Simon Pegg doesn’t believe Tom Cruise “ever unwinds”
Simon Pegg has discussed working with Tom Cruise on the set of Mission Impossible and stated he doesn’t believe the Hollywood superstar “ever unwinds”.
Since first creatively collaborating 17 years ago, the pair of actors have built up a friendship with Pegg gaining an insight into the person behind the star who appears on screen. Cruise is known for his intense work ethic, which Pegg believes boils down to the fact that nobody else “can be as arsed as he can.”
“With special effects you know something is artificial — it removes a degree of tension. So Tom pushes things to the limit, to the point of risking his life,” Pegg said to The Times about Cruise’s desire to carry out his own stunts.
On Cruise’s belief in the importance of cinema, Pegg noted: “People can argue that cinema is frivolous. But it’s not. Cinema brings people together at a time we’re pulling apart, and that just added to Tom’s determination to put people in a room together. The power of cinema is, for him, precious and it’s vital we sustain it.”
He continued: “I don’t know if he ever unwinds. He took us go-karting and zip-lining. He hates doing nothing. It’s: ‘Let’s do something more exciting!’
Additionally, Pegg spoke about the “bizarre mythology” which surrounds the Mission Impossible star, alluding to his links with Scientology but said he just enjoys “being normal with him”.
Earlier this year, Pegg revealed during an appearance on Desert Island Discs that he was struggling with alcoholism while filming Mission Impossible III with Cruise in 2006. You become very sneaky when you have something like that in your life,” he told host Lauren Laverne.
He continued: “You learn how to do it without anyone noticing because it takes over. It wants to sustain itself and it will do everything it can to not be stopped. But eventually it just gets to a point when it can’t be hidden, and that’s when, thankfully, I was able to pull out of the dive.”
Never Miss A Scene
The Far Out Film Newsletter
All the latest film news from the independent voice of culture.
Straight to your inbox.