Tom Cruise explained why Mission: Impossible was the first film he boarded as a producer and reflected on his inaugural filmmaking experience in the UK, during a wide-ranging discussion at the BFI Southbank ahead of collecting the organisation’s Fellowship award.
“I went to Stanley Jack, he was at Paramount, and Sherry Lansing, who I’d both known since I was 18, because I felt at that time, I wanted to produce something,” he explained, going to say he was drawn to the Mission: Impossible series.
“I loved the theme music,” Cruise joked. “I thought it’d be interesting to take the Cold War TV series and turn it into action. And also I wanted action, suspense…
“It was about looking at Mission and thinking, ‘What can we do with action?’,” he continued. “It was about how I can evolve action and storytelling and imbue that kind of storytelling with greater amounts of emotion.
“That’s my interest. I studied stunts and different cameras to develop my abilities and develop the technology.”
Cruise also reflected on his working relationship with Christopher McQuarrie who directed four Mission: Impossible films, including the upcoming The Final Reckoning, as well as 2022’s Top Gun: Maverick.
“He’s an exceptional storyteller and the moment I met him I was like, ‘I’m going to remember this guy for the rest of my life’,” Cruise recalled, teasing that the pair have more collaborations to come. “He’s just someone I love working with. I enjoy the creative process with him.”
Coming to the UK
The 62-year-old has been making films in the UK for over 40 years, having shot the last two instalments of Mission: Impossible in London. The actor’s first experience in the country was for Ridley Scott’s 1985 epic Legend which shot at Pinewood Studios.
“We were at lunch, and there’s a production designer, the cinematographer, and Ridley Scott, and it’s lunchtime. And there’s the pub,” he exclaimed. “There’s a pub at the studio!”
He was later taken to the stage where James Bond was filming. “There’s this gorgeous forest being built and Ridley’s talking about what he’s going to do at the Bond stage,” Cruise explained. “I grew up in America, in small towns and different places, and now here I am, with a dream.”
Cruise will collect the BFI Fellowship, the organisation’s biggest prize, at a ceremony tonight (May 12). Previous recipients include Christopher Nolan, Martin Scorsese and Spike Lee. He will be back in London on Thursday (May 15) for the global premiere of Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning which Paramount is rolling out internationally from May 21.
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