There are major movie stars, and then there’s Tom Cruise. The 61 year-old A-lister is showing no signs of slowing down, and has celebrated the release of stunt-heavy projects like Top Gun: Maverick and Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One. And Cruise recently commented on the “weirdest” rumor about his behavior on the set of MI. Namely, are people allowed to look him in the eye during filming?
Once you’re an A-list celebrity, you can demand or request a variety of things in order to properly get your work done. There are rumors that celebrities like Ellen Degeneres don’t want actors or crew members looking them in the eye on set, presumably to help maintain focus. Tom Cruise has seemingly heard those rumors about him, and actually name dropped them in an interview with The Times about his public image. After claiming they were the “weirdest” rumor he’d heard about himself, his Mission: Impossible co-star Simon Pegg came to his defense. He said:
I’ve been able to hack my way through all the bizarre mythology that surrounds him. On one side he’s Tom Cruise – this enigmatic film star everyone wants to know about. And on the other, he’s just a guy. I like being normal with him.
Well, there you have it. Tom Cruise has denied the eye contact rumors, and his frequent collaborators have also spoken to his character. Despite being wildly famous and known for his wild stunt work, it seems that the Jerry Maquire actor is still just like us.
Perhaps it’s because the Top Gun actor does so many wild stunts that rumors like this began circulating online. Additionally, Cruise made headlines for having a rant while filming Mission: Impossible 7 at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. And as such, other stories/rumors about his behavior have circulated online.
Later in that same interview, Simon Pegg further spoke to Cruise’s personality, and the passion that he brings to various film projects. And yes, that includes his pandemic-related stressors. In the Star Trek actor’s words:
Everything that Tom cares about, in terms of his job, was at stake due to the pandemic. For him, there was a danger this virus could wipe cinema off the face of this earth.
Some points were made. Tom Cruise has been credited with helping to save the film industry, especially thanks to the release of Tom Gun: Maverick. The stakes were seemingly very high for him, especially during the long production shoot of Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One. And that work is about to pay off, as the blockbuster will get its wide theatrical release this week.
Well, there you have it. Apparently Cruise doesn’t have a rule where people around the set aren’t allowed to make direct eye contact with him. We’ll just have to see if the tons of work and money that went into Mission: Impossible 7 ultimately pay off at the box office.
Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One will hit theaters on July 12th. In the meantime, check out the 2023 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience.
