Ethan Hawke ‘Angry’ At Tom Cruise’s Death-Defying Stunts

Tom Cruise has been a superstar for as long as he has been in Hollywood, as throughout his over 40-year career, the actor has starred in some of the industry’s biggest blockbusters. Although Cruise is often praised for his commitment to his films via stunt work, Ethan Hawke feels differently.

During a recent interview, Hawke shared his less-than-favorable opinion of Cruise frequently doing his own death-defying stunts and how it has changed the film industry.

While promoting his latest film “The Weight,” which premiered at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, Hawke shared his thoughts on Cruise’s insistence at doing his own stunt work in films, specifically the massively successful “Mission Impossible” franchise.

“Tom Cruise has totally changed what’s expected for actors,” Hawke began, according to Variety. “Some part of me is getting angry over the years because everyone somehow feels like they’re less if they use a stunt team.”

“What I liked about our movie is there were no ridiculous stunts,” the actor added. “It’s human. It’s not about things blowing up, so most of the stunts were things we could do. They weren’t superhero things.”

In an exclusive interview with PEOPLE in May 2025 to promote “Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning,” Cruise shared his process behind his jaw-dropping stunts that fans have come to love and expect from him over the years.

Describing how he prepares for the dangerous stunts that require careful precision, the superstar shared that it all starts with the most important meal of the day.

“I actually eat a massive breakfast,” he told the outlet. “The amount of energy it takes — I train so hard for that wing-walking. I’ll eat, like, sausage and almost a dozen eggs and bacon and toast and coffee and fluids. Oh, I’m eating! Picture: It’s cold up there. We’re at high altitude. My body is burning a lot.”

For a specific scene in “Final Reckoning,” Cruise had to breathe his own carbon dioxide in order for his face to be unobstructed while wearing a scuba mask.

“You’re not going to feel as connected with the character if I went with a regular mask and a thing in my mouth to breathe,” the Oscar nominee said. “Luckily, when you’re flying jets, you train for hypoxia and for carbon dioxide buildup. You start to be able to perceive your body and how it’s reacting, so that I knew when to stop.”

Cruise summed up his unwavering commitment to stunt work, simply telling PEOPLE, “I love making movies. It’s not what I do. It’s who I am.”

For his leading role in the drama “Blue Moon,” Ethan Hawke was announced as a nominee for Best Actor at this year’s Academy Awards, making the honor his fifth nomination overall.

Shortly after he was announced alongside Hollywood stars such as Michael B. Jordan, Hawke told Deadline the recognition is “greatly meaningful, particularly given how difficult it is to break into the Best Actor race.”

Hawke also acknowledged the importance of his long-time relationship with frequent collaborator Richard Linklater, who has directed the actor in a variety of films throughout the last 30 years, including “Blue Moon.”

“It’s not lost on me that one of my best friends that I made 30 years ago happens to be one of the defining cinematic voices of our generation. It’s not lost on me, my good fortune in choosing friends,” Hawke said.

Earlier this month, FX confirmed that a second season of the drama series “The Lowdown” was in the works, per The Hollywood Reporter. Production for the second outing of the series is set to begin this spring.

In the series, Hawke portrays Lee Raybon, a “truthstorian,” bookstore owner, and rogue journalist attempting to expose corruption in his Tulsa, Oklahoma hometown.

The “Top Gun: Maverick” star is set for the lead role in Alejandro González Iñárritu’s highly anticipated film “Digger,” which is set to be released in October, per Variety.

While the plot is largely being kept under wraps, the film has been described as “a comedy of catastrophic proportions.” Warner Bros., the studio behind the production, offered a bit more insight into Cruise’s role.

The actor stars as Digger Rockwell, “the most powerful man in the world,” who “embarks on a frantic mission to prove that he is humanity’s savior before the disaster he’s unleashed destroys everything.”