I Would Be Scared S–tless To Tell Tom Cruise ‘No,’ But M:I Director Said He Did It Once

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Tom Cruise is often perceived as someone who prefers to have command on film sets, going so far as to dismiss insurance companies unwilling to let him perform specific stunts. It’s evident that hearing the word ‘No’ from him isn’t a common occurrence. In fact, director Christopher McQuarrie of the Mission: Impossible series has admitted that he’s only said ‘no’ to Cruise on one occasion.

Tom Cruise Wanted To Do Even More With Mission: Impossible -The Final Reckoning’s Plane Stunt

McQuarrie and Cruise have collaborated as director and lead actor in four “Mission: Impossible” films, along with the initial “Jack Reacher” movie. Across five movies, McQuarrie shared with Buzzfeed that he’s refused Cruise only once – following the execution of the airplane stunt in “Mission: Impossible – Fallout” nearly 20 times. The director expressed…

19 times over, he performed that action. Upon his 19th attempt, he successfully landed, and there I met him on the ground. He exclaimed, “I’ve got this brilliant idea!” To which I retorted, “That’s it.” He countered with, “No, no, no, give me a chance.” I firmly responded, “No, no no, that’s enough.” It was the one and only time I ever told him ‘No.’

He executed that task 19 times. On his 19th try, he managed to land, and it was there on the ground that we crossed paths. He announced, “I’ve got a fantastic idea!” To which I replied, “You’re finished.” He pleaded, “No, no, no, hear me out.” I firmly stated, “No, no no, we’re done.” That was the one and only time I ever said ‘No’ to him.

If you’ve watched the trailers for “Mission: Impossible—The Final Reckoning”, you’ve likely seen Tom Cruise dangling from a biplane, an impressive stunt featured in the upcoming movie. It appears that this sequence was repeated numerous times to perfect it, but Tom Cruise was eager for another go because he had an idea that could improve it further.

Generally speaking, it seems like Christopher McQuarrie may have agreed to try the shot once more, but he believed the stunt had been executed thoroughly, leaving no room for further improvements. McQuarrie stated that Tom Cruise didn’t dispute his decision and ultimately concurred with the director’s viewpoint. McQuarrie went on to say…

Straightaway, it became clear to him that I was entirely correct. After the excitement subsided, I found myself saying, ‘I think we’ve pushed things as far as they can possibly go.’

Given their frequent collaborations spanning nine distinct projects, including McQuarrie’s screenwriting roles, it’s clear that these two professionals share a deep bond. Even though Tom Cruise may not enjoy hearing the word ‘no’, he always seems to pay close attention when McQuarrie delivers it.

Tom Cruise Celebrated The Final Reckoning’s Opening Weekend

Whether it was the stunts or simply the fact that Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning appears to be the end of the road for Tom Cruise in the massive franchise, fans certainly turned out for the new movie. The Final Reckoning’s opening weekend was the highest the franchise has ever seen, and Cruise took to Instagram to thank everybody who made that happen.

Although there won’t be any more Mission: Impossible films for Cruise and McQuarrie in the future, they are planning to collaborate on other upcoming movies starring Tom Cruise. Whether McQuarrie will tell his leading man “no” once more is yet to be determined, but given Tom Cruise’s character, it seems unlikely that this refusal will become a regular occurrence.

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2025-05-27 18:08