Tom Cruise will enter third act of career when he stops “jumping off sh*t” says Simon Pegg

Last Updated on December 15, 2023

Tom Cruise has been one of the most dominant and impactful Hollywood draws for over 40 years but if his Mission: Impossible co-star Simon Pegg is to be believed, the 61-year-old actor/stuntman is still in the middle of his career. 

Pegg, who has played IMF tech Benji in every M:I movie since the third entry, told The Independent he expects even bigger things from Tom Cruise — you know, other than having $10 billion in box office take to his name. “I love working with Tom…and he’s really good fun to work with but I get the feeling that when Tom goes off and does other things, it’ll be a completely different thing. He has a whole other age to come in his career. He’s a very good actor, a very, very good actor – as we’ve seen in Magnolia and Jerry Maguire… I think when he finally stops jumping off s***, he’ll have a third act.” Pegg added that he would love to be part of whatever that third act brings.

If Tom Cruise sticks to his word, he may not be entering this final phase of his career until he’s in his 80s, saying he’d like to match his days as Ethan Hunt with Harrison Ford’s longevity as Indians Jones. But, really, who wouldn’t want to see Cruise doing death-defying stunts or going to outer space as an octogenarian? And is that all that far removed from the realm of possibility? Cruise has yet to win an Oscar but if they ever introduce Best Stuntwork, maybe he can snag a much-deserved statue.

Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One — in which Tom Cruise did some of his most insane stunts to date — was one of the top movies of last year, taking in just under $566 million worldwide, while his previous sequel, Top Gun: Maverick, grossed an astounding $1.5 billion. Dead Reckoning’s immediate sequel is currently slated for May 23rd, 2025 — and yes, the superstar will again blow our minds. And how couldn’t he? He’s not even eligible for social security benefits!

How long do you see Tom Cruise doing his trademark stunts? Will he be doing them for decades to come or will he age out sooner than he hopes?