Tom Cruise reveals why actor said ‘yes’ to ‘Mission Impossible’ franchise?

Back in 1996, when Tom Cruise was already basking in Hollywood glory with hits like A Few Good Men and Interview with the Vampire, the idea of leading a spy thriller might’ve seemed like just another high-octane role for the megastar. 

But according to Cruise himself, the thing that really pulled him into the world of Mission: Impossible wasn’t the espionage, the gadgets, or even the chance to leap from buildings. It was the music. 

“It was the music,” Cruise joked during a candid onstage conversation at the British Film Institute in London. “I loved the theme music.”

Turns out, the iconic theme wasn’t the only thing on his mind. 

That first Mission: Impossible movie marked Cruise’s debut as a producer, and it became the launching pad for not just a blockbuster franchise, but for his mission to revolutionize action storytelling altogether. 

“It was about looking at Mission and thinking ‘what can we do with action’,” he explained. 

“It was about how I can evolve action and storytelling and imbue that kind of storytelling with greater amounts of emotion. That’s my interest. So I studied stunts and different cameras to develop my abilities and develop the technology.”

The evening also saw Cruise open up about his unconventional journey into acting. Forget formal training — Cruise created his own “film school” by closely studying the work of Hollywood legends. 

“I was able to interview Scorsese, Hoffman, Newman, and Spielberg. And every step of the way, I studied movies and I studied the studio system and distribution,” he shared. 

As his career picked up steam, he didn’t just focus on the scripts. Cruise actively made studios send him abroad so he could observe how movies were made around the world. 

“At the time, Hollywood was very Hollywood. It was about America, but I was very much about the global,” he said.

Always one to blend business with blockbuster charisma, Cruise didn’t just travel — he turned it into a marketing strategy. 

To avoid missing work while globetrotting, he came up with a now-standard idea. 

“I came up with the red carpet premieres, so we could bring the Hollywood culture to these places every day and then travel around,” he said.

So yes, the iconic music may have been the hook — but behind the scenes, Cruise was already playing the long game: transforming action films, shaping Hollywood traditions, and building a global legacy that, much like Mission: Impossible, shows no sign of slowing down.