After reports last year of Tom Cruise going on a rant went viral, the actor had not commented in any manner. However, Cruise is finally breaking his silence on the now infamous on-set rant during the filming of Mission Impossible: 7.
While in the process of filming, after having the production pushed back several times due to the coronavirus pandemic, Cruise had what many were calling a significant meltdown—which was caught on video and uploaded online.
The rant was said to be triggered by the fact that Cruise spotted several crew members failing to follow social distancing guidelines. This so infuriated and enraged the actor that he threatened to fire any crew members he found failing to adhere to the established pandemic safety protocols.
Image: Buzz Feed
Part of Cruise’s excuse for the rant was that he felt that the production of Mission Impossible: 7 was being seen by the rest of Hollywood as a guide—proving that production companies and actors could return to what they loved to do despite the pandemic.
Several famous actors supported Cruises rant and defended him, including his MI7 co-star Vanessa Kirby and fellow actor George Clooney. Some felt that Cruise might have stepped over a line, including actress Leah Remini, who stated she saw it as nothing but an entire blown publicity stunt.
Until now, the one person that we had not heard from about the situation was Cruise himself. In a recent interview with Empire Magazine, Cruise explained:
“I said what I said. There was a lot at stake at that point. But it wasn’t my entire crew. I had the crew leave the set, and it was just select people. Production never shut down again.”
Although it is hard to justify Cruise ranting at crew members, it is worth noting that he eventually calmed and developed a more level-headed tone.