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Cruise arrived at the event, sans Katie and Suri, moments before Smith did, and was quickly embraced by Smith's family – his mother Caroline and his children Jaden and Willow. (His wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, was off directing a movie and could not attend.)
"Just tell me where you want me," Cruise told the clan. Willow, who is 7, replied excitedly, "Here!" – picking the seat between her and her grandmother.
Smith, 39, a two-time Oscar nominee, soon arrived and was feted by friends, family and fans. "This is absolutely an honor," he told the crowd. "I was sitting in the car and I was okay. Then I got here and I'm not as okay as I was."
Speaking about the power of the movies, Smith – whose latest is I am Legend – related a story that Nelson Mandela had told him about how the messages of racial equality from Hollywood films had inspired him in prison. "I want to do everything that I can do with my life in instructing my family and friends to make this world a better place," Smith said.
Smith chanted "T.C.!" repeatedly when Cruise was introduced, and they shared a chat and a laugh while Smith put his hand- and footprints in the cement.
Asked to reveal what Cruise, 45, had said to him, Smith told PEOPLE, "That's top secret. No, I'm kidding. He said, 'We've got to make a movie together!' "
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