Given the stories from the past and present, working alongside Tom Cruise is a privilege. Nicholas Hoult had to turn down Tom Cruise and Mission: Impossible, calling it a major letdown for his career.
However, as we'll reveal in the following, those that got to work alongside Tom Cruise in Mission: Impossible were in for quite the treat, both then and now. We'll take a look at all the different eras and those that worked alongside Cruise, including Simon Pegg, Emmanuelle Béart and Hayley Atwell. It is truly something else to see how consistent everyone is with their thoughts on working with the actor in Mission: Impossible, despite the fact that the three did so in different eras.
Emmanuelle Béart's reaction to Tom is especially unique given how it came about, and the circumstances of her Mission: Impossible audition. We'll take a look back at how it all went down, and what the actress took from her work alongside Cruise.
Simon Pegg Discussed His Own Experience Working Alongside Tom Cruise In Mission: Impossible III Back In 2006
Working alongside Tom Cruise is truly an experience his peers don't forget. Despite all his credits, Simon Pegg won't forget his time alongside the actor in Mission: Impossible III. Pegg was especially blown away by Tom's leadership qualities from top to bottom, despite how busy he was on-set.
Pegg reveals with Fox News, "Of all the mist of stuff that's around him, in the center of that mist is a generous, sweet guy who looks after everybody. He leads from the top down. And he's kind of inspiring to be around. There's no one else like him, he's the last movie star of the old kind."
Pegg would go on to praise Cruise for staying the same since he first met him, and for being able to keep such a friendship despite Tom's wild career.
"When I first met him, it was my first time to Hollywood," he told the outlet. "He came to set the first day we met, he immediately made me feel very welcome, very at home, was incredibly generous."
Pegg continues, "Over the 17 years that we've been friends, I feel lucky to get to see a part of him that everyone else wants to see, which is just the guy," he said. "And he is just a guy. He's an extraordinary guy. He's a guy who feels the obligation to the audience to risk his life for them to kind of entertain them."
Opinions tend to vary in Hollywood, but when it comes to working with Cruise on Mission: Impossible, comments are very similar from his peers.
Emmanuelle Béart Had An Unusual Experience Auditioning For The Mission: Impossible Role Alongside Tom Cruise
Prior to her casting for the first Mission: Impossible, Emmanuelle Béart had quite the experience alongside Tom Cruise. She auditioned alongside the actor at an apartment, and was asked to be aggressive. Given that she didn't hold back, it certainly caught Tom's attention.
Emmanuelle Béart revealed with Live Journal, "I was told to pin this young man against the wall and put a gun on his temple. And since I have a good energy, let's say, I said to myself "Ok, I'm doing it". And so I caught him, but I don't think he expected it, and he said to himself "a little French girl ..." and I was hired immediately. "
As for her overall experience with Cruise, the actress loved every bit of their work together, and was open to working with Tom down the road again.
“I found him quite exciting as an actor, extremely professional and generous. I'd love to see him again, he's someone good. "
The opinion was shaped way back in 1996, and as it turns out, the same holds true with Tom's current co-star Hayley Atwell these days.
Hayley Atwell Is The Latest Mission: Impossible Star To Praise Tom Cruise
Professionalism is what instantly comes to mind for Tom's peers. That was echoed by Hayley Atwell, who was new to both Cruise and the world of Mission: Impossible. Like the others, Atwell praised the actor, particularly given the work environment he's able to create for those around him.
"I had read with Tom before, I knew that he was very present," the actress told E! News. "He was very professional and he goes out of the way to make sure anyone around him in working capacity makes them feel very safe."
Set for a release on July 12th, it seems like Tom Cruise has another major hit on his hands with Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One. It is truly impressive to see not only how long the franchise has gone one for, but how Tom Cruise remains a mega star at the box office all these years later, as if no time has gone by.
