A new photo with Tom Cruise and Aussie journalist Richard Wilkins is getting a lot of attention and not just for the film they were promoting.
Behind-the-scene photo
A lot of fans can’t wait for Mission: Impossible – Final Reckoning to be released this summer. The film premiered in Tokyo earlier this month and will be released in U.S. theaters on May 23.
The behind-the-scenes photos that got leaked seem to point towards a great time at the movie for fans; just have a look at the crazy photo posted here.
MacKinnon realizing his Crosby time is getting stolen by Fleury pic.twitter.com/ELNAwYxyPQ
— Nick (@NickZararis) May 5, 2025
MacKinnon realizes that Crosby’s minutes are being taken over by Fleury pic.twitter.com/ELNAwYxyPQ
— Nick (@NickZararis) May 5, 2025
Strong reviews from the start point to a promising year for 62-year-old Tom Cruise.
Is there anything that could possibly stop the hype?
Well… maybe. Fan chatter has begun after a photo from a London event surfaced, but there’s a surprising twist. At first sight, the photo looks like any other photo of a celebrity with their fans after an interview. However, it didn’t take long for some fans to notice how much taller Jim Carrey was than Tommy Lee Jones.
Wilkins and Cruise’s research
Wilkins uploaded the photo to Instagram and wrote this caption:
“Always a pleasure to see the incredible @tomcruise.” He praised the movie to come by saying it would be “bigger, faster, higher, deeper.” Citing his fastidiousness, Wilkins also noted: “He just gets better and better, truly showing that if you’re good enough, you leap over your own achievements.”
While everyone read the rave review, followers looked more at the strong contrast between the men’s appearances. Wilkins, who is 6’2″ (1.88m) tall, looks a lot taller than Cruise, who is said to be only 5’6″ (1.7m).
Although some argued that Wilkins was a bit closer, others were quite outspoken.
Someone said: “Tom just got out of a Kinder Surprise candy.”
Someone else said, “He might be short, but this picture feels warped or stretched somehow.”
A third jokinglycommented, “Cruise has got to be freaking out about that picture.”
Asked him about what worries him most.
As people got over their initial reactions to the photos, conversations moved to how outrageous Cruise’s stunt scenes could be. Wilkins wondered what drove him to do his first stunt. Cruise didn’t choose the far-fetched sock slide like in Risky Business; he dug back even further for inspiration.
He said, “I was probably about three when I first became interested.” When I was little, I would often go onto the roof at night just to watch the stars from above. It’s something I’ve embraced my entire life.
When Wilkins asked him if fear ever sets in during the extreme stunts, Cruise was very honest—but still fearless.
“I do feel afraid sometimes,” he explained. That doesn’t stop me from moving forward. It doesn’t bother me to feel scared — fear encourages me to move forward.
With respect to the movie, I find… The budget for Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning is amazing at $400 million and it is already getting noticed by critics.
“A total thrill ride,” Anthony Gagliardi said. Cruise shows us with FDR that he is still the master of action-packed movies.
Fandango’s Erik Davis claims that it is the craziest and most important Mission movie made yet.
Dave Baldwin had more blunt words, saying that it was “fast-paced, breathtaking and seemed made for a blockbuster.”
It’s obvious that Tom Cruise remains the center of attention, no matter if he’s performing stunts, starring at events or being photographed all over the internet.
