Tom Cruise is widely considered one of the most prolificaction stars in Hollywood. His own personal drama over the years aside, the 58-year-old actor has kept up a consistent level of professionalism throughout his career. So it might come as a surprise to some that he can’t help but grin ear to ear during many of his more intense stunt scenes.
In a recent interview onThe Graham Norton Show, Cruise spoke about how much he still enjoys filmingtheMission: Impossibletype action-packed sceneshe’s come to be known for, saying they’re still as exhilarating as they were earlier in his career. Not only does he give it his all even as an actor approaching 60, theMission: Impossiblestar apparently has so much fun with his stunts that he admitted he’s often been told to “stop smiling” during what are supposed to be tense and dramatic action shots. No word on whether that also happened during the almost perfectWar of the Worlds.
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“The first time of any stunt is nerve-wracking but it’s also exhilarating,” Cruise told Norton on the show. “I have been told a few times during shooting a stunt to stop smiling!” For an actor to not only still put that much effort into his work after all these years, but to also still enjoy it so much, it’s a rather rare phenomenon in Hollywood. The veteran action star, by his own admission, has had his share of accidents on set over the years, resulting in plenty of broken bones. But one thing that apparently never shattered was his spirit. (Writing that line wasn’t as painful as a Hollywood stunt, but it still hurt.)
Cruise clearly still takes his work seriously, even getting angry aboutMission: Impossible 7crew members violating COVID-19 safetyviolations on set, so it might not be particularly surprising to hear how that professionalism extends to his own stunt work. It’s one thing to punch in, do the required filming for the day, then punch out. But putting that much dedication and effort into his work really sets him apart from many of his peers.
Of course, there’s the question about whether Cruise’s penchant for doing his own stunts actually takes work away from dedicated stunt performers. Actor Danny Trejo famously refuses to do his own stunts for that very reason (at least when he’s not beingDeepfaked into footage ofWonder Woman), so it’s possible that Cruise’s dedication might not be the best path in every situation.
Still, actors like Cruise are few and far between, at least in terms of stunts. So maybe he alone isn’t taking all that much work away from actual stunt actors. If that’s the case, then break a leg, Mr. Cruise! (That’s meant in the nicest possible way.)
