Mission: Impossible 7 star Tom Cruise reportedly took part in The Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists' studio negotiations.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the prolific action star helped SAG-AFTRA lobby the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) specifically over the use of AI and better treatment for stunt professionals. One negotiation session reportedly saw Cruise “imploring” the AMPTP to recognize the gravity of SAG-AFTRA's demands concerning the use of generative artificial intelligence.
It has since been revealed that Hollywood studios proposed that background actors could be paid a single day’s wage for a studio to scan their likeness for use in perpetuity.
Cruise also showed support for stunt performers and coordinators, although details of this negotiation have not yet been revealed by SAG-AFTRA.
As well as supporting performers across the industry, Cruise additionally asked SAG-AFTRA to allow actors to continue promoting their studio work throughout the strike.
“A source close to the actor notes that this discussion wasn’t specifically concerning his latest blockbuster spy pic Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One, which had already wrapped its PR campaign,” explained Deadline. “It was instead an acknowledgment of the power actor PR has in influencing box office results, which are of course crucial for theaters post-pandemic, and for the profession of acting, in turn.”
Of course, Cruise is known for his outspoken support of movie theaters. Over the last few years, he has continuously advocated for the preservation of the theatrical experience. Top Gun: Maverick was one of the first post-COVID blockbusters with Cruise refusing to allow the film to debut on an online streaming platform. Even the upcoming Mission: Impossible film continued filming under strict conditions during the pandemic.
Cruise's commitment to cinema is second to none, and it looks as though he was mindful to bring that into his negotiations with the AMPTP. The talks reportedly took place before the breakdown of negotiations between the AMPTP and SAG-AFTRA earlier this month. SAG-AFTRA moved to strike on July 13, with a number of major Hollywood productions shutting down in its wake.
Want to read more about the ongoing Hollywood strikes? Find out more about the WGA writers’ strike as well as how the ongoing strike actions could help save online streaming.
Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and film critic for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.
