Summing up their entire reputation to a tee, Nickelback reveal they were once completely ignored by Tom Cruise in a hallway

One of the great oxymorons of modern music, Nickelback have enjoyed massive success dating back well over 20 years despite their reputation as one of the easiest bands on the planet to dislike.

The group’s signature style of combining dad rock with power ballads has won them just as many fans as detractors, but it turns out that Tom Cruise wasn’t so keen on making eye contact during the heights of their popularity when both were scheduled to appear as guests on MTV’s TRL, with Chad Kroeger revealing a hilarious anecdote at the Toronto International Film Festival where they were promoting new documentary Hate to Love, which is every bit as self-aware a title as it sounds.

The frontman was reflecting on how the physical resemblance between the A-list megastar and cohort Ryan Peake almost led him into an awkward encounter, but it sounds as though brief eye contact was all they were willing to be gifted by the Top Gun and Mission: Impossible legend when their paths crossed.

“We’re walking toward the green room in a hallway, this tiny hallway, I’m right behind [Ryan], and here comes Tom Cruise. I’ve got front row seats, this is fantastic. Tom kind of looks as he’s walking, and he locks eyes with Peake. We get to the end of the hallway, and I go, ‘Hey!’ and [Ryan] goes, ‘Not a f*cking word!'”

Even though they were one of the best-selling acts on the planet at the time, it sums up Nickelback’s reputation to a tee that even when they came pretty much face-to-face with Cruise at the apex of their cultural relevance, he was still unwilling to give them the time of day. Maybe Kroeger shouldn’t have bitten his tongue after all.