Randy Quaid has attacked pregnant Anne Hathaway's casting opposite Tom Cruise in the newly announced Days of Thunder sequel, telling his former co-star 'don't be a pussy' and arguing that Hathaway 'isn't sexy' because she is expecting a baby. The 75-year-old actor made the comments on X on 29 August, hours after Cruise and Hathaway confirmed they would star together in the follow-up to the 1990 NASCAR film.
Quaid, who played racing team owner Tim Daland in the original Days of Thunder, said Cruise should instead reunite on screen with his former wife Nicole Kidman. However, Hathaway is not taking over Kidman's original character, Dr Claire Lewicki, and has instead been cast as a new racing team owner and engineer.
Quaid Targets Hathaway's Pregnancy
Responding to the sequel announcement on X, Quaid wrote, 'Don't be a pussy, @TomCruise. You need the original girl.' He then linked his criticism of Hathaway's casting directly to her pregnancy, writing that the actress 'isn't sexy' because she is pregnant. Hathaway, 43, is expecting her third child with husband Adam Shulman.
We need Nicole back. Don’t be a pussy, @TomCruise. You need the original girl. It’s not personal; it’s filmmaking. Anne isn’t sexy, because and if you haven’t noticed, she’s pregnant. https://t.co/7qid5SDnkv
— Randy Quaid (@RandyRRQuaid) August 29, 2026
Quaid continued his criticism in another post, describing Hathaway as a 'leftist, woke, horrible choice' and claiming the Days of Thunder NASCAR audience is 'MAGA'. He argued that Kidman should instead be the 'sexy older chick' opposite Cruise and suggested putting the former spouses together again would help sell the sequel. As of Wednesday, 2 September, neither Hathaway nor Cruise had publicly responded to Quaid's remarks.
MAGA must shatter and destroy every woke leftist agenda trying to co-opt every industry, sport and entertainment, in this case part of my film history, DAYS OF THUNDER. Youth influencer Anne who tells children that men are women and boys are girls and that if you mutilate you can… https://t.co/GHkPgT1Mzq
— Randy Quaid (@RandyRRQuaid) September 1, 2026
The comments also carry added weight because Quaid was part of the original Days of Thunder cast rather than an outside observer. His character, Tim Daland, was the businessman who discovered Cruise's Cole Trickle and brought him into his NASCAR team. His character, Tim Daland, recruited Cruise's Cole Trickle into NASCAR and played a key role in launching the driver's career on screen. Quaid has not been announced as part of the sequel, but his connection to the 1990 film has made his criticism of its new casting particularly visible.
Hathaway's role also marks her first film opposite Cruise, pairing two stars with decades of major Hollywood credits between them. Hathaway won an Academy Award for Les Misérables and is widely known for The Devil Wears Prada, while Cruise continues to lead franchises including Mission: Impossible and Top Gun.
Hathaway Is Not Replacing Nicole Kidman
There is a major distinction between Quaid's criticism and the casting that has actually been announced. Kidman played neurosurgeon Dr Claire Lewicki, the romantic interest of Cruise's hot-headed NASCAR driver Cole Trickle, in the original Days of Thunder. Hathaway's new character is a team owner and engineer, and there has been no announcement identifying her as Cruise's romantic interest.
That detail also puts Hathaway's pregnancy in a different context from Quaid's comments about her being 'sexy' enough for the film. In Cruise's announcement video from Daytona International Speedway, Hathaway openly referenced her pregnancy while discussing when production would begin. 'I'm gonna have this baby and then we're going to make this movie,' she said as the two stood beside a green and yellow race car promoting the 2028 release.
Tom Cruise Returns as Cole Trickle
Cruise will reprise his role as NASCAR driver Cole Trickle nearly four decades after the Tony Scott-directed original arrived in cinemas in 1990. Paramount Pictures has scheduled the sequel for 2 June 2028, with Jonathan Levine directing from a screenplay by Will Staples. Cruise will also produce alongside Jerry Bruckheimer and Tommy Harper.
Welcome back Cole Trickle. #DaysofThunder pic.twitter.com/T6Xt58hHdD
— Days Of Thunder (@daysofthunder) September 1, 2026
The sequel announcement reunites Cruise with the world of Days of Thunder, but Kidman has not been announced as part of the new cast. Cruise and Kidman met while making the original film, married later in 1990 and divorced in 2001. For now, the confirmed pairing is Cruise and Hathaway, whose pregnancy has already become part of both the film's announcement and the controversy surrounding its casting.
