Simon Peggfirst worked withTom Cruiseon Mission: Impossible 3 back in 2006. Since then the pair have collaborated on several otherM:Imovies, but have also become friends outside of their movie work. On a recent appearance onBBC Radio’s Desert Island Discs, Pegg revealed that despite their friendship, he had never felt the need to discuss the actor’s well-documented Scientology beliefs and instead much prefers making fun of the Hollywood action hero for his ability to get pretty much anything he wants.
Pegg appears alongside Cruise again inMission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One, which will hit theaters this summer. That means that the pair have been once again traveling the world to film some of the movie’s epic action sequences, and as Pegg revealed, having some “Tom Cruise” days out at the same time. He explained:
“We joke about it. I mean, I always make fun of him for it, you know, about the things that he can access. We were filming in South Africa recently on this mountain and then he decided he wanted to swim with sharks. He flew us in a helicopter to this seaside part and we dived with sharks. At the end of the day we said, ‘That was a real Tom Cruise kind of day.’ He kind of appreciates the ridiculousness of it sometimes.”
Pegg went on to say that he doesn’t really envy the mega-fame of his co-star, as it is not something he would really like to have, but at the same time, he said that Cruise is “spurred on” by the buzz that constantly surrounds him. He added:
“My relationship with him is just very simple and amiable. It’s always been a very easy relationship. I think you realize, when you meet the person rather than the thicket of mythology that’s built up around them, it’s a different experience. I mean, he loves [the fame] and he really relishes it, it’s all he knows. It energizes him and spurs him on. I don’t think I would appreciate that particularly. I’d find it very stressful and overwhelming and it would make me want to retreat. I’m happy where I am.”
Related:All Mission: Impossible Movies, Ranked by How Expensive They Were to Make
It seems like everyMission: Impossiblemovie brings with it bigger and more breathtaking stunts that at some point must become unsurmountable. However, the next film always finds Tom Cruise in even more elaborate and unbelievable situations. Driving the movies with practical effects has made sure that none of the scenes go too far in terms of their outrageousness, but they do certainly push the boundaries of what can be achieved. Director Christopher McQuarrie recently noted that he would probably have thought twice about some of the epic stunts they have filmed if he had known just how difficult they would be to pull off.
“We’re making a movie that involves sequences that they just don’t shoot practically anymore, and haven’t in a long, long time. The sequence that we’re shooting right now is no exception. And like most things on Mission: Impossible, if we had known what the challenges were when we started out, we would never have done it.”
