Tom Cruise Rips Into 'Mission Impossible' Crew For Breaking COVID Rules
Hell apparently hath no fury like Tom Cruise enforcing COVID rules on set
After months of shutdown, the film and TV industry is starting to slowly grind back into gear, but not without stops, starts, and setbacks. While shows like The Bachelor were able to film seasons with contestants living inside a bubble, production has been shut down on The Ellen Show and a number of movies after stars got sick. Now, filming is moving ahead on Mission Impossible 7, but rumors are swirling about how seriously crew members are taking COVID rules after audio leaked of Tom Cruise furiously yelling at them.
It’s not confirmed by the audio that Cruise is yelling at the crew over breaking COVID protocols, but that’s what two sources “close to production” told Variety was happening. In the audio, which was obtained by The Sun and leaked online, Cruise can be heard screaming at people, “If I see you do it again you’re fucking gone.”
He yells, “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. I’m on the phone with every fucking studio at night, insurance companies, producers and they’re looking at us and using us to make their movies. We are creating thousands of jobs, you motherfuckers. I don’t ever want to see it again. Ever!”
What’s a little bit surprising about Cruise’s outburst is that he seems to be angry for all the right reasons — he goes on to rip into the crew for being cavalier when there are jobs and lives at stake.
“I don’t want to hear any apologies,” he yells. “You can tell it to the people who are losing their fucking 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 fucking industry! So I’m sorry, I am beyond your apologies. I have told you, and now I want it, and if you don’t do it, you’re out. We are not shutting this fucking movie down! Is it understood? If I see it again, you’re fucking gone.”
Mission Impossible 7 is currently filming in the U.K. It was briefly shut down in October while filming in Italy, after people on set tested positive for COVID-19. Variety reports that production resumed after a week, and the cast and crew moved back to Britain to continue filming about two weeks ago.
Major studio film releases have slowed to a crawl during the pandemic (both because of production shutdowns and because there’s very little demand for theatrical releases). Mission Impossible 7 is set to be released in November of 2021.
