Hannah Waddingham joins Tom Cruise at Mission: Impossible photocall in Cannes

South Wales Guardian

15-05-2025

The 62-year-old sported sunglasses that look similar to those he wore as Maverick in Top Gun (1986) and Top Gun: Maverick (2022), as he attended the event for the latest instalment of the US spy film franchise on Wednesday.
Waddingham, who plays Admiral Neely in the movie, wore a grey floral dress, US director Christopher McQuarrie, wore a pink suit and white shirt, while Cruise himself, who plays secret agent Ethan Hunt in the films, wore a crimson outfit.
Pegg, who plays field agent Benji Dunn, wore an all-white suit, and was joined by French actress Pom Klementieff, who plays assassin Paris, and Hayley Atwell, who plays Grace, a former thief turned agent.
Actress Angela Bassett, who plays former CIA director Erika Sloane – now the US president in the film – was also at the photocall, where she wore a pink outfit with a white top.
The film, which is the eighth instalment in the series, follows Cruise's character Ethan as he risks everything to save the world from a rogue artificial intelligence.
Cruise has performed a number of stunts for the film, which have seen him dangle from a helicopter and walk on the wings of a plane.
He was recently honoured with the British Film Institute's most prestigious accolade, a BFI fellowship, describing the prize as 'absolutely extraordinary'.
Speaking at the ceremony, Cruise said: 'The beauty of this art form is a collaboration and it tests everything we are as artists, as human beings.
'When we finish a film it's never goodbye, we'll see you again soon, so it's been absolutely extraordinary for me to receive this BFI Fellowship, it's been an extraordinary evening and I'm very grateful that you are all here.
'I've loved every second, it's an absolute privilege to be on set – people say why don't you take a vacation, but why would I take a vacation from something I absolutely love to do? This is the most fun ever.'
Launching with Mission: Impossible in 1996, the franchise has become one of the highest grossing film series of all time, having been based on the 1966 US TV series of the same name, which follows the Impossible Mission Force (IMF) as they embark on an array of missions to stop crime and thwart hostile forces.
The film saw its world premiere in Japan on May 5, and will screen at the French film festival on Wednesday.