Five Mission Impossible 7 crew members have reportedly quit the film, after lead actor and producer Tom Cruise ranted for the second time on set, after his first dressing-down was leaked online. Earlier this week, an audio clip of Cruise yelling at two crew members for allegedly disobeying Covid-19 protocols on set was leaked.
According to a new report, five crew members quit after the star erupted on set again on Tuesday, as news of his first rant emerged. The tirade -- around two minutes long -- was first posted by The Sun, and you can listen to it here.
The Sun quoted a source as saying in the latest set report, “The first outburst was big but things haven’t calmed since. Tension has been building for months and this was the final straw. Since it became public there has been more anger and several staff have walked. But Tom just can’t take any more after all the lengths they have gone to just to keep filming at all. He’s upset others aren’t taking it as seriously as him. In the end, he’s the one who carries the can.”
In the two-and-a-half minute tirade, Cruise threatened to fire crew members who don’t obey the Covid-19 guidelines on set. The actor is said to have spent personal money on putting together safety measures, including renting a cruise ship in which crew members can isolate.
“We are the gold standard,” Cruise could be heard yelling in the leaked clip. “They’re back there in Hollywood making movies right now because of us. Because they believe in us and what we’re doing. I’m on the phone with every f**king 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 m***********s. I don’t ever want to see it again. Ever!”
He continued, “You can tell it to the people who are losing their f**king homes because our industry is shut down. 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 f**king 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 f**king movie down! Is it understood? If I see it again, you’re f**king gone.”
“Am I clear? Do you understand what I want? Do you understand the responsibility that I have? Because I will deal with your reason, and if you can’t be reasonable and I can’t deal with your logic, you’re fired,” Cruise continued. “That’s it. That is it. I trust you guys to be here.”
While Cruise has found his share of supporters in the industry -- George Clooney said that although he agreed with his sentiment, he wouldn’t have used Cruise’s tone -- The Sun quoted Spencer MacDonald, of entertainment union Bectu, as saying: “After a very difficult year for freelancers working in the industry the last thing crews deserve is a multi-millionaire Hollywood star screaming abuse and threatening their jobs.”
Mission Impossible 7 also stars Ving Rhames, Rebecca Ferguson, Simon Pegg, Hayley Atwell, Vaness Kirby and others. The film is directed by Christopher McQuarrie and set to release on November 19, 2021.
