Simon Pegg has admitted he hid his alcoholism from co-stars during Mission: Impossible III filming. Speaking to Lauren Laverne on BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs, Pegg said that while his fame began to soar, he was battling alcoholism.
"You become very sneaky when you have something like that in your life. You learn how to do it without anyone noticing because it takes over. It wants to sustain itself and it will do everything it can to not be stopped." He said.
"But eventually it just gets to a point when it can't be hidden, and that's when, thankfully, I was able to pull out the dive." Previously, Pegg has said that when he watches the 2006 film Mission: Impossible III, he can see himself an unhappy, lost alcoholic.
While working on the Mission Impossible franchise, Pegg and Cruise became good friends. He also told Lauren Laverne what its like to have an A-list pal.
On the "the ridiculousness" of Cruise's immense fame, Pegg said: "It's always been a very easy relationship. I think you realise when you meet the person rather than the thicket of mythology that’s built up around them it's a different experience."
He added: "I mean, he [Cruise] loves (the fame) and he really relishes it, it's all he knows. It energises him and spurs him on. I don't think I would appreciate that particularly. I find that very stressful and overwhelming and I would maybe want to sort of retreat, I’m happy with where I am."
Pegg, who shot to film fame during Three Flavours Cornetto film trilogy, which includes Shaun Of The Dead, Hot Fuzz and The World's End, revealed he makes fun of Cruise: "We joke about it. I mean I always make fun of him for it, you know, about the things that he can access."
Recalling a particular day while filming in South Africa, Pegg described when Cruise had flown him in a helicopter to a seaside location so he could swim with sharks, describing it as "a real Tom Cruise kind of day".
There is one thing, however, the two never discuss - Cruise's personal beliefs. Pegg admitted: "I don't ask him about stuff like that because I feel that would be me abusing my privileged access that I get to him. My relationship with him is just very simple and amiable. We're friends."
Cruise is a Scientologist, converted by his first wife Mimi Rogers in 1986 and went on to become a vocal advocate for the church. Scientology started in 1953, founded by science fiction writer L. Ron Hubbard and boasts John Travolta amongst its followers.
