Exclusive: How Tom Cruise Made This Iconic Jerry Maguire Scene A Reality

It's been 20 years since Jerry Maguire (Tom Cruise) told Dorothy Boyd (Renée Zellweger), "You complete me." And now, for the first time ever, audiences will finally hear the weird inspiration behind the iconic line (and how it almost didn't happen). In honor of the 20th anniversary of Jerry Maguire, the film's director, Cameron Crowe, released a special Blu-ray version of his film on January 3. It features exclusive scenes, interviews, and bonus material as part of a documentary titled Jerry Maguire: We Meet Again. One of the interviews included in the special reveals the truth behind that line that made hearts flutter. In a clip exclusive to Refinery29, Crowe and Cruise revisit the emotional scene. The two are watching the scene together, and narrating over it. Crowe starts out by admitting that he didn't initially remember where he came up with the line at first, but then recalls that he pulled it from a 1974 Joni Mitchell song, "Court and Spark." In it, Mitchell sings, "I cleared myself / I sacrificed my blues / And you could complete me / I'd complete you." After it was included in the script, Crowe started having second guesses about it being a little too sentimental. But Cruise insisted. "I think I more begged you," Cruise admits in the footage. "I said, 'Cameron, please. I love this writing.' I said, 'Give me a shot, and if you don't like it then edit it [out]. But I at least want to act it [out].'" Crowe said once Cruise started the monologue, there wasn't a dry eye in the house, and he knew he had to keep it. And, well, the rest is history. Thanks, Cruise. Check out the clip, below.