Tom Cruise’s latest Ethan Hunt flick Mission: Impossible 8 is an upcoming movie release that has been literally in the works for years. With that in mind, you’d think random people would be showing up on set from time to time, but reports indicate that at least when it comes to Mr. Cruise the event is rare. Which is why it was so shocking when he brought a female singer to the set recently.
Cruise met singer Victoria Canal at the Glastonbury Festival back in June, but they’ve spent time together a handful of times in the weeks since. In fact, reports indicate it was Canal who accompanied Tom Cruise when he went viral at the Twisters premiere in support of his Top Gun: Maverick co-star Glen Powell. They were reportedly seen again together on the streets of London after showing up to the premiere via helicopter.
An insider said they have been pretty “inseparable,” which even bled into an M:I 8 work day. That person close to the set noted this was surprising for people at work:
Tom invited Victoria to watch him film for the whole day and that is just not something he does for his random friends.
Honestly, it’s not that unusual for friends, family or romantic partners to show up on a movie set, but from what the insider told The Sun, this move from the longtime a-lister was “bizarre” for the crew and seemingly out of the ordinary. Given the level of concentration Cruise has to put into days of filming things like jumping off a mountain on a motorcycle or filming a train derailing, this isn’t a gigantic surprise.
Victoria Canal, 25, hasn’t exactly kept her hangs with Tom Cruise quiet, as she even shared a picture after he invited her into a suite to see Bruce Springsteen. Still, it’s always interesting to hear (and see) how two celebrities have met and when they are hanging out. The two of them are reported to get on like “a house on fire” though it’s unclear what the relationship dynamics are at this time.
It may just be fun hangs, but getting to go to the set of a Mission: Impossible movie is a pretty rare treat, so much so that the crew even seems surprised it happened. Now, we do sometimes get tidbits from filming, as some stunts (like the infamous yellow Beatle scene in Mission: Impossible 7 or an upcoming M:I 8 running sequence in London) are filmed publicly. Periodically, Mr. Cruise, longtime franchise director Christopher McQuarrie, and even Simon Pegg sometimes share tidbits about the making of the movies. But it’s one thing to hear about it secondhand and another to actually be there.
Luckily, the end result is what matters most and is what all fans will be able to see at the end of the day. We’ll be able to catch Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part 2 when it finally hits theaters – after delays and complications following Covid procedures and the actors and WGA strikes – to 2025.
Update: Shortly after this set info broke Victoria Canal took to social to call rumors that she and Tom Cruise are dating "literally insane." He is 62. She is 25. But it's still pretty cool that Tom has been "a lovely and encouraging" friend and mentor, and I'm still pretty jealous she got to go to the M:I 8 set. Just saying.
