Earlier today (May 15), we gave you our review of Tom Cruise’s version of Def Leppard‘s ‘Pour Some Sugar on Me’ from the upcoming movie ‘Rock of Ages.’ We may not have thought it was that great, but we believe in fairness, so we’re going to let Cruise tell his side of the story. A new interview with the star reveals what it was like for him to perform the song with the cameras rolling…and Def Leppard in the crowd.

“I was down in Miami, recording different songs,” Cruise told Playboy (link NSFW). “And [director] Adam [Shankman] called and said, ‘Def Leppard’s coming by the set.’ I said, ‘Man, that’s cool.’ Then I paused. ‘Wait, I’m rehearsing their song tomorrow.’ And he’s like, ‘Yeah!’ [laughs] So we started right in the deep end, and that was the first scene I shot in the movie…They went to the back of the Bourbon Room, and I looked at my band and was like, ‘Hit it.’ All the crew was watching them watching me.”

Although Def Leppard attended the set hoping to poke fun at Cruise, they were pleasantly surprised by what they saw and heard.

“[T]he lead singer, Joe Elliott, points at me and goes, ‘F— you! F— you!’ Cruise continued. “Then I saw big smiles on their faces, and I realized I’d gotten their stamp. It was a very cool moment. It was important they knew I was honoring their music and not making fun of them.”

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