Why Simon Pegg Doesn't Ask Tom Cruise About Scientology

Speaking with BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs, the actor and writer opened up about his connection with Cruise, a high-ranking member of The Church of Scientology.

"I don't ask him about stuff like that because I feel that would be me abusing my privileged access that I get to him, you know what I mean?" Pegg said when queried about his Mission Impossible co-star's religion.

He went on to add that their friendship is "just very simple and amiable. We're friends."

"It’s always been a very easy relationship. I think you realize, when you meet the person rather than the thicket of mythology that’s built up around them, it’s a different experience," the "Hot Fuzz" star said. "I mean, he loves the fame and he really relishes it, it’s all he knows. It energizes him and spurs him on."

The Star Trek actor, however, noted that he has a different relationship to fame than his pal. "I don't think I would appreciate that particularly," he said of Cruise's global stardom. "I'd find that very stressful and overwhelming."

Pegg did emphasize that Cruise has a self-awareness when it comes to celebrity, noting he "kind of appreciates the ridiculousness of it sometimes."

"We joke about it. I mean, I always make fun of him for it, you know, about the things that he can access," Pegg said.

Pegg shared how there are other interesting aspects to his friendship with the Top Gun star, including exposure to extreme experiences.

One anecdote he shared was how during a break from filming in South Africa Cruise "decided he wanted to go swim with sharks." So Cruise flew the duo in a helicopter to the ocean in what Pegg describes as "a real Tom Cruise kind of day."

Pegg and Cruise can next be seen in the latest installment of the mega-franchise, "Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One", in theaters July 12, 2023.