Tom Cruise Gave Emily Blunt Shocking Directions On Their Movie

By Mark McKee | Updated

Tom Cruise Emily Blunt

Tom Cruise is one of the most intense actors in the industry today, pushing himself and his costars to the edges of their limits for the sake of entertainment. According to a Deadline report, Emily Blunt found this out the hard way when she filmed with the actor in one of her first big-budget action movies. On the set of Edge of Tomorrow, Tom Cruise apparently gave Emily Blunt some blunt advice, telling her to stop being a pussy. 

In a conversation with the hosts of the SmartLess podcast, the actress told Jason Bateman, Will Arnett, and Sean Hayes that she was beginning to get panicky about the shoot. She told them that the actors had to wear an 85-pound suit for their scenes, and she started to have a breakdown. She began to cry, and Tom Cruise didn’t know what to do, so he told Emily Blunt to stop being a pussy, and to get through the shoot.  

The advice seemed to work, as the pair went out and delivered one of the best action movies of the decade, surprising everyone with a film with a premise that seemed to combine Independence Day with Groundhog Day. Sure, if Will Smith could have relived the same day over and over and had to convince everyone about the virus over and over again before finally defeating the aliens, he could have saved lives, but the snore-fest of the movie without the explosions wouldn’t have worked. However, the combination of Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt found a tone and charisma that made the film work well enough to get a green-lit sequel years later. 

edge of tomorrow
Emily Blunt and Tom Cruise in Edge of Tomorrow.

The Top Gun actor is known for pushing the boundaries of both the actors and the crew around him, from hanging off the side of the Burj Khalifa, clinging to the side of an airplane as it takes off, and submerging himself underwater for over six minutes. He also ensured his fellow actors underwent intense training as pilots and camera operators to accomplish never-before-seen shots in this year’s massive hit, Top Gun: Maverick. Knowing what he is about, it isn’t surprising that he would get blunt on Emily Blunt when she began struggling with a heavy and uncomfortable battlesuit. 

She wasn’t aimlessly complaining, however, as at one point she tried swinging her sword on set and hit a wire, throwing off her form and resulting in her hitting herself in the face. Tom Cruise later entered Emily Blunt’s dressing room and high-fived her to celebrate her first injury on set. She said later that she felt like it was an initiation, that she was in the club somehow. 

Her experience doesn’t seem to have soured her willingness to come on board for a sequel; even though she said she doesn’t believe a follow-up film could happen, she thinks it is schedule and cost that would hold it back. One thing is for sure; Tom Cruise didn’t keep her from action, as she later went on to star in Sicario and A Quiet Place. With an Edge of Tomorrow series in the works, it isn’t far-fetched that she shows up.