Hannah Waddingham Defends “Positive And Inspiring” Tom Cruise Against Haters: “I Have A Real Problem With Anybody That Goes At Him”

Hannah Waddingham isn’t standing for the Tom Cruise hate. While appearing on the ITV series James Martin’s Saturday Morning on Christmas Day, the Ted Lasso star had nothing but kind words to say about the actor.

Waddingham is set to star alongside Cruise in Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning – Part Two. While details surrounding her character have been kept under wraps, the actress recalled filming for “five intense days” with the Top Gun star on the USS George HW Bush fighter carrier.

“I have to say, I have a real problem with anybody that goes at him now,” Waddingham said, per Variety. “Having met him and having spent five days intensely … He is without doubt one of the loveliest and encouraging, positive and inspiring human beings I have ever met.”

She added, “Isn’t he gorgeous? I have no time for anyone saying anything about him.”

Waddingham also revealed that she still has “another kind of main scene” to film with Cruise when production resumes.

This is hardly the first time she has gushed over her co-star. During a March appearance on Live with Kelly and Mark, Waddingham told co-hosts Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos, “I’ve met plenty of fabulous people. He is one of, if not the most inspiring, encouraging, warm, tactile, friendly to everyone, engaging… I mean seriously, he and I were literally like two 12-year-olds together,” per Entertainment Weekly.

Despite his status as an A-list actor, Cruise is no stranger to controversy. He often finds himself under scrutiny for his affiliation with the Church of Scientology, which is known for allegedly exploiting and mistreating its members. He also came under fire in the early 2000s after calling Brooke Shields “irresponsible” for publicly speaking about her use of antidepressants. 

However, Waddingham is still willing to look past the noise and sing the praises about her friend.

Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning – Part Two was originally slated for a June 2024 release — but the Hollywood strikes have since pushed it back to May 2025.