“I thought that I would be in trouble because that’s kind of what I’m used to.”
Thandie Newton said the responses to her story about working with Tom Cruise on “Mission Impossible 2”, her claims about Amy Pascal, and her comments in general about misogyny and racism were unexpected.
“I was surprised by the appreciation I had got,” the “Westworld” actress, 47, told Variety on Wednesday. “I thought that I would be in trouble because that’s kind of what I’m used to.”
After Newton’s comments made headlines earlier this summer, she said she was praised for “not drinking the Kool-Aid.”
Thandie Newton Details ‘Nightmare’ Day with Tom Cruise on Mission: Impossible 2 Set
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“I just happened to be an older woman who has recognized that knowing the truth and speaking the truth has benefited me a hell of a lot more than being silenced or seeing people silenced around me,” she said.
Newton, however, revealed she “felt solid the whole time” while she made the revelations.
“But I know that it made people frightened,” she added. “Individuals were very frightened. It’s like how far back do you go?”
Back in July, the actress claimed she was “so scared” of Cruise while filming the Mission Impossible sequel, saying he was “a very dominant individual.”
“He tries superhard to be a nice person. But the pressure. He takes on a lot,” she explained during the interview with Vulture. “And I think he has this sense that only he can do everything as best as it can be done.”
“Tom was not happy with what I was doing because I had the shittiest lines,” she went on to assert of the star. Newton claimed Cruise had them then rehearse the scene in each other’s roles, presumably so she could see how he’d run the lines.
“It was the most unhelpful,” she said. “I can’t think of anything less revealing. It just pushed me further into a place of terror and insecurity.”
Everett Collection/Getty Thandie Newton Says Amy Pascal Wanted Her to Play Stereotypical ‘Black Character’ In Charlie’s Angels
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“It was a real shame,” she said of the situation. “And bless him. And I really do mean bless him, because he was trying his damnedest.”
Newton added, “He wasn’t horrible. It was just — he was really stressed. I had the most extraordinary time.”
While her comments about Cruise were mostly complimentary, she did allege in the same interview that Sony Picture’s former president, Amy Pascal, had made previous remarks that reflected racial stereotypes.
In a statement to Vulture, Pascal said she was “horrified to hear” Newton’s comments — adding that, “While I take her words seriously, I have no recollection of the events she describes, nor do any of her representatives who were present at that casting session.”
The Emmy nominee declined to comment on Wednesday, during her Variety interview, if she heard from Cruise or Pascal following the statements to Vulture.
TooFab previously reached out to Cruise for comment regarding Newton’s claims.
You can read everything Newton said in July about systemic racism and misogyny in Hollywood at Vulture.
Got a story or a tip for us? Email TooFab editors at [email protected].
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