VIENNA, Austria — Is Ethan Hunt is now more Tom Cruise, or is Tom Cruise is now more Ethan Hunt?
Asked that on the red carpet at the world premiere of “Mission: Impossible — Rogue Nation” in the Austrian capital, the actor quietly chuckled.
“To be honest, I don’t know I’m not sure,” said Cruise of his iconic character, adding that “we both like to do exciting things. We certainly like to go to fascinating cities around the world.”
The actor and filmmaker explained that the reason he has become so invested in the “Mission: Impossible” franchise is because “I want to make films internationally, with international crews and casts. Plus, I love to travel and to go places where I can celebrate the cultures of those different cities and countries. That’s the hallmark of ‘Mission: Impossible.’ ”
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Of course, Cruise admitted that he’s “such a fan” of all the suspense and action that goes along with the “Mission: Impossible” movies — as well as the stunts he insists on largely doing himself.
“To get ready for all that, I get the greatest athletes in the world to train me — the best racecar drivers and motocross pros to help me make it all look the best we can.”
When asked if having had a different director for each of his “Mission: Impossible” films was the secret to their success, Cruise agreed that “it’s fun for me to mix it up. I love it to collaborate with the different directors — whether it was [Brian] DePalma, or John Woo, or J.J. [Abrams] or Brad Bird or Chris [McQuarrie]. I think it comes from a desire to tell the best story and add as much excitement as we can to this genre, and all of those directors achieved that. I will say, I hope Chris McQuarrie does another one with me. We’ve done five films together now. [Cruise includes some uncredited script revisions McQuarrie did on “Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol.”] He’s someone I will go any place at any time to work with.”
Speaking of going places, I had to slip this in: How about coming to Chicago to make a “Mission: Impossible” film?
Cruise seemed to like that idea. “I’ve done two films in Chicago, dating back to the early years of my career: ‘Risky Business’ and ‘The Color of Money.’ … Coming to Chicago? That could be fun!”
We shall see, won’t we?
