Even Tom Cruise can’t believe some of the things he hears about himself.
Cruise’s "Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part 1" director, Chris McQuarrie, revealed in a new interview with the Times of London that the actor has heard some crazy rumors about himself, but was happy to debunk them.
According to McQuarrie, he asked Cruise when they first met what the "weirdest story you’ve heard about yourself" was.
Cruise laughed and said it was the myth that people on set "were not allowed to look me in the eye."
The first time the actor and director worked together was 2008’s "Valkyrie," and McQuarrie has directed Cruise in the last three "Mission: Impossible" films, as well as produced "Top Gun: Maverick."
Simon Pegg, who joined the "Mission: Impossible" franchise in 2006’s "Mission: Impossible III," agreed that the stories surrounding Cruise are overblown.
"I’ve been able to hack my way through all the bizarre mythology that surrounds him," Pegg told the outlet. "On one side he’s Tom Cruise – this enigmatic film star everyone wants to know about. And on the other he’s just a guy. I like being normal with him."
Pegg also praised Cruise’s dedication to stunt work, which has seen him jump off cliffs for dozens of takes.
"With special effects you know something is artificial – it removes a degree of tension. So Tom pushes things to the limit, to the point of risking his life," he said.
Hayley Atwell added that Cruise isn’t "a snob," both personally and with the action-based movies he’s been making the past several years.
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"He doesn’t want to make movies now to punish an audience," Atwell said. "He doesn’t want films with the message that if you do not understand this you’re not smart. I can tell when I watch some movies that the director has made it for themselves. I don’t feel involved or I think, ‘Am I stupid?’ Tom’s not a snob."
Atwell was also the subject of dating rumors with Cruise, and in a recent interview with The Independent, she revealed that the 61-year-old calmed her concerns.
"When I’ve talked to him about it, he’d be like, 'You know exactly who you are. You know what you’re about. And that is the only thing that matters. It doesn’t matter what people think of you, if you are in integrity with yourself, if you know what your value system is,’" she said.
"Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One" is in theaters July 12.
