Tom Cruise says his 'film school' was studying the careers of veteran filmmakers and technicians: 'I studied movies and the studio system and distribution'

Ahead of the global premiere of Mission: Impossible - Final Reckoning on May 23 (May 17 in India), Tom Cruise was at the British Film Institute to receive his fellowship, the academy's highest honour. Speaking at the event, Cruise shared his thoughts on the compulsion behind taking on the franchise inspired by the 1966 show of the same name.

"It was about looking at it and thinking what can we do with action. 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," he said, adding that he "studied stunts and different cameras to develop my abilities and develop the technology."

The original show, created by Bruce Geller, was led by actor Steven Hill, as team leader Dan Briggs. It ran for seven seasons. The first movie, led by Tom Cruise and directed by Brian De Palma, was made 30 years after the television show's premiere.

Cruise, who has constantly proven himself to be an actor capable of adapting and evolving with every film, said that his "film school" was studying the careers of different actors, directors, and cinematographers, and seeking inputs from them. The actor enjoys the rare privilege of working with most great directors. He worked with industry legends such as Stanley Kubrick (in Eyes Wide Shut), Martin Scorsese (in The Color of Money), Steven Spielberg (Minority Report, War of the Worlds), Ridley Scott (Legend), and Tony Scott (Top Gun, Days of Thunder).

"I was able to interview Scorsese, Spielberg, (Dustin) Hoffman, and (Paul) Newman. And every step of the way, I studied movies and the studio system and distribution," he shared while recalling how he convinced production houses to send him to different countries to learn how movies were made outside and discussed with them the idea of international red carpet premieres and introducing Hollywood culture to other countries. "At the time Hollywood was very Hollywood. It was about America, but I was very much about the global."

Cruise remembered getting cast in Top Gun (1986), one of his biggest hits, upon the recommendation of Ridley Scott, brother of the film's director Tony Scott. After its success, the producers hoped to make more sequels, but Cruise had other plans — he wanted to explore fresh challenges and other interesting subjects. It took the producers 36 years to make a sequel, Top Gun: Maverick (2002), which became Cruise's highest-grossing blockbuster, netting the makers nearly $1.5 billion. 

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