Tom Cruise speaks out on film crews 'not being allowed to look him in the eye'

If you've ever heard the bizarre rumour that no one was allowed to look Tom Cruise in the eye on the Mission: Impossible set, you're not alone.

In fact, Tom Cruise himself heard the rumour, as did his co-star Simon Pegg and their Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One director Chris McQuarrie - but now, they're ready to set the rumours straight.

In a recent interview with the Sunday Times, Pegg and McQuarrie were quick to defend their Hollywood colleague, while also putting to bed some of the unusual theories about him.

McQuarrie was explaining how Cruise is far more down to Earth than people presume, thanks to his stardom, and even recalled the time he himself asked the 61-year-old what the 'weirdest story' he'd ever heard about himself was.

According to the director, the strangest rumour the Top Gun star had ever heard was that people on set 'were not allowed to look me in the eye'. Yep, that's pretty weird.

While this bizarre myth has never been confirmed, the fact that Cruise himself acknowledged it as a myth pretty much puts the whole thing to bed.

Xinhua / Alamy Stock Photo

Shaun of the Dead star Pegg was also quick to attest to the actor's normalcy, insisting 'he's just a guy'.

"I’ve been able to hack my way through all the bizarre mythology that surrounds him," he told the publication.

"On one side he’s Tom Cruise; this enigmatic film star everyone wants to know about. And on the other, he’s just a guy. I like being normal with him."

Sadly for Cruise, he's no stranger to having weird rumours made up about him, with several conspiracy theories leading back to his connections to the Church of Scientology.

Nevertheless, things are going well for Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One, which has given Cruise his highest Rotten Tomatoes score of his career so far, currently sitting at an impressive 98 percent.

Paramount

Previously, his top rated film on Rotten Tomatoes was 2018’s Mission: Impossible – Fallout, which has a 97 percent score on the site.

So, it's no wonder the star says he plans to follow in Harrison Ford's footsteps and continue to make Mission Impossible films until he's 80. Given that he's only 61, it doesn't look like the franchise will be slowing down any time soon.

Speaking to the Sydney Morning Herald, he said: "Harrison Ford is a legend; I hope to be still going. I’ve got 20 years to catch up with him.

"I hope to keep making Mission Impossible films until I’m his age."