Tom Cruise Addresses Mission: Impossible 7 Onset Rant
Tom Cruise has broken his silence on his now-infamous Mission: Impossible 7 onset rant that went viral last year. The highly anticipated film was in the midst of shooting after delays pushed back production when Cruise's onset rant leaked online. Cruise had spotted crew members failing to socially distance themselves, prompting the actor to become furious and threaten to fire the crew for failing to adhere to the safety protocols. Cruise explained that he saw Mission: Impossible 7 as a guide for the rest of Hollywood on how to safely return to doing what they loved.
Many people came out in support of the star's rant. Crew members defended Cruise, as did his co-star Vanessa Kirby, who said that she agreed with the message of the rant. George Clooney also lended his voice to the situation, saying that he, too, supported the message. Cruise had his fair share of detractors, though, including Leah Remini, who saw the entire thing as a publicity stunt. The only one to seemingly not address the rant was Cruise - until now.
Speaking to Empire Magazine, the actor revealed his reasoning behind the rant, saying that it was a very emotional time for him and everyone else involved. Cruise explains that he wasn't yelling at the entire crew, but a select few that he had asked to stay behind. At that point, he says, a lot was at stake and Cruise believes it ultimately paid off as he points out that production on Mission: Impossible 7 did not shut down again.
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. All those emotions were going through my mind. I was thinking about the people I work with, and my industry. And for the whole crew to know that we'd started rolling on a movie was just a huge relief. It was very emotional, I gotta tell you.
It's fair to say that shooting during the pandemic has been stressful for everyone involved. At one point, it seemed as if reports were coming out daily that various productions were being shut down due to positive cases on sets. That being said, it's hard to justify berating crew members, even if, in the initial audio, Cruise eventually calmed down and seemed more level-headed in his delivery. Fortunately, Cruise is right in that Mission: Impossible 7 has continued filming without any further incidents.
As productions continue around the world in the midst of the pandemic, safety protocols are commonplace. MCU series Ms. Marvel completed filming recently in the midst of a surge of cases in Thailand and it is thanks to the tireless efforts of the cast and crew involved in that production various others that this is able to happen. Even with vaccines rolling out worldwide, safety protocols are likely to remain place for months, if not years, to come. Mission: Impossible 7 may have become a flashpoint for discussion around those protocols because of Cruise's rant so hopefully the right lessons can be learned from the incident.
Source: Empire Magazine