Despite starring alongside the world’s biggest movie star in one of the biggest action franchises of all time, the Westworld star Thandie Newton doesn’t share fond memories during her time in Mission Impossible 2. Considering that Tom Cruise has never backed away from delivering his 100% in every project he has been attached to, the actor seems to expect the same from his co-stars.
And things got worse after the Top Gun: Maverick star wasn’t quite satisfied with Newton’s performance in the movie and reportedly went to extreme lengths to bring out the best in her.
Thandie Newton was scarred by Tom Cruise’s dominance during Mission Impossible 2
While speaking in an interview with Vulture, the Emmy-winning star Thandie Newton recalled her experience of working with the biggest movie star in the industry. The Westworld actress revealed that her time during the production of Mission Impossible 2 was a nightmare due to Tom Cruise’s extreme dominance on the sets. Newton explained that Cruise would come off as aggressive to make her deliver the best performance in the movie. She said,
“Oh, I was never asked. I was so scared of Tom. He was a very dominant individual. He tries superhard to be a nice person. But the pressure. He takes on a lot. And I think he has this sense that only he can do everything as best as it can be done.”
The actress also recalled another moment during the production of the movie that shattered her confidence as an actress and pushed her into a place of terror and insecurity.
Thandie Newton’s confidence was shattered after Mission Impossible 2
While recalling her experience in the 2000’s Mission Impossible 2, Thandie Newton opened up about one particular scene that shattered her confidence at the time. The actress shared that while filming a certain balcony scene during the night, Tom Cruise would get frustrated with her for not delivering a satisfying performance. The actress explained that Cruise then allegedly switched roles with her to showcase how to deliver the perfect performance. She said,
“And he gets so frustrated with having to try and explain that he goes, ‘Let me just—let’s just go do it. Let’s just rehearse on-camera… And then he goes, ‘I’ll be you. You be me.’ So we filmed the entire scene with me being him… It just pushed me further into a place of terror and insecurity. It was a real shame. And bless him. And I really do mean bless him, because he was trying his damnedest.”
Tom Cruise’s extreme measures during the production of Mission Impossible 2 did leave a sour taste in Newton’s mouth and the actress wasn’t called back again for future entries in the franchise.
Mission Impossible 2 is available to stream on Netflix.
Source: Vulture
