George Clooney On Tom Cruise Covid-19 Rant: “I Understand Why He Did It [But] It’s Not My Style”

George Clooney has said that he appreciates why Tom Cruise called out the Mission: Impossible 7 crew over Covid breaches, but called the manner of the actor’s outburst “not my style.”

Talking on Howard Stern, the filmmaker whose The Midnight Sky debuts on Netflix December 23 described mix emotions after hearing Cruise’s expletive-laden dressing down of the production staff who had apparently not followed distancing protocols.

“He didn’t overreact because it is a problem,” Clooney said after being quizzed by Stern. “I have a friend who is an AD on another TV show who almost had the same thing happen, with not quite as far out a response.”

While Cruise has been praised for taking the virus measures so seriously, he has also received criticism for the aggressive tone of his address. Clooney admitted that he would’ve been unlikely to take the same approach were he in a similar position.

“I wouldn’t have done it that big, I wouldn’t have pulled people out. You’re in a position of power. It’s tricky, you do have a responsibility for everyone and he’s absolutely right about that,” he said. “If the production goes down a lot of people lose their jobs. People have to understand that and be responsible. It’s just not my style to take everybody to task that way.”

“It doesn’t help necessarily, to point to specific people in that way, but everybody has their own style,” Clooney continued. “The people who were on that shoot will tell us more about it. I understand why he did it, he’s not wrong at all, I just don’t know if I would have done it quite that personally. But I don’t know the circumstances, maybe he had it 10 or 15 times before.”

The Mission: Impossible shoot was previously paused during its Italy leg of filming due to virus related disruption. The production is now up and running in London.

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