Marvel star Hayley Atwell recently revealed in a podcast appearance how Tom Cruise’s advice helped her cope with social anxiety. Known for playing Peggy Carter in the superhero franchise, Atwell made her Mission: Impossible debut with Dead Reckoning in 2023 . Despite her decades-long career, the 42-year-old admitted that nerves can still creep in. While speaking on Reign With Josh Smith, she credited the Top Gun star for sharing a powerful tip that changed the way she approaches anxious moments in social settings.
“Social anxiety is something a lot of people talk about these days, and many experience it at some point,” Atwell said. “For me, it manifests as overthinking. If you walk into a room and feel the anxieties coming, it makes me want to retreat into myself,” she continued. “I start questioning—‘Do I look weird? Do I seem awkward?’ And then I retreat into myself.
Hayley Atwell, who is set to return for the next and possibly last installment of Mission: Impossible, reprising her role as Grace, revealed how Tom Cruise encouraged her to do the opposite of what her anxiety dictated. Instead of withdrawing, he suggested she confront the fear head-on. “Tom said, ‘Try looking out. Look around the room and find the thing that’s making you feel insecure,’” Atwell recalled. “Where is the thing that I have attached to my insecurity? Is it that person over there that reminds me of my school bully? That person over there didn’t give me a job once? That person over there that I think was mean to me once?”
By keeping a tap on the source of anxiety, Atwell found that she could give it a name, making it feel less overwhelming. “If I look at it long enough, I can identify what it actually is,” she explained. “Maybe I’m feeling jealous, lonely, or intimidated by someone’s confidence. But once I name it, the vague sense of unease disappears. That’s when I actually have the power to do something about it.” Cruise summed up his prep talk with a simple but effective mantra: “If you’re scared of something, just keep looking at it, and it will often give you information about what to do to overcome it.”
Directed by Christopher McQuarrie, Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning Part One hit theatres in 2023. However, despite the Tom Cruise factor, the film’s box office numbers were underwhelming, grossing just $571 million worldwide. But, despite the setback, one thing that did land well with audiences was the on-screen chemistry between Cruise and Hayley Atwell.
The film marked Atwell’s debut in the Mission: Impossible franchise, where she played a mysterious and highly skilled agent. But beyond the action-packed sequences and professional spotlight, Atwell has always spoken fondly of Cruise. In a past interview with The Guardian, she called him “very kind, very professional” and admitted that working with him felt like a one-of-a-kind experience. “When I started, I was aware of the rarefied air around him—there’s no one like him,” she shared. “Actors aren’t made like him anymore. He’s a one-man studio, and because of that, I felt like I could try new things without fear of failure.”
With Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning arriving this summer, fans can expect another action-packed showdown, with Hayley Atwell and Tom Cruise sharing the screen once again.