George Clooney Has Something To Say About Tom Cruise's Meltdown

Even the most elite celebrities were not excused from the effects of COVID-19, with many losing loved ones, becoming infected themselves, or simply being stuck at home with no knowledge about when they would physically be able to return to work. While musicians were able to record and release new music during the pandemic thanks to at-home studios and technology, the same cannot be said for actors, so it is safe to assume some people are a bit on edge. Mission: Impossible 7 was one of dozens of movie productions halted due to the coronavirus lockdown at the beginning of 2020. Fortunately, the Tom Cruise action franchise was able to return to production in September 2020 in Venice, Italy, but the crew was quickly met with 12 positive COVID-19 cases, delaying production once again before moving to England to shoot more scenes.

Following their diagnoses, Cruise was deeply concerned and held crisis talks with Mission: Impossible 7 director Christopher McQuarrie, per The Sun. Cruise has since been photographed taking social distancing guidelines seriously, spacing himself generously from crew and wearing a mask when he's not filming a scene. Cruise is so concerned, in fact, that he reportedly paid £500,000 for an old cruise ship on which the cast and crew can isolate. 

Yet, while Cruise can remain calm, cool, and collected in his movies, he has been known to have outbursts of passion in reality. In fact, Cruise reportedly had quite the meltdown on the Mission: Impossible 7 set regarding the coronavirus. Keep reading to learn what happened.

Tom Cruise is serious about keeping his Mission: Impossible 7 set protected, so when he saw two crew members breaking social distancing rules by standing too close together, he reportedly berated and threatened them in an angry, profanity-laced rant, as reported by The Sun.

"We want the gold standard. They're back there in Hollywood making movies right now because of us, because they believe in us and what we're doing!" Cruise exclaimed before explaining how personally he takes the safety of the set. "I'm on the phone with every f**king studio at night, insurance companies, producers, and they're looking at us and using us to make their movies. We are creating thousands of jobs, you motherf**kers. I don't ever want to see it again. Ever!"

The A-list actor then said he did not want to hear any more apologies and alluded that the entire film production industry is on his shoulders. "That's what I sleep with every night — the future of this f**king industry!" he continued. "I have told you and now I want it and if you don't do it you're out. We are not shutting this f**king movie down! Is it understood?" (We would not want to either of the people who lit Cruise's flame.)

There have been mixed reactions to the star's outburst, but his friend and fellow Hollywood icon George Clooney was there to stand up for him — mostly. Here's what the Tomorrowland actor had to say about Tom Cruise's meltdown.

George Clooney told Howard Stern on his SiriusXM radio show that he understands Tom Cruise's concerns regarding the coronavirus, and defended the actor's rant in the leaked audio obtained by The Sun. "He didn't overreact because it is a problem," Clooney said during the Dec. 16, 2020 interview (per E! News). "I have a friend who's an AD [assistant director] on another TV show who just had the almost exact same thing happen with not quite as far out a response."

However, Clooney said he personally would have reacted a bit differently if he were in the same position. "I wouldn't have done it that big. I wouldn't have, you know, pulled people out. You're in a position of power and it's tricky, right? You do have a responsibility for everybody else and he's absolutely right about that," Clooney argued. "And, you know, if the production goes down, a lot of people lose their jobs. People have to understand that and have to be responsible," he added, referring to Cruise's comment about the livelihood of the entertainment industry being at stake. "It's just not my style to, you know, to take everybody to task that way," he added. However, Clooney suggested that the public likely hasn't heard the whole story yet, and he expects more information to be leaked soon. 

But the father of two is not the only star to come to Cruise's defense, though. Aside from many fans, Whoopi Goldberg was another celebrity who understood his fury.

The View co-hosts debated Tom Cruise's angry rant on the Dec. 15, 2020 episode and they almost all supported Clooney's sentiment. Of course, the first to approve of Tom Cruise's behavior was Whoopi Goldberg.

"You know, some people don't understand why he would get so angry," Goldberg said. "I get it." She then noted what most already believe: You cannot replace Tom Cruise and the Mission: Impossible franchise basically belongs to him. "You can get a new camera operator — no disrespect to camera operators. You can get a new sound man. But if [Cruise] is looking over and he can see you not doing what you're supposed to be doing, it's kind of like a little bit of a middle finger, in my opinion."

Joy Behar agreed, saying the Top Gun actor was "completely justified in doing that," and Sunny Hostin suggested that the lack of safety precaution "probably warrants his rage, his anger, his disappointment." Sara Haines was the lone co-host who thought the outburst was uncalled for. But, whether you approve or disapprove of Tom Cruise's meltdown, we are pretty sure everyone will agree that we never want to anger the star, that's for sure!