Steven Spielberg congratulated Tom Cruise and thanked him for protecting theatrical distribution at the Academy’s 2023 Oscar luncheon. Nevertheless, not everyone who has worked with Cruise is always complimentary of the celebrity.

Crew members on Mission: Impossible 7 who were on the receiving end of the actor’s diatribe during the epidemic are most likely on the latter list. Nonetheless, the actor eventually explained his conduct.

“I said what I said. There was a lot at stake at that point. All those emotions were going through my mind. I was thinking about the people I work with, and my industry and for the whole crew to know that we’d started rolling on a movie was just a huge relief. And here we are, continuing to film.”

Mission: Impossible 7 Staff Members Received Criticism From Tom Cruise

The pandemic was raging in Europe when Mission: Impossible 7 started filming in December 2020 in England. The Sun newspaper then published a leaked audio tape of Tom Cruise yelling and shouting at two film crew members.

All for allegedly violating the COVID-19 safety regulations by standing too near to one other in front of the computer screen. According to the British website, Cruise said:

“If I see you do it again you’re f****g gone. And if anyone on this crew does it, that’s it. We are the gold standard. 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 (expletive) 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 (expletive). I don’t ever want to see it again. Ever!”

Not only that, but in the leaked tape, Cruise can be heard saying that he will not, in any way, halt work on Mission: Impossible 7. He stated:

Back then, Cruise faced a lot of criticism for his approach to staff members. Even George Clooney stated that, while he understood Cruise’s feelings, he should have handled the matter better because he is the leader on site. The Top Gun star, though, remained unapologetic and stood by his statements.

Tom Cruise did not apologize for his rude behavior toward his crew.

Tom Cruise told Empire magazine that he didn’t regret his outburst because it was a very emotional occasion for him because Mission: Impossible 7 had already been delayed numerous times due to COVID. He stated:

Several Cruise fans and business insiders recognized the reason for the actor’s rage. COVID nearly bankrupted Hollywood by directing many films straight to streaming without even a theatrical release.

“I am beyond your apologies. We are not shutting this f— movie down. Is it understood? If I see it again, you’re f— gone. And so are you. So you’re gonna cost him his job. If I see it on the set, you’re gone and you’re gone. That’s it. Am I clear? Do you understand what I want? Do you understand the responsibility that you 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. That’s it.”

However, Top Gun: Maverick and Avatar 2 in 2022 revived the cinema experience, grossing $1.5 billion and $2.3 billion, respectively. The film Mission: Impossible 7 has already been delayed three times. It will, however, be released on its scheduled date this year.

The first installment of Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning will be released on July 14, 2023.