Hayley Atwell on Tom Cruise's Fun Side on Set & Mission Impossible 7 (2024)

Hayley Atwell is as far as you'll find from a femme fatale as she jumps aboard the steam train that is Hollywood's finest action franchise — and she couldn't be happier about being part of things while working alongside the hardest-working man in show business. Speaking with Collider's Steve Weintraub at the premiere of Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One in Rome, Italy, Atwell extolled the virtues of working with the man she considers the most famous on the planet — and gave an eye-opening, glowing appraisal of her time working alongside a man who everyone might believe they know, but don't.

Sometimes it must be difficult to separate the actor, the star, the stuntman, and the human being, but for Atwell, they all blended into one: Tom Cruise, the man who wants to thrill audiences. Praising Cruise's legendary professionalism and commitment to going the extra mile just to give people that moment of pure escapism in their lives - and he loves that people choose him to be the person to deliver that moment for them.

Atwell Says Cruise "Makes People Feel Seen"

"I think one of the reasons why he's the most famous person on the planet is that he is at the top of his game and has been for so long because he's so committed to making movies for the audience," said Atwell. "He knows that you guys are coming to see the movies he's making, and he's making them for you, so that connection that he has."

She continued, saying: "When we were filming even these stunts in Rome in a car, he would get out in between takes and set-ups and go and say hi to everyone. He takes such enjoyment from meeting people that come and see his films because it's a relationship, it's a dialogue. It's really humbling to see. I think that's why people love him. That charisma, he makes people feel seen."

RELATED: New 'Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One' Images Handcuff Tom Cruise to Hayley Atwell

Cruise made headlines during the making of Dead Reckoning with what was perhaps hoped to be some sort of hit piece as he was captured in audio form ranting about maintaining professional standards during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. In actual fact, what the audio proved was that this is a man who, in his professional life, is one of the most protective employers in Hollywood, who will make sure every box is ticked to get the finished product to the fans, and ensuring everyone participating in the project is taken care of. Atwell explained:

"Working with him, you're meeting every day someone who turns up on set on time knowing everyone's name, saying hello to everyone, looking them in the eye, seeing what everyone needs to make sure that they can thrive that day, and you feel his level of professionalism and commitment is contagious. He is always pushing himself. He never settles. That's why he is the way he is, and he wears his fame with such an ease and such a lightness of touch, and such an open-heartedness. He's a pure soul, Tom. I think he's just a really special human being."

The Joker in the Pack

Reports of Cruise being the hardest worker in the room are no secret of course, but one of the more noteworthy revelations from Atwell about the man with the million-dollar smile concerned his affinity for practical jokes — although very few will be surprised to learn that his ability to win movie quizzes is second to none. Atwell was asked by Weintraub about videos she had shot on her phone behind the scenes, and the English star lit up when describing the moments of levity she'd captured behind the scenes, including one that may well go viral, should it ever see the light of day! She said:

"Oh my gosh, there are quite a few! I have a few of Tom playing heads-up with Christopher McQuarrie. We did the movie category, and he would just say one word, and I knew what he was talking about. His movie memory history is so fast. And then I also have a video of me putting on one of the masks and hiding in Simon Pegg's trailer and scaring him over Halloween, which I'm sure will come out at some point."

Mission: Marvel? No Comparison

Atwell is best known to many for her role as Peggy Carter, the better half to Chris Evans' Steve Rogers in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Having portrayed the character for over a decade, one would assume correctly she is well-versed in the machinations of big-budget filmmaking. For Atwell, however, the budget is about the only thing that felt similar as she eloquently described.

"It's like comparing it to doing an Epsom play in the West End or a period drama adaptation of an E.M. Forster novel, which I've also done," she said. "Check it out. You know, with every filmmaker or group of people, there is an understood structure of storytelling in place. It's very similar, but there is such a different aesthetic taste, a different process of filming, the different challenges or obstacles of filming any kind of story are so unique. So I can't really compare it."

Atwell went on to say that she strives to be consistent in her own commitment across these blockbuster movies. She told Collider: "I think the one thing that has been consistent for me, though, is approaching each job with the same level of commitment and work ethic of making sure that I'm doing the best that I possibly can and also challenging myself to develop my own craft because I have no intention to repeat old ground. I don't want to bore the audience too much, I bore myself enough as it is."

Trixie the Fiat and the Flashbacks of Doom

Lastly, Atwell got the chance to reflect on the most important friend she made while working on the film — the little yellow Fiat 500 that she and Cruise had to drive around Rome one-handed. Atwell joked that the trauma from being in a vehicle that appeared to be both sentient and homicidal had returned with a vengeance thanks to the line of questioning from Collider's editor-in-chief.

"I can't even look at it. Yeah, your bringing it up, you've triggered me, Steve. [Laughs] It has a mind of its own. Yeah, we called it Trixie. We were like, 'What is she going to do today?' She's unpredictable."

Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One hits theaters on July 12, 2023, while Mission Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part Two comes on June 28, 2024. You can watch our conversation with Hayley Atwell in the player above and check out our interview with Tom Cruise below.