That Tom Cruise He is a man fully dedicated to his work is a truth known to the entire world. Just as he indulges in the most risky action sequences, he fights to remain a box office magnet in favor of traditional cinema and is fully involved in each shoot, with or without a pandemic in between. He himself challenged all of Hollywood, insurers and investors filming mission impossible 7 during the worst of the pandemic and with tantrum included. For that reason, what Emily Blunt burst into tears in front of him on the set of at the edge of tomorrow complaining about a technical detail surprises me much more than the reaction his partner had.
If we go back to the last decade, we will remember that, before that futuristic film directed by Doug Liman, Emily Blunt I was living a typecasting in Hollywood as the damsel of the male lead on duty. She made smaller budget movies where she could be more of a lead but, when it came to large scale productions, she was Steve Carell. (Like life itself), Benicio, the bull (The crazy man), Jack Black (Gulliver’s Travels) or Matt Damon (Hidden destination) those who led the stories. All this changed the day he became Tom Cruise’s partner with a character designed to overshadow him as an action hero.
However, things were very different when filming began because, according to Emily Blunt in the podcast SmartLess (via NY Post), came face to face with reality as to what it means to make a film of these characteristics. But also with the delivery of Tom Cruise to work without room for doubts or complaints. “We had to wear these huge costumes, which I think would have been great if we had done them in CGI, but we wanted to do everything tactilely.” explained.
“When you hear the word ‘touch’ you think it sounds like something cute and cozy. But there was nothing cozy about those suits. They weighed about 40 kilos. They were very heavy” continued. “The first time I put it on I started crying and [Cruise] not know what to do”. Emily Blunt She adds that her partner stared at her as she panicked inside the suit, wondering how she was going to be able to shoot the entire movie carrying something so heavy. “I said ‘Tom, I’m not sure how I’m going to get through the whole shoot’ and I started crying.” admitted. “I told him, ‘I’m feeling a bit panicked about the whole shoot.’”
But then Tom Cruise stopped her in her tracks and bluntly spoke her mind. “He looked at me for a long time not knowing what to do and said ‘Come on, stop being such a coward, okay?’”. Blunt reveals that her partner’s phrase took her by surprise and made her laugh, apparently managing to curb the fears she was feeling. That is to say, no compassionate talks, no explanations or conversation about it, but a single sentence that summarizes in a few words the narrow and direct vision that Tom Cruise has when it comes to work: looking ahead and fulfilling the task by giving the maximum.
Tom Cruise’s apparently abrupt reaction is not surprising because that is precisely how we know him through the anecdotes and stories surrounding his career. His fondness for outdoing himself through elaborate risk sequences are proof of this, as well as the filtered audio of the filming of mission impossible 7 where he could be heard berating a couple of technical employees for breaking pandemic protocols. His dedication is absolute. We don’t know anything about his private life beyond his passion for flying planes and helicopters or his closeness to the Church of Scientology, but nothing else. But we know everything about his delivery and dedication to his work.
For example, Jake Johnson (how I Met Your Mother) worked with him on The Mummy (2017) and said in a podcast of The Daily Beast in 2017 (via online) that “He’s an intense guy” who expects the absolute dedication of each partner. “In terms of a filmmaker, he wants to entertain the audience, and if you don’t worry about that, it’s going to drive you crazy.” said. “Because he’s there to entertain the audience and he’s willing to put himself in danger to do it.”. Many of his colleagues over the years have praised his commitment and work ethic. Rebecca Ferguson, Simon Pegg and director Christopher McQuarrie told me about it at the premieres of Mission Impossible; and the likes of Jay Ellis have said that working with Tom Cruise on the sequel to top gun It served as a school for him to learn about complete dedication to filming. “He did it every day on set.” assured to insiders.
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even his own Tom Cruise He has proudly confessed his professional devotion, assuring that he has never taken a day off. “This is a day off for me because I’m not shooting”. he told Beautiful during a promotional day Top Gun: Maverick. “I’m just relaxing now. I don’t have days off. Look, I’m lucky. I have spent my life on movie sets and traveling the world, which is what I always wanted to do. So this is not work, I’m living the dream.” (via ET).
That’s why, That Emily Blunt broke down in tears in a heavy suit with filming already underway makes me think the actress didn’t know who she was dealing with yet. And more so considering that it was his first production of this magnitude, with intense action scenes involved and with a role that could finally break the constant streak of being a damsel in Hollywood cinema. What she lived through could have happened to anyone. I can imagine the situation as one of those work or study moments where you feel overwhelmed by a task that seems impossible at first glance. However, it seems clear to me that she was not going to receive sympathy or comfort from someone like Tom Cruise, but rather some kind of message of encouragement to help her get going. Like that sentence straight to the point.
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