Cast and Crew Hotel Room Assignments When Shooting “The Outsiders” on Location in 1982

In a nostalgic throwback, Rob Lowe took to Instagram to share a photo highlighting the remarkable cast of The Outsiders. The post, featuring a hotel cast list, not only recalled the early days of these actors but also underlined how many of them went on to become A-list celebrities. This photo included The Outsiders actors like Patrick Swayze, Matt Dillon, Emilio Estevez, Diane Lane, and Ralph Macchio, alongside Lowe and Tom Cruise, each of whom would later carve out their own unique path in Hollywood.

While it’s hard to imagine so many A-listers in one hotel at the same time, in the 1980s it probably didn’t seem that way. The Outsiders caught the celebrities right before they hit it big and essentially launched their careers. Not many of them were very established at the time, and were all considered to be “up and comers.” That freshness is part of the reason the film feels like such a cultural touchstone. It perfectly captures the 1980s style of movie-making and just so happens to include stars that became some of the most important of the decade. 

Lowe’s experience with Cruise extended beyond the set, recalling their first stay at The Plaza Hotel: “First time I ever stayed at The Plaza Hotel. We check in and Tom finds out that we’re sharing a room, and just goes ballistic.”

Still, Lowe had no hard feelings toward Cruise.

“To me, what’s great about the story is, there’s certain people who have always been who they are, and that element of them has powered them to where they are today and the rest is history,” he explained. “And the notion that an 18-year-old actor with a walk-on part in Endless Love, and like, a seventh lead in Taps, could have that kind of, like, wherewithal? I remember going, ‘Wow, this guy is the real deal.’”

“I mean, it made me laugh, it was gnarly,” he added. “But at the end, you can’t argue with the results, he’s had his eye on the ball since day one.”

The original cast of The Outsiders. From left to right, Tom Cruise, Rob Lowe, C. Thomas Howell, Ralph Macchio, Matt Dillon, Emilio Estevez, and Patrick Swayze.