Tom Cruise has decided he needs a timeout. The actor halted production on "Mission: Impossible" to take an early break after he reportedly lost it twice with crew members for breaking COVID-19 safety protocols on the set of the film.
According to reports, several employees have since resigned as tension continues to mount. Now sources have revealed that Cruise shut down filming on Friday so that he can fly to Miami to be with his son over Christmas.
"It has been exhausting keeping the production on track for so long, and it’s not getting any easier — Christmas can’t come soon enough," an insider told The Sun, adding that things have been tense on the set of the film for quite a while.
"It’s the end of a really tough year, and a bit of time out seems like a good idea for everyone as tensions have been mounting for a while."
Earlier this week, Cruise made headlines after he yelled at crew members and threatened to have them fired for failing to stick to safety measures put in place to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. On Tuesday, Cruise reportedly had a second meltdown.
"The first outburst was big but things haven’t calmed since. Tension has been building for months and this was the final straw," a source explained to The Sun. "Since it became public there has been more anger and several staff have walked."
Cruise's rant has elicited mixed reactions from celebrities.
George Clooney has sided with the star, stating that he understood why Cruise reacted the way he did.
"He didn't overreact because it is a problem. I have a friend who's an AD [assistant director] on another TV show who just had the almost exact same thing happen with not quite as far out a response," he said during an appearance on SiriusXM's "The Howard Stern Show" Wednesday, according to E! News.
Meanwhile, Leah Remini believes the entire ordeal was a publicity stunt.
"Tom does not care about the families of his crew; this is all for publicity. Tom does not believe in family values," she said in a statement to The Underground Bunker. "Anything you see coming from Scientology and Scientologists, such as mask-wearing and supposedly humanitarian efforts, is just a show. It's for public relations reasons only."
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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