Exclusive Insights: Tom Cruise's Mentorship Inspires Major Transformations for Mission: Impossible 7 & Top Gun: Maverick Star

Actor Greg Tarzan Davis, who will be reuniting with a stellar cast for the highly anticipated sequel Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One, shares his insights on the invaluable lessons he has learned from his co-star Tom Cruise. Previously appearing in the Cruise-led sequel as LT Javy "Coyote" Machado, one of the young pilot candidates being trained by the titular pilot for an upcoming special mission, Davis will also be seen in both installments of Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning as Degas, the partner of Shea Whigham's character Jasper and a member of the enigmatic "The Community" group.

In anticipation of the film's release, Screen Rant had an exclusive conversation with Greg Tarzan Davis, focusing on Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One. Reflecting on his experience working with Cruise again after their collaboration in Top Gun: Maverick, Davis candidly shares the valuable lessons he garnered from the seasoned action genre veteran, particularly in his commitment to a movie's stunt work. Read below to discover what Davis revealed.

[I learned about] the importance of competence when performing stunts. It's evident that in every film he stars in, he personally takes on the challenging stunts and also encourages fellow actors to do the same. When I had the opportunity to fly in the F-18s, it was crucial to possess the necessary skills to make it believable as if I had been flying them my entire life. Carrying this mindset and incorporating the training methods he established for us in Top Gun, the transition to Mission: Impossible became effortless in a way. However, it doesn't mean that we can just get accustomed to performing all these crazy stunts! It does become somewhat easier with time, though.

It is no surprise that Davis discusses Cruise's unwavering commitment to performing his own stunts. This has become a running joke and a prominent trend in Cruise's career over the past decade. While he did tackle some of his own stunts in earlier movies, such as the first two Mission: Impossible films, his rise to stardom in the action genre has intensified his dedication to this impressive feat.

Content: Despite being a source of amusement for many, questioning how he could surpass himself, it is this level of commitment that has contributed to his increasing popularity. The Mission: Impossible films have not only found stability in their storytelling and character development, but consistently push the boundaries with their impressive stunts, exemplified by the heart-stopping cliff-jumping and train-roof fighting scenes in Dead Reckoning Part One. As a result, these movies have enjoyed growing success at the box office and favorable reviews from critics.

Not limited to the Ethan Hunt-fronted franchise, Top Gun: Maverick emerged as one of the biggest surprises of 2022. Cruise's insistence on an exclusive theatrical release proved to be a smart move, as the film became his highest-earning and best-received project to date. With early box office predictions for Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One projecting an impressive $90 million in its opening weekend, surpassing Fallout's $61.2 million debut, it will be fascinating to see if Cruise's unwavering dedication to action can maintain his streak of success in theaters.