Hannah Waddingham has a “real problem” with Tom Cruise haters
Waddingham and Cruise co-star in the upcoming Mission: Impossible 8
Aux News Hannah Waddingham
A lot of Hollywood people really love Tom Cruise. He’s been deemed the Savior of Cinema by everyone from Steven Spielberg to Glen Powell, after all. But a lot of regular people still really don’t like him, like anyone aware of his connections to Scientology, newly single folks who really vibe with Nicole Kidman’s joyous post-Cruise-divorce photos, and whoever started the rumor that they weren’t allowed to make direct eye contact with him on set. Still, none of these excuses are good enough for Hannah Waddingham.
“I have to say, I have a real problem with anybody that goes at [Tom Cruise] now,” the Ted Lasso actor, who stars alongside Cruise in the upcoming Mission: Impossible 8, said of her colleague on the Christmas episode of ITV’s James Martin’s Saturday Morning (via Variety). “Having met him and having spent five days intensely… He is without doubt one of the loveliest and encouraging, positive and inspiring human beings I have ever met. Isn’t he gorgeous? I have no time for anyone saying anything about him.”
While the details of Waddingham’s MI:8 role have yet to be revealed, the actor said she spent those five intense days with Cruise filming a scene on the USS George H.W. Bush fighter carrier. Based on Cruise’s past antics, this writer is assuming that the word “intense” is actually a slight understatement for some stunt that could actually be described as “extremely dangerous” or “will probably kill you.” If that is indeed the case, it’s a good thing Waddingham felt so safe with her partner.
Either way, we won’t see the boat scene or “another kind of main scene” that the two have yet to film until May 23, 2025, almost a year after the film’s originally intended release date due to delays as a result of the writer and actor strikes. Despite the long wait, Mission Impossible stans have something else to celebrate. Unlike Mission: Impossible—Dead Reckoning Part One, which was booted early from Imax screens in favor of Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, Mission: Impossible 8 will enjoy a three-week exclusive Imax run. If that plan gets truncated in any way, Tom Cruise may just have to earn himself a few more haters to get it back on track.
46 Comments
We all know what he did to Oprah.
If only…
damn that’s like the second-oldest video on youtube
With the exception of his early year pre-Scientology years, where he was reportedly a bullying homophobe on-set, everybody who has worked with Tom Cruise has described him as friendly, kind, and professional. On a working level, Tom Cruise is a “good guy”.That said, while I tire of people who demonize celebrities who are Scientologists because they are just trying to live their life, Tom Cruise is someone who has been intimately involved with the very top of the organization. He has actively proselytized for the organization and it can easily be argued that he still is, just in a way that is far more subtle. Personally, I think that Cruise and the Church’s treatment of Nazanin Boniadi can only be described as sexual and emotional exploitation and should’ve been a goddamn crime.
I think it’s also fair to consider how he may or may not treat people he sees as “on his level” (e.g. costars) differently from those “beneath him” (e.g. low-level scientologists)Waddingham’s take on this (cruise’s actual conduct aside) reeks of “there’s not bullying at this school because i- the head cheerleader- have never been bullied”
It’s not just that he’s proselytising it, he’s been the de facto number 2 after Miscavige. He’s not just aware of the abuse, harassment, blackmail and borderline slavery of lower ranking Sea Org members, he’s responsible. Look, I love most of his movies and I’m sure he’s very nice to his co stars, but being nice to your high ranking co workers doesn’t make you above criticism.
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People are complex, much as the internet tries to reduce them to a single trait or event.It is entirely possible that he is a joy to work with professionally, charming in social situations, but has some beliefs and does some things that are unacceptable.
That describes about half of the people I work with.
It’s more like he’s nice to work with and charming in social situations but he’s the number 2 man in a religion that terrorized the US government, currently enslaves people and probably has loads of bodies buried on their land.
Right. F that “no one’s perfect sh*t.”I’ll be waiting for Cruise’s biopic. Hope Katies writes it.
It’s not just that he’s proselytising it, he’s been the de facto number 2 after Miscavige.And you could argue that he’s actually more dangerous and more responsible for the harm the CoS does, because of his wealth and visibility promoting the church.
He is literally the #2 guy in one of the overtly damaging cults of the 21st century.It amazes me that people continue to confuse “polite” and “good person”. It’s a near terminal disorder in people over 60.
See also: Nolan on Snyder.
It’s really shocking that this famous person is polite to that other famous person.
Oh, I get it. She makes money by helping paper over a monster.I do contract work for Walmart, I know all about being a whore.
There are a lot of people out there who don’t know the shit that Scientology has pulled and continues to pull. Though anyone in the acting business is doing themselves a disservice if they don’t look into it, if only to save themselves a lot of time and money.I really hope she’s not Scientology adjacent like Will Smith…
The first real example of Scientology I read about was Cruise’s “the cookie stuff” incident. Relatively harmless, but so damn wacky that it lead to me reading more about Scientology, most of which is absolutely horrifying.
Now I have legitimate reason to not like Hannah Waddingham, whoever that is. Oh, you bump elbows with the rich and famous and get to see behind the curtains as a rich and famous person? Well gooooooood for you, you privileged person. Changes nothing for the rest of us.
Enablers are every bit as dangerous as the narcs.
Hadda Waning Ham
Who’s the rest of us? I’m no more affected by Cruise now that he’s been nice to Waddington than I was before they worked together.
Good for her.I have a problem with people who defend people blindly without even acknowledging the obvious problematic BS the person has been involved in.Wow, he was professional and lovely at work? I don’t care.I love the M:I movies and a lot of what he does on-screen, but I’m not an ignorant asshole who is going to defend him or denigrate those who don’t worship at his feet just because he does his own stunts.
Who can hate a man that does all his own stunts and always… wait, what was the other one.. oh yeah, always gives 110% on everything he does. .. at least that’s what I’ve heard.
As far as I know he didn’t try to keep Danny Masterson from rotting in jail, which is more than I can say for some other people.
Tom Cruise is a leader of the Scientology cult and they 100% tried to keep Masterson out of jail and raping. You stupid fucking idiot.
If high ranking members of cults weren’t normally pretty likeable, the world would be rid of a huge problem.
When the Thetans return they will be appalled.
For the record and regardless of his personal preferences, I am happy to not make eye contact with Tom Cruise for the foreseeable future.
Yeah I’ll muddle through.
Not surprising someone so untalented would also be such a heartless idiot.
This happens with politics, where the perfectly nice, kind person can have abhorrent political beliefs. If a person is a mansion, their political or religious beliefs are the strange shed or outhouse off the beaten path of the main house. In other words, people contain multitudes and are very good at compartmentalization. I have no doubt Cruise is a terrific guy; he also happens to be an important, influential representative of an evil domestic terrorist organization. Just like elderly grandmas who bake their neighbors cookies and volunteer at the cat rescue can be huge Trump supporters.
I didn’t realize you know my Nonna
I’d be really nice on set too if I knew while I was at work my house was going to be cleaned by religious pseudo-slaves that also do all my gardening and build me fancy cars and what little pay they do get comes from my church and not from me.
I know Scientology is evil and everything, and Cruise is theoretically basically second in command, but has the average person taken a look at the bulk of “real” religions out there? Scientology isn’t doing a fraction of the damage that most other religions have done and are doing. I mean, the catholic church alone…
Yes, the person who is “basically second in command” of just about any religion is probably bot great.Now quick, name the second in command of any other religion. Are any of them the biggest movie star in the world?That’s what I figured. Thanks for the bullshit false equivilancy.
so edgy, bro
So dismissive. Literally Catholicism exists to control people. And God does not exist. I’m sorry dude.
God is literally what happens if kids don’t stop believing in Santa…. Have you ever questioned how ridiculous the concept of God is?
give it a couple thousand years
I despise all religions, especially the ones that perpetuate homophobia, misogyny, elitism, and abuse, but all the major religions don’t cause the majority of its people to inflict suffering. These things are carried out by individuals, particularly those who have power. Your average church in your average town doesn’t enslave people. They don’t tear families apart. They don’t try to shield rapists from consequences. They don’t bankrupt their constituents. They don’t target former members of the church to harass them and set up fake websites that accuse them of being sexual predators. Most religions just make people ignorant. Scientology ruins lives.
True, there’s only so much room on the internet after all.
M:I 7 was such a letdown. a terrible villian, the unnecessary death of a great character, and the unpleasant sight of watching 60yr Cruise running around being self-idulgent (action is for the young unless you’re Alison Janney kicking arse in Joe).
Re. Cruise, it is fucked up that he doesn’t have a relationship with his youngest child because she and her mother are not Scientologists.
Ummmm…… does this mean Hayley Atwell isn’t in it…? Cuz I literally won’t attend this if that’s the case.
“oooh, look at me, I’m Hannah Waddingham. I use buttered crumpets for toilet paper”…