When Twisted Sister frontman Dee Snider was performing as club owner Dennis Dupree in Broadway’s Rock of Ages, word came through that the hit musical would soon be developed into a blockbuster movie. Snider’s manager was giddy over the prospect of Dee’s big screen casting – a role that eventually went to Alec Baldwin – but Dee had no expectations, thinking instead that the film would cast big names. And he was exactly right.

In the film that opens today (June 15), Tom Cruise plays Stacee Jaxx, the portrait of ’80s rock star excess – an archetype Dee Snider knows a thing or two about. Sitting down with CBS Local last month, Snider recalled the buzz around the Rock of Ages Broadway set when Cruise signed on for the role. Watch below.

Though Snider doesn’t appear in the film, he remains invested in Rock of Ages as a songwriter with two songs performed in the film, Twisted Sister’s “I Wanna Rock” and “We’re Not Gonna Take It.” Recalling the first moment he was contacted about Rock of Ages, he immediately agreed to let Twisted Sister’s music be used in the off-off-Broadway production. Never did he think it would get to this point – and he couldn’t be more pleased.

- Jillian Mapes, CBS Local