‘Not my style but I understand why he did it,’ says George Clooney on Tom Cruise's outburst
Following Tom Cruise’s recent outburst at the Mission: Impossible crew in UK over not following Covid-19 safety protocols, fellow actor George Clooney weighed in as to why Cruise reacted the way he did.
"You're in a position of power and it's tricky," Clooney said during an interview with Howard Stern. "You do have a responsibility for everybody else and he's absolutely right about that. If the production goes down, a lot of people lose their jobs. People have to understand that and have to be responsible."
Speaking about the expletive-filled remarks by the Top Gun star captured on audio tape, Clooney said "it's just not my style to, you know, to take everybody to task that way".
"I have a friend who's an AD on another TV show who just had the almost exact same thing happen with not quite as far out a response."
Clooney does go on to admit that the audio clip represents only one side of the story, adding: “The people who were on that shoot will tell us more about it. I understand why he did it, he’s not wrong at all — I just don’t know if I would have done it quite that personally. But I don’t know the circumstances; maybe he had it 10 or 15 times before.”
Earlier this week, it emerged that Cruise, who is the star and producer of the action film, had yelled at the crew about lapses of social distancing and other rules that allow movies to be made during the coronavirus pandemic.
A source close to the production had said the tape was authentic while Cruise’s representative declined to comment.
“I’m on the phone with every f***ing studio at night, insurance companies, producers, and they’re looking at us and using us to make their movies,” Cruise told the crew on the set.
“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,” he added, according to the tape.
There is truth in Cruise’s words; most of the industry and the economy has been experiencing downfall due to rising Covid-19 cases. With industries shouldering each other’s operations and working, the pressure is immense.
The seventh Mission: Impossible was one of the first movies to shut down production because of the coronavirus when it abandoned filming in Venice, Italy, in February.
Adding another layer to the pressure is news revolving around tougher restrictions to be extended across England, with London marked as very high among the tier three expansions, according to the BBC.
There is a lot at stake here; with Covid’s severity, the economic downfall, and the expectations set out for the film, Cruise’s actions are somewhat understandable. Any lax approach in following protocols can lead to the spread of the virus which can potentially put others at risk.
Cruise’s delivery may have been questionable but his intentions appear to be in the right place.