Last month, Thandie Newton made headlines when she shared her “nightmare” experience working with Tom Cruise on “Mission: Impossible II”.
“I was so scared of Tom,” she said in an interview with Vulture. “He tries super hard to be a nice person. But the pressure. He takes on a lot. And I think he has this sense that only he can do everything as best as it can be done.”
She detailed Cruise becoming “so frustrated” with her while they shot a scene that wasn’t working. His attempt to assist her, however, proved to be “most unhelpful,” ultimately bringing her “into a place of terror and insecurity.”
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In a new interview with Variety‘s “The Big Ticket” podcast, the “Westworld” star admitted she was expecting repercussions from her revelation but experienced the opposite.
“I thought that I would be in trouble because that’s kind of what I’m used to,” she explained.
Instead, she received support from such stars as Leah Remini, who applauded her “big balls” for speaking out.
“I just happened to be an older woman who has recognized that knowing the truth and speaking the truth has benefited me a hell of a lot more than being silenced or seeing people silenced around me,” added Newton.
“I have nothing to lose because I could just then not get hired, which is kind of normal for people in my generation anyway. So I’ve got nothing to lose and I would rather go out using this moment… It’s not even about my confessions. It’s about that this is the reality of what people face,” she continued.
Newton said she “felt solid” about her decision to speak her truth. “I know that it made people frightened,” she admitted. “Individuals [in the industry] were very frightened… It’s, like, how far back do you go?”
