The trailer for the ’80s jukebox musical “Rock of Ages” gives some members of its all-star cast ample face time — mainly Alec Baldwin and Catherine Zeta-Jones — while appearing to down play others, most notably Tom Cruise.
Baldwin opens the preview, looking down on an empty club and saying, “This place is about to become a sea of sweat, earth shattering music and puke.” The “30 Rock” star is shown several more times in the two-minute teaser, sporting a ratty wig and leopard print shirt.
Feathered blonde Julianne Hough is also doted on in the preview. The “Footloose” actress is shown multiple times skipping and mouthing the words to songs, though silently.
Zeta-Jones speaks the most in the trailer. She plays an uptight church enthusiast with a distaste for rock ‘n’ roll. “This club is out of control. We’re gonna shut it down,” she booms.
“[Stacee Jaxx] spews out three things — sex, hateful music and … sex,” she adds, referencing Cruise’s character.
But for as many times as Jaxx is mentioned in the trailer, almost every time Cruise is shown, his face is obscured. Only once is he fully revealed, shirtless and sweaty in front of a pulsating crowd. A moment later, he silently signs a fan’s chest wearing oversized sunglasses.
The clips of Cruise leave it an open question whether he has the singing and dancing chops to carry a musical.
But there is another actor more jilted in the preview than Cruise — Diego Boneta, the Mexican actor who is the movie’s lead.
“Rock of Ages” opens in theaters on June 1.