Hannah Waddingham Defends Tom Cruise from Critics: ‘No Time for Anyone Saying Anything About Him’

Hannah Waddingham is in Tom Cruise’s corner.

Waddingham (49) appeared on the British cooking show James Martin’s Saturday Morning for a special Christmas episode on Monday, where she touched on working with Cruise, 61, on the upcoming eighth installment Mission Impossible franchise.

“I have to say that I have a real problem with anyone who attacks me [Cruise] now,” Waddingham said, after noting that she has yet to finish filming for additional scenes in the film. “After meeting him and spending five intense days, on [a U.S. aircraft carrier during filming]… Five days, no trifles, we all slurp for five days.”

“He is, without a doubt, one of the most beautiful and encouraging, positive and inspiring human beings I have ever met. Isn’t he gorgeous?” she told host James Martin. “I don’t have time for anyone to talk about him.”

Cruise was filming a new one Mission Impossible movie on the US aircraft carrier, which Waddingham identified as the USS George HW Bush, dating back to at least March of this year, according to reports from Diversity. Cruise, Waddingham and Mission Impossible director Christopher McQuarrie were aboard the aircraft carrier on March 3, according to a Navy statement issued March 9.

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Tom Cruise in ‘Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning – Part One’. Christian Black/Paramount Pictures

It’s not clear what role Waddingham will play in the upcoming film, which is expected to directly follow the conflict between Cruise’s Ethan Hunt and the villain Gabriel (Esai Morales), who are at loggerheads over ownership of a key that unlocks control of an extremely powerful artificial intelligence system that is being used in the film. called Entity.

Following Mission Impossible was set to be released in June 2024, but this year’s months-long strike by Hollywood actors resulted in delays that would eventually push the film’s release to May 2025.

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Waddingham’s praise for Cruise echoes that of Hayley Atwell joining her Mission Impossible franchise for the latest installment, told PEOPLE he was working with the action star back in July.

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Hayley Atwell and Tom Cruise in ‘Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning – Part One’. Paramount Pictures/Skydance

“[Cruise’s] his reputation precedes him with actresses because he makes them feel very safe, very seen, really respected,” Atwell said at the time. “He likes people to progress, he likes intelligent women. He wants people to engage and be part of this process. And so, when I read with him at the screen test, it already seemed like we were working on him in a workshop.”

Atwell, 41, is expected to reprise her role as Grace in the next sequel, with Simon Pegg, Vanessa Kirby, Henry Czerny, Ving Rhames, Pom Klementieff and Shea Whigham also expected to reprise their roles.

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Source: HIS Education