Tom Cruise's Hairstyling Marvel: Unveiling the Secrets Behind his Reshoot Hair

Summary

Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One director Christopher McQuarrie reveals that Tom Cruise wears a wig in certain scenes of the movie due to reshoots and pickups.

Filmed consecutively with Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part Two, the movie features Cruise with a longer hairstyle. Due to the franchise's unique production approach, scenes often require reshooting or modifications to adapt to the evolving story and characters during both filming and post-production.

Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One's director, Christopher McQuarrie, has revealed that Tom Cruise wore a wig for certain scenes in the film due to the reshoots schedule. The seventh installment of the action franchise sees Cruise reprising his role as Ethan Hunt and going up against a new AI enemy. While the movie showcases some mind-blowing stunts by Cruise, the biggest surprise is that he often dons a wig instead of his natural hair. During a recent interview on the Empire Spoiler Specials podcast, McQuarrie explains that the film's unique production schedule, which overlapped with Part Two's filming, required Cruise to wear a wig in specific scenes.

Without disclosing every occurrence on-screen, the director discloses that the wig appears in at least two significant moments. See McQuarrie's complete comment below:

"I particularly adore the scene where Ethan bids farewell to Hailey [Atwell] at the conclusion. She utters, 'Go.' This particular shot was filmed two years later compared to the surrounding shots. Initially, they had a different action planned, but due to the revised ending of the film, it simply didn't fit..."

Dead Reckoning Part One's Production Methods Explained

Tom is depicted wearing a wig in that specific scene because his hair had already undergone changes before we commenced shooting Part Two. It's crucial to remember that any additional scenes and retakes that were executed after the commencement of Part Two featured Tom with a distinct hairstyle. In numerous instances throughout the movie, he is seen sporting a wig. Even in the captivating scene where the food is delivered, Tom can be seen wearing an extraordinary wig crafted by our exceptional makeup department.

Upon the inception of Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One, it was evident that the narrative and scale were too expansive to be contained within a single film. Moreover, the complexity of orchestrating two global productions with interconnected storylines was further amplified by both the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic and the unique filming methodology employed by McQuarrie and Cruise.

Although there are scripts for the Mission: Impossible movies, they are not rigid blueprints but rather dynamic documents. McQuarrie and Cruise collaborate with actors to shape their characters and their role in the story. Furthermore, they allow the locations and stunt ideas to influence the unfolding of the story. As a result, there are instances where scenes need to be reshot or adjusted to align with new narrative decisions or revelations, which is facilitated by the use of extensive test screenings.

An example of this flexible approach is seen in the scene where Cruise recites the IMF vow early in the film. This scene was added later in the production, which explains why he already had his longer Mission: Impossible 8 haircut. Interestingly, part of the subsequent briefing sequence was filmed in Cruise's garage due to a last-minute realization that it needed an additional modification. While this unconventional production strategy may go unnoticed by viewers, McQuarrie's recent revelation about Cruise's hair may pique the interest of attentive viewers, who may now look out for the wig during future viewings of Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One.

Source: Empire Spoiler Specials/ Spotify