By India McCarty
Tom Cruise says his movie-making “goals are endless” as he looks back on some of his greatest hits, from TOP GUN to MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE.
“Every step of the way, I studied movies and I studied the studio system and distribution,” Cruise said during a recent discussion at the British Film Institute, adding that he even interviewed icons like Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg to learn more about making movies.
His passion for learning more about movies even extended to his time on set. For example, while working on TOP GUN, Cruise negotiated a deal with the studio that gave him access to “every aspect of production,” letting him see what it took to produce a movie.
That experience came in handy when he was offered the starring role — and a spot as a producer — in MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE. Cruise explained that his acceptance of the role was linked to the ideas he had to change the action genre.
“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.”
Cruise has starred in countless hit movies and changed the action genre with his own death-defying stunts, but what’s next for the noted actor?
“My goals are endless,” Cruise told the audience, assuring him that he’s not going to stop making movies any time soon.
Last night, Tom Cruise was joined by BFI Chair Jay Hunt, CEO Ben Roberts, writer-director Christopher McQuarrie and many of his collaborators to celebrate his receiving a BFI Fellowship. pic.twitter.com/YDivWKMcGA
— BFI (@BFI) May 13, 2025
Related: Tom Cruise Wants to Follow in Harrison Ford’s Footsteps as 80-Year-Old Star
The TOP GUN actor has frequently spoken about how important it is for actors to understand the technical aspects of filmmaking.
“I always tell actors: spend time in the editing room, produce a movie, study old movies, recognize what the composition is giving you, know what those lenses are, understand the lighting and how to use it for your benefit,” Cruise explained during his appearance at the British Film Institute. “Understand the art form to that degree. [Marlon] Brando absolutely understood lighting; all the greats did.”
Cruise feels so strongly about actors educating themselves on the movie-making process that he even sends young co-stars to his own “film school,” according to TOP GUN: MAVERICK’s Glen Powell.
In an interview with GQ UK, Powell said he spent six hours watching a video Cruise had made, explaining everything he thought an actor needed to know about making a movie.
“He said, ‘This is just for my friends,’” Powell explained. “In the video, “[Cruise] is like: ‘Do we all agree that this is what a camera is? This is the difference between a film camera and a digital camera…’ The funniest part is on flying. It was like he put together this entire flight school. So he would literally go ‘OK, this is what a plane is. Here’s how things fly. Here’s how air pressure works.’”
Cruise’s dedication to learning every aspect of what it takes to bring a movie to the big screen, as well as his immense love for movies, is one of the reasons he remains one of the world’s biggest stars.
Read Next: This MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE Stunt Made Tom Cruise Pass Out
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