Thandie Newton Was ‘Surprised’ By The Support She Received Following Her Comments About Tom Cruise

Tom Cruise is one of the biggest names in Hollywood, so it’s not often that another actor/actress speaks out against him (despite, y’know…). But in an interview published last month, Thandie Newton was candid about her difficult experience making Mission: Impossible 2. “I was so scared of Tom. He was a very dominant individual. 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,” the Westworld star told Vulture. She also discussed Cruise not being “happy with what I was doing because I had the sh*ttiest lines… It just pushed me further into a place of terror and insecurity.”

Newton’s candidness was praised by Scientology defector Leah Remini and many others, which surprised the actress. “I was surprised by the appreciation I had got,” she said on a recent episode of Variety and iHeart’s The Big Ticket podcast. “I thought that I would be in trouble because that’s kind of what I’m used to.” She continued:

“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… And I have nothing to lose. 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 about confessionalism, it’s not even about my confessions. It’s about that this is the reality of what people face.”

When asked if she’s heard from Cruise since the interview went live, Newton replied, “I felt solid the whole time, but I know that it made people frightened… It’s like how far back do you go” He’s too busy welcoming people back to the movies, anyway.