Five staff members have walked off Mission Impossible. This comes after Tom Cruise had not one, but two meltdowns this week over what he sees as a lackadaisical approach to basic COVID protocols on set.
His rant made news earlier this week, and now, sources tell The Sun that the set is still tense. “The first outburst was big but things haven’t calmed since. Tension has been building for months and this was the final straw. Since it became public there has been more anger and several staff have walked.
“But Tom just can’t take any more after all the lengths they have gone to just to keep filming at all. He’s upset others aren’t taking it as seriously as him. In the end, he’s the one who carries the can.”
Cruise has gone to extraordinary measures to make the set safe. As a producer of the seventh installment, he has helped set up a cruise ship allowing staff to isolate.
REACTION AND PHOTOS
But many on social media and in Hollywood see is point. George Clooney and Whoopi Goldberg are among the bold-faced names saying he is absolutely right, even if they wouldn’t have addressed the issue in the same way. Others were less sympathetic. Longtime critics Leah Remini wrote on her blog: “Tom does not care about the families of his crew; this is all for publicity. Tom does not believe in family values.”
But TMZ dug up photos of Cruise on set of Mission Impossible where Cruise himself isn’t following protocol. He’s shown chatting with Hayley Atwell at a shoot in Rome, and while the pair are wearing masks, hers is below her nose. In another, he is seen maskless while she is again wearing the mask under her nose.