In 2000, Thandie Newton played Nyah Nordoff-Hall, a master thief who became Ethan Hunt’s love interest. The sequel was a box office hit but was not so dreamy behind the scenes. Newton later admitted that locking lips with Tom Cruise was anything but glamorous.
Her discomfort wasn’t just about the kiss. In a 2000 Guardian interview, she peeled back the curtain on on-screen intimacy. Between the scrutiny of dozens of crew members and the pressure to make everything look perfect, romance became technical. She said,
“Well, to take away the mystery and magic of what you see in the movie: you’re lying there, you’ve got 30 people around you, prodding all bits of you to ensure that certain things aren’t being seen and others look good. Even when you’re kissing, you can’t kiss too hard because your face spreads across the other person and looks terrible. It’s so clinical you’re thinking more about whether or not you’re squashing him than kissing him. It just takes all the intimacy out, which is good.”
And it wasn’t just the love scenes that left her uneasy. Newton confessed in a 2020 Vulture interview: “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 possible.
One moment stood out – filming a dialogue-heavy scene on a balcony. Frustrated, Cruise suggested they swap roles and read each other’s lines.
Newton never returned for another Mission: Impossible installment, and she didn’t seem to mind. The experience, she admitted, “wasn’t that much fun” and left her feeling isolated.
She reflected on how she’d approach things differently today. During the same Vulture interview, she asserted, “That was more just surreal than anything. Look, creative stuff is difficult. I was so tender and sensitive. Also, considering the timeline, it was still early in my healing and recovery. I’d had good therapy. I’d realized that I was precious. If it were me now, I would want to go in and go, “Hey!” I’d be it. You wouldn’t need to play me, and I play you on that balcony. And I would have squeezed that spot. Bam!”
For Newton, M: I 2 was a whirlwind of highs and lows. While she shared some laughs, especially during a love scene that left her and Cruise in tears of laughter, the overall experience was far from picture-perfect. And that onscreen kiss? It was still unforgettable, but not for the reasons Hollywood would hope.
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