In news that many people did not see coming, it is rumored that Tom Cruise and Hayley Atwell have broken up. The Mission: Impossible 7 stars have allegedly parted ways after dating for a year as the film’s production is winding down. If you’re surprised to hear this, you’re not alone, since it wasn’t widely known that they were even allegedly dating.
Tom Cruise and Hayley Atwell hit it off on the set of the seventh installment of the hugely popular action franchise, according to The Daily Mail. Cruise, obviously, plays franchise lead Ethan Hunt, and Hayley Atwell is making her first appearance in the series as a character named Grace.
Insider sources claimed to the magazine that the actors were “inseparable” while filming together but that their busy schedules have caused them both to press pause on a romance and go back to being friends. If that is indeed the case, it’s understandable. It seems like Tom Cruise is never not busy, and he’s currently juggling multiple franchise projects. Hayley Atwell was just cast as the voice of Lara Croft in Netflix’s animated Tomb Raider series, so she’ll most definitely have her hands full in coming weeks.
Historically, Tom Cruise’s love life has always been a hot topic in the Hollywood rumor mill, which is why it’s so surprising that we didn’t hear more about this alleged romance until it was reportedly over. People Magazine did report in December 2020 that the pair were not dating, but it didn’t seem to make considerable waves on the gossip circuit.
There have been scant glimpses of them together. According to the Daily Mail, they attended Wimbledon together in July. They were photographed multiple times filming together over the past several months. Maybe the best clue we got, in retrospect, was a sweet behind-the-scenes picture of the two actors, which Hayley Atwell shared on her Instagram account in August. They do look cozy. “Dating for a year” cozy? Well, who’s to say.
If romance did blossom and wilter on the set of Mission: Impossible 7, it still wouldn’t be the most dramatic that happened during production. The film, like many others, was often at the mercy of the COVID-19 pandemic, causing several delays in filming. Those conditions led to Tom Cruise having a now-viral outburst when he felt that crew members were not following safety protocols.
Regardless of whatever drama did or did not occur between Tom Cruise and Hayley Atwell, they will likely still be spending time together in the not-too-distant future. Both will most likely reunite to help promote M:I7 before it premieres in September 2022. Beyond that, the two are set to reprise their roles in Mission: Impossible 8, which is currently due to hit theaters less than a year after its predecessor.
