Mission Impossible director Christopher McQuarrie says Tom Cruise’s infamous tirade came at a “complicated time”.
Mission: Impossible 7 Director Christopher McQuarrie has defended Tom Cruise over his infamous on-set outburst during the pandemic.
The upcoming blockbuster Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part Iwas the first major Hollywood film to have production resumed during the 2020 pandemic.
In December of that year, Cruise went viral after an audio recording — obtained from The sun — captured the film’s lead scolding crew members for standing too close together in front of a computer screen, in violation of the set’s Covid safety protocols.
In the recording, Cruise can be heard losing his temper and telling the crew, “If I see you do it again, you’ll be the fuck gone.”
The clip quickly went viral, and many fans were divided on whether to criticize Cruise for his rants or praise the actor for his dedication to on-set safety.
Three years later, the highly anticipated sequel is just months away from hitting theaters in July.
Ahead of the film’s release, director McQuarrie reflects on the star’s controversial moment in a new interview with Weekly entertainment.
“This all happened at a very complicated and very uncertain time,” McQuarrie said.
(AP)
“Obviously we’re grateful that people took it the way it was intended. We’ve fought to keep the industry alive, we’ve fought to keep people employed, we’ve fought for the studio, we’ve fought for cinemas, and we still are.
“We’re still doing that. I’m just glad people understood the intent behind it.”
In May 2021, Cruise addressed the rant himself, declaring, “I said what I said.”
Cruise, 60, reportedly cited a spike in Covid-19 cases as the reason for his frustration.
He also explained that his tirade wasn’t aimed at the entire team, but at a few specific individuals.
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“There was a lot at stake at that point. But it wasn’t my entire crew. I let the crew leave the set and it was just select people,” he added.
Earlier this week, Simon Pegg, co-star of Cruise’s ‘Mission Impossible’ opened up about their longtime friendship.
Pegg joined the franchise in 2006 in the third film and has appeared in several episodes since. He will star alongside Cruise in the upcoming post.
On an episode of BBC Radio 4 Lonely Island DiscsPegg explained why he avoids speaking to Cruise about the actor’s controversial belief in the Church of Scientology.
“I don’t ask him things like that because I feel like I’m abusing my privileged access to him, you know what I mean?” Pegg explained.
Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning The release is now scheduled for July 14th.
