Earlier: Is Tom Cruise truly the last movie star? Just ask his longtime co-star Simon Pegg. Ahead of “Mission: Impossible: Dead Reckoning – Part One,” Pegg revealed how Cruise “maintains his authority” on set. The duo first began working together on “Mission: Impossible III” in 2006. Cruise loomed large over the “M:I 7” production amid the COVID-19 pandemic and butted heads with Paramount Pictures to demand a theatrical release for the film.

“If something goes wrong and it’s his fault, he’ll flatly deny it,” Pegg told The Times. “And then if someone corrects him, instead of saying sorry, he’ll just say, ‘Yeah,’ and wink at me.” Related Paramount+ Declares ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ Its Most-Watched Movie in Streaming Premiere ‘Poor Tom’: Kate Winslet Feels Bad for Tom Cruise After Breaking His Underwater Record Related Oscars 2023: Remarkable Transformations Lead the Way in Makeup and Hairstyling Nightmare Film Shoots: The Most Grueling Films Ever Made, from ‘Deliverance’ to ‘Mad Max’ to ‘Avatar 2’
Pegg added, “I admitted f—ing up once, and he said — with a wry smile, I hasten to add — ‘Simon, don’t do that.’ He maintains his authority by never being to blame for anything.” The “Hot Fuzz” actor shared that Cruise “liked me because I make him laugh” and also jokingly calls him out on occasion. “I’ll pull him up on stuff and I can be frank with him,” Pegg said. “But he’s still Tom Cruise. When you’re on set, he’s the boss.” As for Cruise’s international superstar status and very public persona, Pegg can empathize with the constant spotlight: “I’d be so stressed out,” he explained, “but he’s very okay with it. He understands that’s the price for the level of movie star he is. He’s perhaps the only movie star left.” Cruise’s ties with Scientology have also been the subject of much debate. “People have these opinions about him, which are based entirely on gossip, and he doesn’t really do anything to combat that,” Pegg added. “When I hear people speculating about his weird religion and making assumptions about who he is as a person, I say, ‘You know he risks his life for his audience?’” Former Scientology member and “Scientology and the Aftermath” documentarian Leah Remini criticized Cruise amid his “Top Gun: Maverick” premiere and retweeted a post from self-identified “cult survivor” Claire Headley, who also escaped the Church of Scientology. Headley listed “scam of a man” Cruise’s “crimes against humanity” including allegedly supporting abuse in the Church. Remini captioned, “Thank you to my friend @claireheadley for your courage. You have continued to speak out despite the non-stop attacks from Scientology. And as Claire says in her post below, Tom Cruise knows exactly what goes on in Scientology. Don’t let the movie star charm fool you.”

The next “Mission: Impossible” film will premiere July 14, 2023.

You have continued to speak out despite the non-stop attacks from Scientology. And as Claire says in her post below, Tom Cruise knows exactly what goes on in Scientology. Don’t let the movie star charm fool you. pic.twitter.com/zQKwJWuJLj — Leah Remini (@LeahRemini) June 11, 2022 Sign Up: Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Sign up for our Email Newsletters here.