Entertainment

Tom Cruise pranksters could face assault charges

Hollywood film star Tom Cruise waves to the media as he arrives on the red carpet for the European premiere of his latest movie "War of the Worlds" by U.S. director Steven Spielberg in Berlin June 14, 2005. - reuters

london, (reuters)

FOUR PRANKSTERS ARRESTED for squirting water at Tom Cruise at the British premiere of 'War of The Worlds' could be charged with assault on the Hollywood star, police said yesterday.

The men, who were filming a comedy sketch, will be interviewed by the officers.

"We will see whether to pursue the charges, see whether the victim wants to pursue it," a Scotland Yard spokesman said.

Cruise, 42, was on a red-carpet walkabout prior to the screening of the latest adaptation of the H.G. Wells classic in London's Leicester Square on Sunday when a bogus journalist stuck a joke microphone in front of him.

As Cruise started to talk, he was squirted with water from the microphone prompting the star to lose his cool.

Interview

"I'm here giving you an interview, answering your questions and you do something really nasty ... you're a jerk ... jerk ... you're a jerk," the actor told the prankster in front of legitimate reporters.

Cruise said it was "disgusting" that someone should act in such a way.

"I really work hard to make people feel good," he said, as he towelled himself dry.

The joker and his three-man camera crew were filming a sketch for a new entertainment show for publicly owned U.K. broadcaster, Channel 4.

When the same stunt was played on Sharon Osbourne last month there was a very different outcome.

The wife of veteran rocker Ozzy Osbourne turned the tables on the prankster when she hurled a bucket of water over him, the Daily Mirror newspaper reported.

Channel 4 was forced to apologise to Cruise for Sunday's incident.

"The stunt was intended to be light-hearted rather than malicious and we apologise to Mr. Cruise for any offence caused," a spokesman said.

A crowd of about 5,000 fans had waited hours in temperatures that hit 32 degrees Celsius (89.6 F) to see their idol and his new fiancée Katie Holmes.

Cruise popped the question to 26-year-old Holmes at the Eiffel Tower in Paris on Friday. She attended the London premiere, but was not standing next to him when the squirting took place.