In the not too distant past, Simon Pegg was making cult hits like Spaced and Shaun of the Dead with his mates, packing them full of sci-fi references and brilliant pastiches of comedy horror.
These days, Pegg is a recognised face on the silver screen, rubbing shoulders with A-listers and regularly appearing in huge Hollywood franchises like Star Trek, Star Wars and Mission Impossible.
The latter franchise, of which he's starred in the last four films with another couple on the way, has given rise to Pegg's blossoming friendship with Tom Cruise.
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Naturally, anyone who has known Cruise – famous for his devotion to Scientology and wild offscreen antics, as well as his films of course – for any number of years will have their fair share of tales about the Hollywood legend, and it seems Pegg is one such person.
In a new interview with The Times, Pegg opened up about his 'bromance' with Cruise, speaking about how they handle fame differently, how they casually text each other, and how Cruise will never, ever admit he's made a mistake.
As an example, Pegg said he was in Cruise's car in Morocco, driving round the city of Casablanca, when a hoard of fans descended on them: "We were surrounded by a f***ing throng of these young Moroccan guys going, ‘Tom Cruise, Tom Cruise, Tom Cruise,’ and banging on the car.
"And I’m looking at Tom and he was f***ing laughing his head off. I’d be so stressed out, but he’s very OK with it. He understands that’s the price for the level of movie star he is. He’s perhaps the only movie star left," Pegg said.
When asked whether he was mates with Cruise, Pegg responded: "Yeah. We text. Whenever he texts me, I’ll go, ‘Whooo-ooh!’ to my wife," though apparently his wife will simply roll her eyes and call Cruise his 'boyfriend'. It's good to be brought back down to Earth when you're mates with one of the most famous people on the planet.
Having known Cruise for 16 years now, Pegg has also picked up a thing or two from him, having shared laughs and heart-to-hearts together.
Pegg told The Times: "The best thing he taught me is never to accept responsibility for a mistake. But in a funny way. Like if something goes wrong and it’s his fault, he’ll flatly deny it. And then if someone corrects him, instead of saying sorry, he’ll just say, ‘Yeah,’ and wink at me.
"I admitted f***ing up once and he said – with a wry smile, I hasten to add – ‘Simon, don’t do that.’ He maintains his authority by never being to blame for anything."
Topics: TV and Film, Tom Cruise, Simon Pegg
Charlie Cocksedge