A leaked audio clip has seemingly captured Tom Cruise castigating crew members for breaking COVID-19 safety protocols on the set of Mission: Impossible 7.
The audio, released by The Sun, was reportedly recorded after Cruise saw two crew members standing too close to each other in front of a computer screen. In the clip, the actor can be heard yelling, “I see you do it again, you’re f—ing gone!”
“We are the gold standard!” Cruise says. “They’re back there in Hollywood making movies right now because of us. Because they believe in us and what we’re doing. I’m on the phone with every f—ing studio at night, insurance companies, producers, and they’re looking at us and using us to make their movies. We are creating thousands of jobs, you motherf—ers! I don’t ever want to see it again. Ever!”
A representative for Cruise did not immediately respond to EW’s request for comment. Paramount, the studio behind the Mission: Impossible films, declined to comment.
M:I 7 has already faced production delays due to the pandemic. The film halted production in Italy in February, after the country became the epicenter of Europe’s virus outbreak, and principal photography was ultimately postponed until September. According to reports, Cruise has been stringent about enforcing COVID protocols on set to avoid another shutdown.
“You can tell it to the people who are losing their f—ing homes because our industry is shut down. It’s not going to put food on their table or pay for their college education. That’s what I sleep with every night — the future of this f—ing industry!” Cruise added on the audio. “We are not shutting this f—ing movie down!”
Mission: Impossible 7 is scheduled for release Nov. 19, 2021.