Tom Cruise Erupted at 'Mission: Impossible 7' Crew Members Violating COVID-19 Safety Protocols

From Esquire

Tom Cruise didn’t dangle from the side of the world’s tallest building only to die by way of a careless cough. Late Tuesday night, audio leaked from the London set of Mission: Impossible 7, where the king of doing his own stunts erupted into a tirade after he saw two crew members breaking COVID-19 social distancing protocol by standing too close together in front of a computer monitor. “If I see you do it again, you’re fucking gone,” Cruise told the crew.

In the explicit audio obtained by The Sun, Cruise ranted about the precariousness of the filmmaking enterprise under COVID-19 safety protocols. He argued that Mission: Impossible 7 is setting a standard for the industry at large—one allowing cast and crew members to remain on the payroll during a time of record unemployment for the film industry.

“We are the gold standard. They’re back there in Hollywood making movies right now because of us,” Cruise yelled. “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!”

Cruise, who reportedly has raked in at least $389 million from the Mission: Impossible franchise, also ranted about what unemployed film industry workers stand to lose.

“You can tell it to the people who are losing their fucking homes because our industry is shut down, “Cruise yelled. “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.”

In September, to get production back on track after it was halted by shutdowns in Venice, Cruise spent $700,000 out of pocket to rent a Hurtigruten watercraft, which was intended to be used as a “bubble” to keep cast and crew members isolated, not unlike the NBA bubble at Disney World. Despite Cruise’s best efforts, Mission: Impossible 7 hit a snag in October when production in Italy shut down after twelve people on set tested positive for COVID-19. A week later, production resumed, and just two weeks ago, production moved to London. The film is set to hit theaters on November 19th, 2021—assuming production can keep moving ahead full steam ahead safely.

Hey, Tom. Is there room in your busy schedule to come yell at the nose-maskers of America?

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