to a degree not seen since the Romans.
In heels, maybe.