The Mission: Impossible franchise has been one of the biggest action franchises of all time, largely thanks to the sincere efforts of Tom Cruise and all those attached to the project. Not only has the franchise established the standard for action and stunts in the film industry, but its seventh installment also holds another record of being one of the first projects to begin filming when the COVID-19 pandemic was still at large.
While fans and industry people applauded the movie for setting precedents for the rest of the industry for its safety measures, these safety measures came under fire when a recording of Cruise from the sets went viral. And his alleged meltdown was to save the industry from COVID’s destruction.
When Tom Cruise Had a Meltdown on the Set of MI To Save The Film Industry
It was back in 2020 when the second and most deadliest wave of the COVID-19 pandemic hit, impacting the world once again with its disastrous effects. Among the many industries impacted, the film industry was one of the worst affected, losing billions of dollars during the period (via Forbes).
While the aftermath of the pandemic is still being felt across the world and still looming at large in the film industry, Tom Cruise‘s Mission: Impossible- Dead Reckoning Part I was one of the major Hollywood productions to begin filming during that time.
However, soon enough a recording of the actor’s angry outburst went viral, where he can be heard severely reprimanding two crew members for allegedly violating the safety protocols and potentially hampering the whole shoot again.
“We are the gold standard. They’re back there in Hollywood making movies right now because of us. Because they believe in us and what we’re doing… You can tell it to the people who are losing their f**king homes because our industry is shut down. It’s not going to put food on their table or pay for their college education. That’s what I sleep with every night – the future of this f**king industry! So I’m sorry, I am beyond your apologies.”
Cruise can be heard stating (via The Sun). Despite his angry outburst, many were sympathetic and understood the actor’s response, especially since it was he who personally paid over $630K for an old cruise ship to isolate the crew and cast.
Mission: Impossible Director Was Glad People Did Not Misunderstand Tom Cruise’s Outburst
As per The Sun, Tom Cruise had made it a personal mission to help make sure that the shoot of his $567 million-grossing movie (via Box Office Mojo) was carried out as per the highest standard of safety measures and protocols.
From keeping the whole cast and crew safe to making sure all procedures were carried out diligently as per the safety rules, Tom Cruise was personally involved in each stage to make sure the movie did not suffer from any other setbacks and hurdles.
So when he saw the two crew members allegedly breaking the rules, he was understandably angry. And the Mission: Impossible director, Christopher McQuarrie was glad that people understood Cruise’s intentions and did not reprimand him for his outburst.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, the director stated how the unfortunate event took place during a very uncertain time and that he was glad people understood Cruise’s reaction. While whether or not Cruise’s meltdown and outburst were wrong or not, we do know for sure that the actor has impeccable care for the industry and the people within, proving why he is one of the biggest celebrities in the world of entertainment.
Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part I can be streamed on Paramount+.
