"I've never done work for money ever. If your choices are based on grosses and the film doesn't do well, what does that mean? It leaves you with nothing"

Tom Cruise is recommending that money ought to not be the main incentive for doing work. He thinks that if a person's choices are based on the prospective monetary gain of a task, and the task does not do well, then the individual is left with absolutely nothing. This suggests that the person has actually lost their energy and time on something that has actually not yielded any concrete results. Cruise is recommending that individuals should concentrate on doing work that they are enthusiastic about, which will bring them complete satisfaction, rather than simply concentrating on the possible monetary gain. He thinks that if a person is enthusiastic about their work, then the prospective monetary gain will come naturally. This quote is a reminder that cash ought to not be the main incentive for doing work, which people ought to concentrate on doing work that they are enthusiastic about.