Tom Cruise acted as a liaison for SAG-AFTRA during negotiations with the AMPTP

Love him or hate him, Tom Cruise uses his clout and position in as many efforts as he can to protect the sanctity of cinema and the betterment of entertainment. After Top Gun: Maverick suffered delays after the pandemic shut down the theater industry, at a time when studios saw fit to release their big-budget films on streaming or with a limited theatrical window, Cruise maintained that Top Gun: Maverick will not follow such suit as it was meant to be experienced on the big screen. He would also see Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One through a similar situation, although the state of movies has opened up more since, especially thanks to Top Gun.

The Hollywood Reporter has now revealed that the Hollywood icon made an effort to lobby the studios to consider SAG-AFTRA’s position on stunt performers and the use of AI. It is being reported that prior to the strike, Cruise spoke with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers on a Zoom session back in June while negotiations were still taking place. During this time, SAG-AFTRA was presented with a bevy of proposals that would concern stunt professionals — including stunt coordinators and stunt performers, which the 160,000-strong union represents.

This is obviously a close subject to Cruise as he partakes in some of the more dangerous, practical stunts for his films, which the star has been known to prepare for in thorough ways. According to THR, “SAG-AFTRA sometimes calls in performers during negotiating sessions to discuss issues in which they have expertise. Any member can request to address a negotiation session and the guild can evaluate the value of having them participate.” This also includes the use of AI whereas the studios have proposed to the guild a liberal use of the quickly advancing technology. The possibilities are numerous; however one of the major issues has been the idea of using the digital tool to consolidate and strip down the process of using background actors by scanning their faces for multiple uses.

In addition to Cruise fighting for the union, the Ethan Hunt actor who is very passionate about preserving the theater-going experience, is also urging the guild to relax their policies on forbidding stars from promoting their movies in the midst of the summer releases as Cruise sees it was a means to help theater chains. Cruise cited that promotion is just as important to the actors. A source who was present during the proceedings described it as feeling “uncomfortable.”