Despite being among the best-known actors in the world, Tom Cruise can be intense on the set, according to those who have worked with him. Although he may not anticipate others doing so, the actor does put himself at risk in order to make the stunts in his movies as realistic as possible. And according to his co-star, Rebecca Ferguson, Cruise is the most committed one on the set, making the film for the audience.
The Swedish actress, 40, discussed her experience working with Cruise on the Mission: Impossible films with The Guardian, stating that he truly values the “audience” experience more than his own. The actress, who starred in three Mission: Impossible flicks, expressed her confusion at Cruise’s unselfish commitment.
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Rebecca Ferguson’s Views on Tom Cruise’s Dedication to the ‘Audience’
Rebecca Ferguson has added her voice to the long list of co-stars eager to share their opinions regarding Tom Cruise’s remarkable work commitments. Since her debut as Ilsa Faust in Mission: Impossible—Rogue Nation, Fallout, and Dead Reckoning Part One, she has established herself as a mainstay of the acclaimed franchise.
The Swedish actress spoke to The Guardian about her experience working with Cruise, saying that although he likes making movies for the “audience”, she couldn’t just adopt the same perspective. She explained:
“Tom always says he makes the film for the audience, but I don’t. That may be really selfish. I just don’t go in thinking: ‘How will the audience take this?’ I hope they enjoy it, but I do it for myself and the ride – and to make something that I would like to see. I have watched this one three times now.”
Her calmness and poise are a gift to the action franchise, as any fan of the series will attest. Her bone structure or her wry, unimpressed stare ends up taking center stage during the majority of the stunts, fights and chases. Was it her teenage modeling career that gave her the flair for perfection? The actress, who began working as a model at the age of 13, replied:
“No, I hated all that. They took us into the audition with little number plates in front of us – cattling us into a prison of prettiness. After the first shoot, I turned down every job. Even now, I hate being photographed. I laugh my way along the red carpet. Posing makes me stiff and uncomfortable. I look like Bambi on ice.”
She may not have understood Cruise’s selflessness after working with him in Mission Impossible films, but that does not mean she did not value his work.
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What Did Rebecca Ferguson Learn From Tom Cruise’s Work Ethics?
Tom Cruise has contributed significantly to the Mission: Impossible films in addition to his amazing acting and daring stunts. The action film series would not be the same without his passion for developing compelling scenes, as his co-star Rebecca Ferguson acknowledged in an interview with Digital Spy:
“Seeing Tom and [director Christopher McQuarrie] on set and how they speak – because we don’t have scripts, I can see how their brains work together [as] they talk about character. We talk about action a lot, we talk about needing the stunts and then we build the story around it, but we don’t talk a lot about how driven Tom is to create character and the reason why and emotion.”
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A major factor in Mission: Impossible’s rise to popularity as an action film franchise is its amazing action sequences. And we have Cruise to thank for most of these. Whenever an action movie is being filmed, the Top Gun actor always demands to perform his own stunts.
In an interview with The Graham Norton Show, he disclosed that he always does stunts himself rather than hiring a stunt double because it is something he enjoys doing. He used to spend endless hours indoors practicing “flips off the house into the snow” and cycling over ditches with his friends.
As the third-highest-grossing movie of 1996, Mission: Impossible was a huge box office success. Because of its popularity, the movie spawned a successful film franchise, which started with the 2000 release of Mission: Impossible 2.
Stream Mission: Impossible on Amazon Prime Video.