Tom Cruise is one of those Hollywood superstars who have a commanding presence both on and off-screen. He always keeps a composed demeanor, befitting his charming personality. Sure, he has off days. However, if social anxiety gets in the way of his career and commitments, Cruise employs an effective method to beat it. He shared the advice with Hayley Atwell.
Cruise and Atwell starred together in ‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One,’ sparking dating rumors in the process. But, the actors only share admiration for each other. And, Hayley is grateful to the action star for his trick of dealing with social anxiety. She recently shared it, and it can help us understand Tom’s unwavering confidence.
Tom Cruise’s Social Anxiety Advice To Hayley Atwell
If you have ever wondered how Tom Cruise maintains his persona, don’t worry; Hayley Atwell shared his way of not getting fazed during huge gatherings. On the Reign with Josh Smith podcast, she revealed suffering from social anxiety: “It manifests in different ways, but the pep talk he gave me helps that, which is if you walk into a room and you feel the anxieties coming, and it makes me want to retreat into myself, I start to overthink, and go: ‘Do I look weird? Do I seem awkward?’”
This is where Cruise helped her by guiding her about what he does: “Try doing the opposite. Try to look out, look around the room, and go, ‘Where is it? Where is the thing that I have attached to my insecurity?’ Is it that person over there that reminds me of my school bully? That person over there didn’t give me a job once? That person over there that I think was mean to me once? Where does it live outside of me and, if I look at it for long enough, the anxiety then can have a name. It can have a label or what will happen is, I’ll go: ‘Oh, you’re really jealous’ or ‘I’m really lonely’ or ‘I’m really intimidated by the talent or the confidence of that person.’ As soon as I can name what it actually is, the general sense of free-floating anxiety goes and then I actually have an opportunity to do something about it.”
Atwell credits Cruise for the trick and it’s useful for everyone. She added, “If you are scared of something just keep looking at it. Just try not to close your eyes or turn away. Just keep looking at it and it will often give you information about what to do to overcome it.”
On the professional front, Atwell loved collaborating with Cruise, calling him “a delight.” She will return for the final installment of ‘Mission:Impossible’ titled ‘The Final Reckoning‘ with him.
The Truth About Tom And Hayley’s Dating Rumors
Hayley Atwell was excited to act alongside Tom Cruise and be a part of the ‘Mission: Impossible‘ franchise. Although she was already loved as Peggy Carter in the MCU, she was looking forward to firing guns with Cruise. But, the rumors of their romance dampened her spirits as she saw him as an “uncle”.
She addressed the fiasco in an interview with The Independent: “I would be like, ‘Ooh, there’s some weird rumors, and it feels base. It feels a little dirty. It feels grubby. It’s not what I’m about. Why are things being assumed or projected onto me about my relationship with my work colleague and boss?“
Atwell was clearly upset since “It’s involving people in my actual life, my personal life, who have to be on the receiving end of that. It becomes invasive.” The actress is currently engaged to music producer Ned Wolfgang Kelly.
As for her experience of working with Cruise, Atwell maintains, “When I started, I was very aware of the rarefied air around him and how there is no one like him. And there never will be because actors aren’t made like him any more. He is a one-man studio and, to me, very kind, very professional. And because of that, I felt I was able to try lots of different things. There was never a risk of failure or being unsafe. Tom really likes people to thrive on set.”
Of course, there’s no one like Cruise in the film industry and few have tasted the kind of success he has. Yet, his motivation to do films stays strong and he knows how to care for everyone on set.
