As we discussed yesterday, Tom Cruise was “secretly recorded” screaming at crew members on the set of Mission Impossible 7. MI7 has been filming all over Europe for months, and they were recently in Italy for an extended shoot, and the production is now filming at one of the studio spaces in London. It would not surprise me to learn that the production – and likely Cruise himself – had to make special appeals to European governments to continue shooting throughout the fall and winter, and the production was likely given special dispensation as long as everyone adhered to strict mask and social distancing rules. That was what Cruise’s rant was about – he saw some crew members failing to social distance, and he lost it. Apparently, that recorded rant wasn’t the only time (recently) that Cruise took it upon himself to scream at the crew about following pandemic protocols. And now the Sun claims that several crew members have quit over it.
Five staff have quit Mission Impossible after a second meltdown by star Tom Cruise. The Sun yesterday told how the actor let rip after two crew breached Covid rules by standing too close together. Another eruption followed on Tuesday night as news of his rant emerged.
A source said: “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.”
Delays have blighted the franchise’s seventh instalment. Cruise, 58, who plays Ethan Hunt and is a producer, has pumped a fortune into Covid measures including hiring a cruise ship so staff can isolate. In October, he held crisis talks with director Christopher McQuarrie days after 12 people on set in Italy were said to have tested positive. Since returning to the UK two weeks ago, Cruise has been pictured wearing a mask on set.
A source said: “Tom has taken it upon himself to try to enforce precautions with a view to keeping the film running.”
But Spencer MacDonald, of entertainment union Bectu, said: “After a very difficult year for freelancers working in the industry the last thing crews deserve is a multi-millionaire Hollywood star screaming abuse and threatening their jobs.”
Yeah… at no point in my coverage did I say that I think Tom is an A-plus guy. He’s not. He belongs to a dangerous cult, and the cult does the most to keep him happy, even if that means slave labor and programming women to be his girlfriends. But… I just don’t think he’s totally in the wrong here, in this very specific situation. Sure, it’s gross that a man of enormous wealth and privilege is verbally abusing crew members. It’s awful. But also: people have been acting like absolute a–holes throughout the pandemic, and I can understand how some people – those of us who wear masks and social-distance – can sometimes get enraged and frustrated at people who continue to break the rules. Again, it’s not about Tom being “justified” or anything. But people are truly quitting their jobs because their boss yells at them… when they’re putting themselves in danger, putting other people in danger, and putting the production in danger? No one is correct here and all I’m saying is that I can understand why everyone, especially Tom Cruise, is frustrated.
Photos courtesy of Backgrid.
I don’t see this as Tom’s ‘meltdown’ – he’s the star and producer of a massive production – don’t like his rules, then leave. As some did. Go Tom!
Good message. Wrong delivery from a truly horrible POS.
That’s what I think, Wiglet. The message wasn’t wrong, but YIKES on the delivery. Let’s be honest here: In the “normal” world, if any of us had been SCREAMED at in that manner in our workplace, I think we would feel the same as the employees on the set who have now quit. He was WAY out of order on his delivery.
He is completely obsessed with his version of himself. High operating thetan, able to manipulate Matter, air, space & time (yet still not able to the Academy to hand over an Oscar) he feels he is superior to those around him. He wasn’t wrong but he could have done it in a professional manner. He shows what a POS he is. Someone can be sweet & kind in their persona but it is HOW they treat those they don’t need to treat well reveals their true character.
He has none
I agree – got the feeling he was enjoying ranting to hear his own voice and got carried away having so much fun. The message is correct of course but way overblown reaction from him.
I agree with all of you. I had the distinct furling that the mask exacerbated his tantrum, as if he was ranting from behind a screen. Tsk. Who chucks a massive screaming wobbly in public like that? That’s right. A bell end.
I agree Wiglet. Right message wrong delivery. People are dying from being careless about the virus and he personnaly pumped in hundreds of thousands on this project. +They are americans on outside territory, being sick means possibly taking citizen’s hospital beds, etc etc and other health care laws that would apply/not apply to tourists, insurance, bla bla bla which is always sh*tty stuff to deal with. I still agree with Tom and I also loose my sh*t once in a while.
He’s nuts and a horrible person, but he wasn’t wrong here. I can’t even fault his delivery since the violators were placing others at risk for DEATH and permanent damage to their health. Whining about getting yelled at is… pathetic.
You don’t scream or swear at people you work with or in this instance work for you. It’s incredibly unprofessional and toxic. People are complete dicks about the pandemic. If they cannot abide to the safety rules, they should be fired. That would speak volumes. Also. Tom is one of the few people to be filming an enormous production in the middle of a pandemic. And it’s because he has no idea who he is off of a movie set and cannot ever be in the position to find out. Because he’s hollow. How about pay their salaries and shut down production until it’s safe. How about negotiate that Tom? If you want to SAVE people.
Not normally, I agree, but you certainly do if they’re literally trying to murder/ruin you.
But that’s the thing, it’s not Tom’s rules, the director and the studio should be the authorities laying down the law. Tom comes from a Scientology mentality where you tell lemmings what to do and by golly they better do it or else they wind up in solitude or they need to be re -conditioned. It’s the cult of cults and he has had years of being able to have people at his beckoned call. As a lead actor he might have went to the Director or studio heads with his concerns instead of showing everyone his short man syndrome. It makes him look guess after calling Matt Lauer “Glib” and ragging on Brooke Shields for being on depression medication he really doesn’t seem to care about how he appears. He very well may jump on another couch some time real soon!
Yeah, after I commented on the post yesterday, I started going back and forth on how I felt about this. There is obviously a huge power differential here – this isn’t tom cruise yelling at another producer or whoever – so that part of it raises red flags for me. But in itself, I think we can all understand his frustration here. So like I said, I’m going back and forth on how I feel about this.
I know how you feel. Honestly, I also feel like shouting at random strangers when I see them fail to adhere to the rules. One guy today in a shop, had no mask on and was coughing. I really wanted to do a Tom Cruise there and then. True, I wouldn’t like to be spoken to in this way and would probably quit too if I was on the receiving end of that rant. I still don’t blame Tom Cruise though. These are grown-ass adults that know the consequences of anyone onset being tested positive.
It’s interesting to me that the last quote in the article said he’s “threatening their jobs.”, but don’t they realize COVID threatens their jobs? I think that’s what he was trying to impress upon them and he chose a tactic of dramatic aggression to make his point, but they still didn’t get it. If they get shut down and everyone loses their jobs, it’s not going to be Tom that loses his house. Movies employ so many people and this year has been devastating to below the line staff.
I have been yelling at random people. To me not wearing a mask properly and not social distancing is purposely threatening my life and the lives of those I’m around. I’m going to yell at you.
They have a job because Tom Cruise assured the studio that they would be able to film following strict COVID guidelines…Yet their jobs are threatened because of Tom Cruise…I’m sorry, but I can’t stand people like this and if I could, I would scream too. Putting everybody’s health and livelihood at risk and for what?
Both can be true. He can have a legitimate reason to be angry and also you can reasonably expect people to quit after being screamed at by a work superior. At any point in that 2 minute rant he could have reined it in and regained his composure to apologize for the delivery while still underscoring how serious he is. If you treat people like they are children you can expect some of them to react like defiant children. So I guess I’m team no one here.
To quote one of my favorite movies, “you’re not wrong, you’re just an a**hole”
Perhaps Toms micromanagement finally got the better of people and this was the straw that broke the camels back?
Remember- he believes that ONLY HE- a SCIENTOLOGIST can right this wrong. He is the only one who can effect change, solve the problem, and clear the planet.
Even a psychotic broken clock is right twice a day.
Exactly. Also, did you listen to the recording? I’ve never. heard. someone. shout. in. such. a. long. winded. fashion. with. so. many. pauses. between. words. Seriously, it was weird. Did it seem weird to you or anyone else here??
It’s exactly how David Miscavige, supreme leader of scientology and Tom’s best bud, talks to people. It’s abusive. He is single handedly SAVING the movie industry, y’all! And the SPs on the crew are jeopardizing the whole thing!
Seriously. This is how the leader of his religion comports himself. A screaming tyrant.
I agree that people need to follow protocol, of course. Good job, 2020, ya got me to agree with Tom Cruise about something.
I can only imagine how he talks to the sea org slave labor who staff his house. BTW, I am not exaggerating when I say slave labor. They signed billion year contracts, meant to span many lifetimes. It’s breathtakingly abusive. And then they get talked to like that (and worse).
Has no one ever been yelled at before? At work? By his/her boss? Not even once? Is that what constitutes abuse? I’m seriously asking.
I’d rather be yelled at than fired.
Yes. It’s abuse. The way he spoke was deeply unprofessional and no, it shouldn’t be tolerated or excused.
What he said was correct but the way he said it wasn’t.
Under regular condition,s you;re right. These are NOT regular conditions, Cruise is a horrible person and I boycott his work, but he’s not wrong . If any one tried to murder me – in the off or anywhere else – they’re going to hear about it. Loudly. And I have had them fired rather than just asked then to not KILL OTHERS.
Also, am i the only person who has forgotten to put their mask on/up?
Or stepped closer with the need to hear.
When i forget my mask at the office, on my way to the ladies room- i want someone to remind me- but no need to be nasty. Say something- hey, put your mask on.
Me: *immediately puts mask up*, oh my god, i’m so sorry.
Sometimes we forget, even as it becomes more and more routine.
No need to be a huge jerk about it.
I mean, yes, some people are purposefully putting others in danger with their “freedom” and “right” to not wear a mask.
But sometimes, we have a dumb moment and forget.
Screaming seems uncalled for as well as unprofessional.
And a way of life for a bully who’s been told he’s a messiah saving and “clearing” the planet.
Yes, I have been wearing and promoting mask-wearing since the beginning of epidemic and yet it’s still not too unusual for me to forget it and have to return to car (and sometimes home) when I get to store’s entrance where I’m reminded. I have also found myself too close to others in stores and am embarrassed to realize it as I back away. I do think social distancing might be harder to constantly remember than mask-wearing. I would hope to get a “gentle” reminder. But, if it happens too often on this set, maybe a shock would help the memory. Or, erase it completely. LOL
No, I waltzed into a place without my mask because I think I “felt” it on. This girl’s eyes’s were huge, staring at me, then I realized and slapped my hand over my mouth and ran out. I couldn’t believe it. It’s happened more than once, so now I just keep the damn thing on once I leave the house.
I remember after things first started, I had someone come in and put in a fixture for me and both the workers and I forgot to wear our masks. It was a duh moment. But even lately, I’ve left the house, gotten to the car and remembered, oh yeah, you have to go back and get your mask. And walked into a store, not thinking until I saw someone else with one on. It’s really easy to do. I mean, people forget their children are in cars, and that seems much harder to do than forgetting a mask, but it happens.
We need to give each other the benefit of the doubt. I’d only start to get grouchy if there was someone who just didn’t have one at all standing really close or someone who got really mad at being asked to wear one or had a habit of just not wearing one.
Nope. Never yelled at in the office. Not ever, not one single time. Nor would I stand for it. The one time I felt that my boss was treating me with less than 100% respect, I pushed back, and pushed back hard. And that took care of that.
The delivery of the message was 100 x 100 unacceptable. They are not children, though I wouldn’t yell at my children like that either.
The one time a boss yelled at me, I was in high school, and I worked for a small business, and the owner’s daughter (an adult, about 20 years older than me) yelled at me and her parents came down hard on her for it. In my professional career, no, I’ve never been yelled at, even when I’ve legitimately messed up. “Received feedback,” or constructive criticism – yes. But I’ve never been yelled at.
If a boss did yell at me, and I had the means to do so, I would quit. But the “means to do so” is the sticking point for many people obviously.
In my former job, the Head of School (not my direct boss, but obviously the top one!) yelled at my twice. Once it was just him and me in a conference room, but the other time, there were a couple of other people there.
It was horrible and I managed to hold it together until I got back into my office and then I cried, but I couldn’t afford to quit the job — I had rent to pay on a Manhattan apartment and it would have been cutting off my nose to spite my face if I’d quit (I did quit as soon as humanly possible the following year!).
I had to remind myself that it wasn’t personal— this guy was known for having a temper and had lashed out at some of my colleagues as well. But I have to wonder how someone like that made it so far in his career, considering the way he treated his employees.
If a woman had screamed like that? The board would have fired her immediately, thinking she was “unstable” or something.
I was never personally yelled at as the fellow professional at the office but others were yelled at by the boss. I left the job because I couldn’t handle the lack of professionalism or seeing others abused.
It’s abusive behavior. No respectable company would allow it.
No, it’s a wake up call. He should have just fired them on the spot. Better yelling at them once to keep them from MURDERING others. Clearly the threat of death isn’t enough for the morons; perhaps the threat of being fired for excellent cause might.
Where I work now, it all depends on who you are. Certain people can treat certain other people like crap and no one cares. They’re excused because they bring in work or they’re favorites or whatever other dumb reason. Yes, it is abusive, but no one will ever do anything about it because golden children can behave however they like. It’s infuriating. I’ve only been on the receiving end of a tirade once, by email, and I have done my very best to avoid that person ever since then. Luckily, I’ve been able to do that.
Are you kidding? What industry do you work in where people communicate this way? This is very abusive, and I’m glad some crew walked.
I honestly haven’t seen a single person who thought he was in the wrong. Yes, he lost his temper. He’s under a lot of pressure to keep that cast and crew safe and as he said, be a model for how movies can be done safely. I don’t like him personally at all, but I totally understand where he’s coming from and am equally frustrated by people not taking safety seriously. I don’t think he was being abusive. Instead of walking out, maybe the crew should take his concerns seriously and follow the rules?
He’s in the wrong. Being under pressure is not an excuse to speak like that to staff, no matter how frustrated he is. That’s not how you deal with people. He is absolutely wrong and he was 100% being abusive
He’s in the wrong. First, research shows that yelling at someone tends to have the opposite effect of what you want. When’s the last time someone abused you verbally and you said “Thank you so much, you’re absolutely correct.” No, we get defensive and focus only on hating the yeller.
Second, maturity and emotional intelligence is the ability to restrain oneself and deliver your message in a way the recipients can accept.
Finally, parsing his delivery: he does indeed see himself as a saviour. Sure his movie employs people but he ain’t working in the ER or developing a vaccine. Also, as noted by other commenters, this was beyond an eruption; it was eruption followed by a lengthy tirade.
I agree! This man is a narcissist with delusions of grandeur and a God complex. I
If the crew members can’t follow the protocols, then fire them. This is just Tommy wanting to vent his frustrations on people he sees as beneath him.
He’s in the wrong. I’m pretty appalled at some of these comments excusing and condoning abusive, controlling (and cult!) behavior. Saying that abuse is justified and ok under certain conditions that “you” determine are legit is the very excuse that abusers use. “ He/she made me do it” is the most deplorable and common quote from any abuser. Everyone is accountable and responsible for their own behavior and reactions. However, culturally we are in a “poor me, I’m a victim” mindset that is slowly killing any sense of personal awareness and responsibility. People will never grow up or change if there is always an easy way out- which is to just blame it on someone else.
Yes!! If some staff are repeatedly ignoring very important safety rules, and reminders or warnings are not being heeded, then you let them go. You don’t scream at them, using your anger as a weapon to manipulate their behavior. And that’s what this was, if you listen to it. He yells and threatens, then loses steam and quiets down a little while he rants about the important work he is doing for the movie industry, then he ramps up the volume again to keep reiterating the threat and pointing at whoever was breaking the social distancing protocol. He definitely thought he was Delivering an Important Speech and at no point attempts to control himself even after his initial flash of anger has passed. It’s inappropriate behavior. Just because the staff were acting inappropriately doesn’t justify him acting inappropriately.
Then you aren’t looking. Almost never okay to scream at people like this, certainly not in this case.
Agree – Tom is a terrible person, but he’s not wrong here, even if screaming isn’t the best way to deal with it.
He’s trying to keep the film going, likely for his own ego and financial investment, but at the same time it keeps a LOT of people employed, when many productions have been shuttered for months, and there are strict protocols.
So fire the people who are repeatedly breaking rules and jeopardizing people’s health and jobs. The choice isn’t yell and scream or everyone loses their jobs. The choice is enforce the rules (in an appropriate, non-publicly demeaning way) or don’t.
I’ve had daydreams of screaming at people like that throughout the entire pandemic. Closest I came was openly calling a guy an asshole at the grocery store. It was a good moment but I wish I had gone harder. Replace all the ranting about jobs with concerns about Healthcare workers and my inner rage sounds exactly like Tom Cruise.
@Ann – A confession. I’ve lost my cool twice. I was a poll worker during early voting and on election day. We could strongly recommend masks but not require them. 99% of people were great. Yeah, there was some grumbling but nothing dramatic.
My 1st temper slip came while working curbside voting. A woman started screaming about masks before even getting out of her car. How she can go where she wanted. The poor young man working with me froze in shock. I said “Whoa. Stop. It’s ok. We literally do not care what you do with your health. Just stay back away from me.” I then directed her toward in-person voting. My supervisor suggested I be less blunt. She was probably right.
The 2nd time was when a man started chaos upon entering the building. Loudly decrying liberal mask frauds and frothing on about debunked conspiracy demons. Everyone rightly made silent agreement that ignoring such attention seeking was the best course. I agreed until he told a fellow poll worker she looked stupid. I said “And you look ignorant. So guess it all works out then, doesn’t it?” He tried more ranting. I interrupted saying “Yeah, yeah they also say ignorance is bliss so you should be happier.” He glared and grumbled more before voting and leaving. My supervisor suggested ways to ignore not confront stupidity. She was probably right.
@ TASZ 👏👏👏👏👏 BRAVO 👏👏👏👏👏👏
I only wish I could be as brave and articulate as you. This shit needs to be said…and heard 💕💕💕💕
Employee relations 101: inspire, ask, model the behavior; listen, and encourage. If you are going to lose your composure, ask a line producer to handle it. Ever since I read Leah Remini’s account of the dude humiliating his staff over cookie dough I will never ever sign off his raging at people he knows he can intimidate as a good idea. Remember, this screaming is repeated behavior on his part with the crew. Dude is nearing 6o and should have figured out a few things. This is how he manages powerless people he knows can’t talk back.
This isn’t a grocery store or those random encounters where one feels powerless and that much more afraid and angry at strangers not wearing masks. If those people are on the production he has an idea what their testing status is and how they have been living.
I see your point.
Have you ever managed employees? I never used my cell at work, I talked to them calmly over and over.
Eventually I did encourage them – to get a job elsewhere.
We’re not talking sporadic use, I don’t care about that at all. We are talking about coming to work to spend your day texting. If you think people listen, you have had better experiences with them than me. That’s fine. But if I ever ran for office a lot of stories Klobuchar-style would come out about me, and that’s why I will never run for office. Well, I never did throw anything to be fair to myself. And also I have slept with inappropriate people, to be fair to Amy..she didn’t have that, so it’s kind of a wash. It wouldn’t go well. But I’d never apologize for finally losing my isht.
@ Lilly But we’re not talking about employees being in their phones when they shouldn’t be, or some other relatively minor thing. They’re under strict protocols and filming can be shut down, plus there’s the obvious concern about health and safety.
I don’t like Tom Cruise, and I don’t like powerful men throwing their weight around. But let’s remember too that the world right now looks very different than it ever has before. Probably best for everyone that the staffers not comfortable with the protocols leave. Not doing so endangers jobs and lives.
I’m sorry, I’m with him on this. This is independent of the cult or anything else. This is only about Covid. I have been through hell and I KNOW I am far from alone, come on, haven’t we all been dealing with this? The thing is I have this in my own family, I’m single, and I’ve had to spend holidays alone. I’ve become so isolated. Now my bff since childhood moved in with me, so I’m not isolated, and maybe this worked out for the best for both of us for long reasons nobody here needs to be bored by, but since NY Pause? It’s been really bad. I started taking the stairs up and down to my apartment, because I am telling you, so many outright refuse to mask up in the elevator. Some of them have been personally spoken to by building management, I know this for a fact, they still don’t wear one. I feel I have been locked up for longer due to their actions.
I DON”T CARE if they were humiliated by someone with power over them about this. GOOD. I hope more of them get humiliated and threatened. they are threatening my life, and the livelihoods of millions.
Darla – SAME. I wouldn’t bat an eye if I saw a grocery store manager freaking out on their employees about this either. At this point people NEED to be hollered at because they’re NOT LISTENING. The people not taking things seriously are prolonging it for those of us who are. I’m lucky I’m an introvert who is good at entertaining herself, because some days with my anxiety and loneliness, it’s really freaking hard.
@darla me too. We don’t know how often they have been explicitly told what rules to follow and didn’t. I think about how frustrated I feel after I tell my 10 year old twenty-five times to put his dirty clothes in the laundry – by 26, “I’m sorry” makes me want to pull my eyeballs out of my head. I’m NOT a Tom Cruise fan (his office was above mine for several years and it was surreal to speak to everyone in there), but I worked in the TV and Film industry for several years in LA, and you aren’t unclear that your job is interdependent on everyone else. I don’t give a pass on this – my same 10 year old wears his mask faithfully all day around the few friends he can play with and social distances because he knows he loses to right to play if he doesn’t – adults can manage that as well especially if an entire production depends on it.
Oh I bet you have some interesting stories, ican’tanymore!
Totally with you, Darla. If it were anything other than a death sentence for people, I’d disagree, but that’s what we’re talking about here, and he’s right to be serious about it.
@darla Oh, I do.
@Darla – I totally agree. I mean, I really don’t like Tom Cruise anymore, especially after all the stuff that has come out about his Scientology connections/lack of relationship to his daughter Suri etc. I find him to be a pompous asshole. BUT this??? Hell, I would be screaming too!! It is beyond frustrating to be some 10 months into this pandemic, which is only getting worse by the day, to see people still not take this shit seriously!!! Of course I put much blame on Trump and his Administration for being that example, but that is besides the point. There are many people out there that still don’t get it, are stupid or whatever, and still refuse to follow simple protocol! He is completely in the right in his message for sure; and I can appreciate his utter frustration and exasperation of people refusing to comply. This is literally a life/and death situation. Or can be for some people, you just don’t know. I know this stuff pisses me the hell off – so yes, I get it!!
Yup. This is not texting or arriving late. It’s a potential death threat, and a major violation of their permits that strongly endangers the whole ‘business’ (the production). I hate Cruise and refuse to watch his movies, but he wasn’t wrong. Those employees were told a hundred time previous and they either couldn’t or wouldn’t comply with the REQUIREMENTS for health and safety. They should have quit.
Go Tom! Tell them! And if they want to walk away because they don’t like someone telling them to follow the rules at their job during a pandemic, let them. They should be thankful to have a job when so many have lost them. Yelling isn’t the best approach, but honestly it sounds like they needed a kick in the pants. I don’t like Tom Cruise at all, but I like people who put people who can’t follow pandemic rules in their places.
As some people pointed out yesterday, it’s virtually impossible keep social distance on a film set like this. So I can see why some exasperated crew members would decide to quit, rather than try to work under these impossible conditions and get screamed at.
That said, I’m not sure that I buy this story. I think The Sun got a lot of attention/traffic from their story yesterday, and they’re just trying to milk it out more
They should not have been allowed to film in the first place. Mission Impossible 7 is in no way essential to anyone. I’m sick of the special treatment given to the wealthy and the famous.
I believe that those who refuse to wear masks and/ or socially distance should face meaningful consequences, like fines, but I can’t get behind someone like Tom Cruise who believes rules are just for the “little” people and that he has any kind of moral authority. He is repugnant on many levels – one being his hypocrisy.
How many times and how many ways do people need to be told the same gd thing? I guess they’d rather be fired outright. I get the power imbalance but we’re talking global pandemic. Go ahead and quit, I’m sure there’s others needing a job. Harsh from me, yes. The carelessness of some during this time is inexcusable. It seems this wasn’t the first time employees were reprimanded.
Sorry, I totally agree with Tom. Honestly, sometimes people need to be yelled at. I work in a semi-public setting and let me tell you, if you are passive about trying to enforce COVID protocols, people will not abide by them. They just won’t. Sometimes it’s little infractions, sometimes bigger ones. So, props to him, honestly.
The people who quit are probably people who you wouldn’t want on your team and good riddance.
the daily beast has an article about titled “Why You Shouldn’t Praise Tom Cruise for Berating His Crew Over COVID” some snippets to it: “First, it’s never acceptable behavior to curse out and threaten your subordinates. In a work environment, there are better ways to get your point across than going on a power trip and publicly embarrassing a couple of people far below you in the pecking order.
Second, it’s odd to position Cruise as some COVID crusader when in late August, as the pandemic raged across the U.K., he made a very public display of seeing Tenet in a London movie theater—filming himself for a video he posted to his social media accounts—as a way of encouraging his millions of followers to return to the cinema, against the advice of infectious disease experts.
And third is the Scientology of it all.”
Yeah, the Tenet thing was frickin’ ridiculous. What poisons his yelling for me (besides the fact that he could have just taken folks aside) is that Cruise doesn’t care whether people get sick. He’s freaking because he’s invested a lot in this movie; it’s probably his last go-round in the role—and he seems to think the entire industry’s fate rests on his shoulders. In short, he sees his career ending and he’s panicking cause stardom is all he has.
Yashar Ali had a great thread about it on Twitter as well.
I keep getting stuck on folks saying “He has such a great reputation of being super professional on set!” which is hand waving away the fact that he is #2 in Scientology and therefore complicit in all of their abuses. It’s like saying “Ignition is still a bop though…” on an R. Kelly story. Stop.
Yup, it’s not that complicated.
I did go read Leah Remini’s comments on this. If Cruise did this for PR and he doesn’t actually believe in Covid, that’s a stain on his head, not mine. I understand this side of it. Sometimes I can understand something intellectually and reject it emotionally. Not often. But I’ve been beaten down by Covid deniers and maskholes where I live, which is very Trumpian, and in my family. I’m tired. They stole my life from me and THEY DON’T CARE. So, I don’t feel one tiny little bit sorry for the people he screamed at, IF, they had been told numerous times before and didn’t listen, as was implied by his words. I don’t know. Cruise is magnetic onscreen and I like his acting. I don’t hate him, but I do skeeve him IRL because I do understand who and what he is. If he has an agenda on this, as I said, I view that as being on his head. I am just trying to make it through to the end of this. These people who don’t follow the guidelines are awful, AWFUL cretins responsible for death, economic devastation, and misery. How does that compare to Cruise’s cult? You tell me. Maybe that’s for someone above my pay grade to decide. I personally would not voluntarily hang with either group.
I think the situation here is that Tom is right about this, but his abusive tendencies are well known (burner phones?!). He may get to know every staffer’s name, but he won’t hesitate to unleash a Neapolitan Complex rant on you if he gets mad. People can feel abused even when the person screaming is correct about the rules. I have worked for employers like this before and it was not pleasant.
I’ve worked for people like that too and even if Tom was right in getting angry, that was thermonuclear angry. I’ve heard conflicting reports that he’s a nice guy with everyone working on movie sets with him but I’ve also heard of his Napoleon Complex rages (small man disorder) when everyone isn’t kowtowing to him. I think he’s so worshiped by Scientologists that it’s totally gone to his head and he actually believes he’s some kind of super-hero, hence the “saving the world” string of movies that feed his ego.
Yep I agree. I sprang a year working for a lady like this and it was awful. One day she was buying lunch for us, the next day she was screaming up and down the halls about how stupid we all were.
Not to mention that it may not stop at the yelling. Scientology famously stalks and harasses people for the smallest of reasons, for YEARS, even non-members.
That last quoted sentence is a bit rich. Yeah, it has been a hard year. That’s the point. Their recklessness was threatening the production, which could have cost thousands of people their jobs. I’d like to say that I would never yell at my employees, but the pandemic has honestly made me a lot more reactive and less tolerant of people’s BS. For that reason, I’m a bit more forgiving of Tom’s approach to this. In normal times, I’m no fan of Tom and his cult affiliations.
I mean he was yelling for a good reason, not because someone has made eye contact, or whatever a celebrity can rant about.
If he has to scream at people that way to be listened to on his own set then he’s the one with the problem.
He could have just as easily fired them on the spot and then called everyone together and stated, in clear, firm, and unequivocal tones, that anyone who breaches rules will be fired on the spot just in this manner.
I never have to scream at anyone and if I’m mad and you’re in trouble, you know it. And I’ve never had anyone scream at me the way he did to his employees and if anyone did that to me, I’d quit on the spot. I would. Nobody gets to scream at me. Nope.
If a person’s only measure of authority and only way to get others to do what they should be doing is to scream, then eh. That’s not impressive.
Mind you, I wear my mask with pride and stay home unless compelled to do otherwise. I personally know people who have gotten sick and I know, second-hand (friends’ friends or family), of long-haulers and the loss of elderly relatives. I’m in a place where people are proudly anti-mask. So I understand the rage. I feel it too. But screaming crosses a line for me and I’m not impressed by Tiny Tom’s theatrics.
I’m not going to condone losing ur shit. I’ve been alive a long time. I’ve been yelled at by a ton of people from strangers, my parents, many different coaches, bosses, friends and yes, the hubs and my three boys (too many times to count lol). If we’re not going to clutch pearls over language, we need to strengthen some backbones and deal with being yelled at every once in a blue moon. Nobody’s saying you have to take it. Yell back. Don’t come back until there’s an apology. Whatever you think you should do. We are not precious. If your boss is spending millions and the rules are to stay apart, you frakking stay apart. I can’t stand Cruise. He’s a self important turd. But Jesus, protect yourself and the people you work with to finish the damn project.
yeah good point, we have become precious haven’t we?
I agree wholeheartedly Kaiser. The only thing that could perhaps be more effective would have been a written acknowledgement and warning given to all staff so that certain ones were not humiliated and innocents were not subjected to the wrath. Either way, the message is correct but the means seems unfortunate. That being said, sometimes idiots respond better to these old-school tactics than formality and tact.
The amount of people defending him is ridiculous. It doesn’t matter if he’s right about the rules. He’s being abusive to staff, that’s harassment. The moment he started swearing and yelling he stopped being right. There’s no defending this, it’s work, you have to be professional and treat people with respect.
If you’ve told them dozens of times and they still don’t do it (as is the lived experience of many of us), then no, you do not have to be professional. You can yell and scream. It’s the only thing some of these galoots understand. And know this; THEY MOCK AND LAUGH AT YOU BEHIND YOUR BACK for wearing masks and asking them to.
“you do not have to be professional. You can yell and scream”– taken right out of any employee handbook.
Seriously, have people lost their minds?
All he has to do is quietly say: if I see this one more time, you’re fired. Then gather the crew and make the same announcement. He has the power to do it. He can work out his aggression and frustration in other ways.
Jules do you know how abusive it is to refuse to take basic precautions not to infect people in the middle of a pandemic? Do you know that this behavior, this behavior that is a CHOICE, has cost countless deaths? People who tied in a terribly cruel and terrifying way? Please stop.
I totally agree Darla. I abhor negative feedback, but this is not texting or arriving late. This is attempted murder and MAJOR violations that could end the hundred plus million dollar project. Cruise… well, broken clock on this one. He was actually incredibly nice not to have just fired them on the spot.
Bending over backwards to protect a Scientologist makes me realize, you are probably part of the “religion”….
No, I am not a scientologist or part of any cult, nor practice any religion. I don’t agree that I am bending over backwards to protect anyone other than myself. I think I’m worth it. I’m very envious of you who apparently doesn’t have to deal with maskholes and covid deniers. I hope you practice gratitude because you are very fortunate.
Precisely.
As soon as you start screaming and swearing at people? No. You’ve lost your authority at that point.
I thought his tantrum was pathetic and in no way admirable.
If he had control over himself and the crew, he would have made it clear that he’s not there to play games. If they didn’t listen, he could fire them.
I’m not impressed by his dramatic antics. Not at all.
The message I agree with, but his delivery I don’t. Crew members work so hard and most don’t make near what Cruise is making. Yes, I totally understand being angry if they are putting the entire production at risk, and they should be held accountable is that’s the case. But there are different ways to do that. On film sets, the energy of the set comes from the top. There are ways to get your point across without screaming. Maybe I’ve seen one too many producers (and actors) verbally abuse crew members, but this feels icky.
To make everyone feel good I hope next time he or someone else just quietly fires the non-compliers and then they can go home and explain to their kids why there’s no Christmas presents this year. This solution also works for me. I’m flexible.
I mean typically you would pull the offenders aside and tell them their job is on the line (maybe they’ve been warned before. I have no idea.) and then send a mass email/ to the entire crew to reiterate the rules. And then yes, you would privately fire them, but it would probably be a line producer and not Cruise.
Get help darla.
I can’t stand TC but I back him 100 percent on this. It only takes one person not following pandemic protocol to derail the whole crew.
We don’t know what was going on with production before he was recorded either.
There’re no details made known about what really went down before TC lost it, just general insinuations, which leaves room for speculation and many filling the blank spots with their own experiences and frustrations about ppl flouting Covid-19 rules.
I’m inclined to believe what posters with on-set work experiences wrote yesterday about it being almost impossible to keep the required distance at all times. This isn’t about ppl in grocery stores and the like being careless and selfish. And somehow, I also find it hard to believe that employees would willingly ignore a bigwig like Cruise pointing to the rules the first time.
Either way, he could’ve handled it so much better considering these are ppl subordinate to him.
At the end of the day, he’s a leader of Scientology and that will forever make him evil to me and nothing he says or does can make up for that.
Leah Remini wrote an explanation of his rant in context with scientology and it was really informative. Basically they dont believe in disease and his staff Is treated horribly on the regular.
I was about to say the same thing, they believe they’re above disease because only SP get them. So it is a bizarre rant. What I don’t get is if these people are isolating and they have been tested, then why are they being yelled at for standing a bit closer? Didn’t he pay to isolate the crew?
Right? Something isn’t right with this “rant” regardless of whether the message is correct and how much we can relate to wanting to do it ourselves.
Yea I quoted Remini on another Cruise post… I’m glad some people are taking the time to really sift through this mess and see it for what it is.
I’m curious about the photos of him talking with Hayley Atwell among a bunch of people on set. I noticed they’re from October but she notably has her mask hanging down from her nose while everyone else including Tom are wearing masks correctly. Did he explode because he holds it in with the ladies?
So they were fine working for him already knowing that he actively participates in a cult that allows child/parent separation which leads to physical or sexual abuse of children, forced family separation, blatant stalking and harassment of former cult members, false imprisonment, unsafe work and living conditions for cult members and slave labor…but his valid concerns over Covid safety guidelines were the breaking point.
That’s just great.
Indeed. I really don’t get how this hasn’t caught up with him and destroyed his career yet. Then again, he makes a lot of rich people a lot richer, so there’s the answer.
Great point… so far Cruise has slid by unscathed. Despite Katie and Suri escaping, and even through MeToo. Maybe this will be the final straw that breaks through? Will have to wait and see who else speaks out…
The “He’s so professional on set!” armour is seeming impenetrable. I do not understand.
Oh poor Tom, my heart bleeds for how difficult this must be for him. Sarcasm.
I don’t think he was abusive i feel the same way and have yelled at people in public to stay away from me and then I’m accused of being mean. I disagree. I think that not wearing a mask and disregarding the safety protocols that has led to almost a half 1 million people over the globe to die is the only abusive act going on. People are basically gaslighting victims of their selfishness when they don’t wear masks and then get mad when people get upset about it. It’s maddening. And yes TC is a big piece of shit but that doesn’t mean he’s wrong here
Yeah, not all yelling is abuse. Considering the amount of pressure this film has to be under (if it closes down, a lot of jobs and money will be lost, plus obviously people would be getting each other sick), I’m not surprised to see someone yelling about safety protocols not being followed.
I will say, though, that it’s weird that Tom Cruise of all people is the one doing the yelling. I thought Scientologists didn’t believe in disease or something.
Isn’t being a high level Scientologist supposed to give him magical immunity super powers? He’s acting like he knows that *gasp!* It’s all a huge fraud.
Gotta be honest, most of the rumors about him are usually about his private life. Everything I’ve heard from people in industry has been mostly positive in regards to his on set/red carpet professionalism, so I wonder if other stuff had been going on that built up to the meltdown moment. There are much better ways he could have addressed that, but I do wonder if there had been tension previously.
I don’t get the quitting in protest. As I understand, he’s gone out on a limb to actually get them all this job and keep them working when jobs are scarce? By personally guaranteeing the safety of everyone on set and enforcing protection? I don’t get why that last quote was about him threatening their jobs. He’s trying to save their jobs, but isn’t getting the co-operation to do it. Sure, shouting is bad, but I totally get why someone might crack and start shouting in this scenario.
They quit before they were fired. End of story. If they didn’t want to comply with basic rules like “don;t try and murder you coworkers” then they shouldn’t have taken the work. They could be stupid and selfish at home for free.
Ah, that makes sense.
I’ve read they’ve shut down several times because of COVID. It’s probably costing them a fortune and just trying to get this movie finished. I guarantee they’ve hadmeeting after meeting about this. I can see how he snapped. But I didn’t watch the video, so it may have been too much.
I guess I am a little sympathetic, because I have lost it several times with people. I work in a high-rise office building that is 20 percent occupied these days because of working remotely. The stress is a lot the days I’m going there. The parking garage, parking garage elevator, building elevator, etc, trying to wear a plastic glove so I’m not touching elevator buttons, on and on. The signs are clear: social distancing, no more than two in an elevator on opposite sides of the elevator. I usually wait for an empty one. I was in an elevator. I was up front to the side. The doors opened, and a woman got in and she’s waving another man into it. We’re all masked. He shook his head. First of all, three people in the elevator is unacceptable. The signs say it. I have jumped out when more try to get in and I usually in a loud, rude voice say, “social distancing.” Anyway, she literally moves in right next to me, leans over and is laughing and telling me, “He thinks we have cooties,” as the door is closing. I fricken lost it on her, and she backed away. What the fvck. We’re in a COVID-19 pandemic. I lost it on someone in Publix who completely invaded my space. Sometimes I don’t recognize myself as far as how fast I erupt.
^^ I really relate to you Jayna. I wonder if some here are lucky enough to live in a bubble of normal people. If so, I envy them. I have lost it too, it’s too much. When you live in a big building in the middle of a hot spot, and no matter how many times they are told, people stil walk around the halls and elevators, and common areas maskless….or put their masks on to get past security in your local grocery store but pull it down as soon as they are further inside, you can lose it. I have. Sometimes I even wonder if my mouth is going to get me into big trouble because I’m not young anymore. I can’t really throw down the way I used to. But I have gotten so mad over the past year that I feel like I can, in that moment.
Cruise’s voice was frightening because he sounded like he was losing control. The volume, the screeching, the cursing, it was all horrible. The employees involved should have been disciplined, certainly, up to and including termination of their employment. But to listen to that rant was traumatic to everyone on the set, I’m sure, including innocent bystanders. No excuses.
Getting sick from people’s carelessness is traumatic. Your loved one dying when it could have been prevented is traumatic. Getting yelled at because you aren’t following the protocols that were laid out for you when you took the job? Nowhere near as traumatic as those other two things.
It is not possible to film a huge blockbuster movie safely at this time, full stop. At this stage, the precautions at the film set are about as useful as a chocolate dildo. If Mr Cruise cared so much for the health of his employees, he’d pay them to stay the eff at home, cause that’s the only reasonable measure at the mo. He certainly has the money to do so. He’s just another egomaniac bully, abusing people who are in no position to defend themselves. He could end each of their careers with a word, and he knows it. Disgusting excuse for a human being.