Cruise dodges politics at ‘Mission: Impossible’ premiere in DC
Tom Cruise has toppled competitors at the box office and performed death-defying stunts, but there’s one thing that appears to be “mission impossible” for him: talking politics.
The Hollywood megastar was in Washington, D.C., to attend the premiere of his new film, “Mission: Impossible — Fallout” on Sunday. Asked if he might join the list of media titans — including Kanye West, Oprah Winfrey and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson — who have flirted with a 2020 presidential run, Cruise responded: “I’m here to talk tonight about ‘Mission: Impossible.'”
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The action star ducked and dodged any political talk as impressively as the lead character he plays in the popular franchise, fictional Impossible Missions Force (IMF) agent Ethan Hunt.
“I’m just happy to be here tonight in this beautiful museum. Bringing ‘Mission: Impossible’ here is very exciting because last time I was here it was 1986 when I did ‘Top Gun.’ So I can’t wait for audiences to see it,” Cruise said when ITK inquired whether he would consider bringing together a politically divided country.
The Academy Award nominee spent more than two hours chatting with reporters and posing for snapshots with fans on a massive red carpet outside the museum.
The sixth “Mission: Impossible” installment, which hits theaters Friday, finds Cruise’s character in a race against time to stop a terrorist group from obtaining nuclear weapons and setting off a series of attacks around the world.
“It’s kind of fun to come back to the political heartland of America,” Simon Pegg, who provides some comic relief in the film as Cruise’s IMF teammate, said of touching down in the nation’s capital as part of an international promotional tour.
After flying in from Tokyo, British-born Pegg says he and some of the “Mission: Impossible” team toured the Pentagon and the Capitol.
“I felt like I’m a government agent, kind of, so I should be here,” said Pegg of his Capitol visit.
Director Christopher McQuarrie advises against audiences opining whether any of the action in his latest film is inspired by real-life political drama or current events.
“If somebody takes that from it, they’re welcome to do it,” says McQuarrie, who also wrote the film. “Whatever’s happening now is going to be done six months from now, and I’m trying to make a movie forever.”
“I get a kick out of people trying to read into ‘Mission: Impossible.’ They’re always trying to outsmart it,” McQuarrie added.
Cruise also cautioned against trying to read any political tea leaves in the movie. “This is an entertaining film and people will walk away with things with [what] they want to walk away,” Cruise, 56, said.
“I’m excited for people to see it.”
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