Simon Pegg Reveals How Tom Cruise Maintains His 'Authority' on Film Set

Simon Pegg just described one of Tom Cruise's behaviors on set, and many fans are perturbed by the quirk. In a new interview with The Times, Pegg talked about his friendship with Cruise and the differences between them on a personal and professional level. He said that Cruise "maintains his authority" on film sets by simply denying any mistakes or faults.

Pegg joined the main cast of the Mission: Impossible franchise in 2006 in the third movie, and he and Cruise have become legitimately close since then. Still, there are some stark differences between the two, and Pegg said that one is their approach to workplace mistakes. He said: "The best thing [Cruise] taught me is never to accept responsibility for a mistake. But in a funny way. Like, if something goes wrong and it's his fault, he'll flatly deny it. And then if someone corrects him, instead of saying 'sorry,' he'll just say, 'Yeah,' and wink at me."

Apparently, Cruise does this consciously, as he has tried to get Pegg to mimic the behavior. Pegg said: "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."

This snippet went viral on social media this weekend, and many fans were horrified by the revelation. However, others defended Cruise and Pegg. In the context of this interview, it was clear that Pegg respects and admires Cruise and that they have a real friendship. Some commenters thought this was simply an inside joke between two friends that was somehow lost in translation.

Still, others thought it was a sign of megalomania from Cruise – and of complicity from Pegg. They accused the actor of enabling Cruise when he laughs along with this kind of stunt and begged him to think more critically.

Pegg's interview was full of more thoughtful moments, including an earnest discussion of his history with addiction. The 52-year-old comedian acknowledged a history of alcoholism that many fans weren't previously aware of. He first discussed this topic publicly back in 2018, revealing that Mission: Impossible III was the turning point for him when he decided to get sober.

Pegg and Cruise are both filming a new installment of the franchise. Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning – Part One is currently in post-production, while Part Two is "filming" according to IMDb. They have release dates in 2023 and 2024 respectively.

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