Tom Cruise Tells Director He Makes “Mass Entertainment”; Reveals Weirdest Tom Cruise Story

Tom Cruise’s "Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning" co-stars have revealed the "thoughtful" gifts the 61-year-old star gave them during filming, and they are fitting of an action hero.  "He's always very keen to show his appreciation," Simon Pegg, who also starred with Cruise in the last four "Mission: Impossible" films, told People magazine. "I think he's so used to being the focus of attention, it's naturally his instinct to kind of reflect everything back.

Todd Gilchrist editor Since “Mission: Impossible III” in 2006, Simon Pegg has been part of the core ensemble of the “Mission: Impossible” franchise, playing hacker and sometime field agent Benji Dunn opposite its stalwart star Tom Cruise as Ethan Hunt. Pegg was never going to be the actor risking life and limb on screen — “it’s Benji’s job to be the one that actually says, ‘what the fuck are we doing here?’,” he observes. But over five installments of the indefatigable series, his character has shifted from questioning what Ethan is doing in the moment to believing absolutely in why he’s doing it, thanks in no small part to the writing and directing of Christopher McQuarrie. McQuarrie came onto “Ghost Protocol” as “a sort of master plumber to re-wriggle the pipes,” as Pegg characterizes it, and since became the series’ ongoing co-architect with Cruise. Their partnership reaches its peak, even if by all indications it’s far from over, with “Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One,” half of an operatic culmination of narrative seeds planted since Cruise first played Hunt back in 1996. In a conversation with Variety, Pegg discusses what makes McQuarrie’s creativity so special, and his collaboration with Cruise et al so unique; he also talks about new details he discovered about Benji, explored the challenges of being self-referential in a franchise like this without undermining emotional stakes, and hinted at what is yet to come as he and the rest of the filmmaking team move on to “Dead Reckoning — Part Two.”

Brent Lang Executive Editor “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One” netted $8.3 million at the box office on Thursday, pushing the action sequel’s North American gross to $23.8 million after two days of release. The film, which finds Tom Cruise’s Ethan Hunt hurtling off cliffs, fighting knife-wielding bad guys on trains and evading pursuers while driving a Fiat through the streets of Rome, was incredibly expensive to produce. Shot during the pandemic (with all the attendant shutdowns, delays and health protocols that were a staple of the COVID era), the budget on the film ballooned to $290 million. So “Mission: Impossible” will need to generate a lot of repeat business if it’s going to turn a profit, and it needs to boom at the global box office.

Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One stars Simon Pegg and Rebecca Ferguson have revealed the secret Morse Code meaning behind the franchise’s theme.Speaking to NME, the pair shared that they were recently made aware of the secret while appearing the Today FM show Dermot & Dave, hosted by Dermot Whelan and Dave Moore.“This is an amazing fact,” began Pegg. “Dave from Dermot & Dave, an Irish Radio show told us that when Lalo Schifrin wrote the original music, the theme, [he put in] two dashes, two dots [which translates to] ‘MI’,” the actor explained while sounding out the tune.“Stop it, it’s true!” interjected Ferguson, who was equally as excited to share the little-known fact.Lalo Schifrin, an Argentine composer, recorded the M:I theme in 1967.

Wondering if you should choose to accept the latest “Mission: Impossible” entry? Maybe you’re sick of all the bombast at the movie theatre lately? Well, put it another way: Do you really want to disappoint Tom Cruise?

Even Tom Cruise can’t believe some of the things he hears about himself. Cruise’s "Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part 1" director, Chris McQuarrie, revealed in a new interview with the Times of London that the actor has heard some crazy rumors about himself, but was happy to debunk them. According to McQuarrie, he asked Cruise when they first met what the "weirdest story you’ve heard about yourself" was.  Cruise laughed and said it was the myth that people on set "were not allowed to look me in the eye." The first time the actor and director worked together was 2008’s "Valkyrie," and McQuarrie has directed Cruise in the last three "Mission: Impossible" films, as well as produced "Top Gun: Maverick." Simon Pegg, who joined the "Mission: Impossible" franchise in 2006’s "Mission: Impossible III," agreed that the stories surrounding Cruise are overblown.

Madison LeCroy scored an invite to the Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One premiere — and she snagged a selfie with Ethan Hunt himself.

Tom Cruise makes epic blockbuster films, but the 61-year-old actor and producer doesn’t consider himself above his co-stars and film crew members.

The Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One press tour is coming to a close as the movie is about to hit theaters everywhere!

daredevil stunts can the silence the rumors about the “Mission: Impossible” star. From his sometimes abrasive perfectionism to his deep involvement with the Church of Scientology, Cruise, 61, prefers to keep public comments focused on his projects — leaving plenty of room for gossip about his personal life.But in recent interviews conducted with cast and crew around the upcoming “Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning — Part One,” director Christopher McQuarrie revealed that there’s one dogged rumor that Cruise himself is happy to debunk.In a story in The Times, McQuarrie recalled asking Cruise for the “weirdest” story he’s heard about himself — the star revealed there was a rumor going around over the years that cast and crew members “were not allowed to look me in the eye.” Not true, said Cruise — an assertion backed up by co-worker McQuarrie.Additionally, while Cruise was seen getting frustrated on set in 2020, McQuarrie and co-star Simon Pegg (Benji Dunn) were quick to defend Cruise as the fun-loving, thrill-seeking guy.

Tom Cruise and his Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One director, Christopher McQuarrie, and co-star, Simon Pegg, sit down for a new interview in promotion of the film.

Your mission, should you choose to accept it…

Zack Sharf Digital News Director According to Tom Cruise’s frequent “Mission: Impossible” director Christopher McQuarrie, the mega-star actor once told him that the “weirdest story” he ever heard about himself was that his co-stars “were not allowed to look me in the eye.” McQuarrie and the rest of his “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One” cast told The Times of London that rumor is just a myth. Simon Pegg said Cruise is far more generous and fun than that rumor suggests, and that he even “took us go-karting and zip-lining” during off hours on “Dead Reckoning Part One.” “I’ve been able to hack my way through all the bizarre mythology that surrounds him,” added Pegg, who has starred in every “Mission: Impossible” movie opposite Cruise since 2011’s “Ghost Protocol.” “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.”

Tom Cruise has debunked the “weirdest” rumour that he’s heard about himself from the film industry.Across recent years, a rumour has emerged that Cruise is so intense on film sets that he requests that his co-stars don’t look him in the eye.Speaking to The Times along with his collaborators Christopher McQuarrie and Simon Pegg in new Mission Impossible film Dead Reckoning Part I, Cruise denied the rumour, with Pegg playing down the supposed intensity of his co-star.Asked to share the “weirdest” rumour he’s heard about himself, Cruise said he was confused by the rumour that people “were not allowed to look me in the eye” during filming.Pegg added of Cruise: “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.

Tom Cruise has no intention of slowing down.

Tom Cruise celebrated his 61st birthday in a big way at the Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One premiere in Sydney!

Hayley Atwell is the lady in red next to Tom Cruise at the photo call for Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One!

The stars of the upcoming movie Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One are in Korea for the latest stop on their international press tour!

The stars of Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One have taken over Abu Dhabi!

Tom Cruise's "Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One" co-stars are sharing what it's really like working alongside the film icon. Simon Pegg, who first met Cruise while filming "Mission: Impossible III" in 2006, revealed the actor is truly one of a kind. "Of all the mist of stuff that's around him, in the center of that mist is a generous, sweet guy who looks after everybody," Pegg told E! News.