Why Thandiwe Newton Didn't Like Kissing Tom Cruise
Movie magic comes in many forms: through animation, actors performing stunts, and even in romantic scenes. Most on-screen lovers come across as incredibly smitten with one another — however, in reality, actors can be nervous and even dread the romantic scenes they have to shoot. That's exactly what happened with Thandiwe Newton and Tom Cruise.
Cruise is known as the suave actor in films like "Mission Impossible" and "Top Gun" (via IMDb) — and through all the action scenes he performs, he still manages to have some iconic on-screen relationships. Some famously include Kelly McGillis, Renee Zellweger, and Penelope Cruise. Many women who have starred alongside Cruise have had nothing but nice things to say about the actor. "Top Gun" star McGillis once shared with Yahoo! Entertainment, "I think Tom is terrific. He's the sweetest guy. He is very genuine and sincere and respectful. And I just love working with him."
While most of his co-stars enjoyed their time with Cruise, there was one who wasn't so fond of the leading man. They even went as far as to criticize Cruise's kissing.
Thandiwe Newton called her Tom Cruise kiss icky
In the "Mission: Impossible" franchise, Tom Cruise performs stunts that save the world and even the one he loves. Thandiwe Newton was Cruise's love interest in "Mission: Impossible 2." And although the actors had intense on-screen chemistry that resulted in a smooch between the two, this didn't relate off-screen. Newton evidently didn't feel comfortable around Cruise (via Vulture), and she's since revealed details about how the kiss between her and her famous co-star "was slightly icky and sort of wet" (via The Things).
Newton also explained how uncomfortable it can be when shooting romantic scenes. She told The Guardian, "Well, to take away the mystery and magic of what you see in the movie: you're lying there, you've got 30 people around you, prodding all bits of you to make sure that certain things aren't being seen and others look good." Furthermore, Newton explained there is so much analytical thinking in the process that it makes the scene difficult. She told The Guardian, "Even when you're kissing, you can't kiss too hard because then your face sort of spreads across the other person, and it looks terrible." For the actor, there is too much thought going into that nothing about it is natural.
Thandiwe Newton and Tom Cruise got frustrated with each other
Some actors have had a great experience with their fellow co-stars, and others develop a dislike toward them. Tom Cruise and Thandiwe Newton were, unfortunately, in an on-screen relationship that fell short IRL. Newton has expressed in several interviews how Cruise made the time on the set of "Mission: Impossible 2" uncomfortable. She shared with Vulture, "I was so scared of Tom. He was a very dominant individual. He tries super hard to be a nice person. But the pressure. He takes on a lot." This isn't the first time Cruise has been reported to have intense behavior on-set and recently, had an incident on the set of "Top Gun: Maverick" (via Los Angeles Times).
Newton even recalled an issue that went down between the two that made her upset. She talked to Vulture about shooting a scene with Cruise in which she had a set of dialogue that was not the best. Because of this, Newton wasn't feeling the scene, and Cruise began getting frustrated with her. She reflected on the time and remembered Cruise switching roles with her to show Newton how to do the scene. She shared, "And it was the most unhelpful ... I can't think of anything less revealing. It pushed me further into a place of terror and insecurity. It was a real shame." It's doubtful the two will star in future projects after Newton's experience on the "Mission: Impossible 2" set.