'The Mummy' star recalls humiliating moment when Tom Cruise avoided kissing her for a weird reason
In February 2017, actress Annabelle Wallis appeared on the 'Late Night With Conan O'Brien' show and recounted an incident that broke her heart while filming 'The Mummy'. When the host asked, "In The Mummy, I was told that there will be a kissing scene between you and Tom Cruise, and then something went awry." Wallis responded with a mix of humor and disappointment, describing it as "a very sad day for Annabelle." She elaborated on her anticipation, "There was another amorous moment, a little kissing scene. And I got to set and was like, 'This is an amazing moment.' I would tell all my friends, my children, about this kissing scene with Tom Cruise."
However, her excitement soon died off when she approached Cruise enthusiastically and said, "C'mon Tom, it's about to be the best day of your life." And then he goes, "Yeah, about that. Alex, can we have a chat?' addressed the director, Alex Kurtzman. He continued, "I'm not feeling that. I'm not feeling the kissing scene." Wallis humorously lamented, "And he talked himself out of kissing me in front of 900 people. Can you imagine what I felt like? Not good."
O'Brien, visibly taken aback, exclaimed, "I'd been there for you." The audience erupted in applause, showing solidarity with Wallis. O'Brien continued, expressing disbelief: "This is ridiculous! It's madness!" He was so enraged that he said, "If you and I were in any kind of play at all, I would demand a kissing scene. And if there is one written in, I wouldn't say, 'Oh, I'm not feeling it today!' Wallis chimed in, trying to make fun of Cruise, "Yeah, not working for my character." To which O'Brien replied, "Yes, that's absurd. I despise him now."
The fans couldn't contain themselves and were flustered in the YouTube comment section commenting on the newfound revelation. One YouTube commenter remarked jokingly, "You see here, Tom messed up. He should've done the kissing scene with her first, THEN get it cut from the movie afterward." However, many others sided with Cruise, noting, "After watching the movie, I'm with Tom...there is ZERO chemistry between the two characters. It would be weird if they kissed." Another added, "Come on, everybody knows we don't go to Tom Cruise movies to see kisses. We want raw action." One even said, "When the woman doesn't want to kiss the guy, she gets what she wants.... when everyone sees that the guy doesn't want to kiss the woman, EVERYONE LOSES THEIR MINDS!!!!!!!!" Some even pointed out narrative inconsistencies, stating, "To be fair, it didn't work for her character. She spent 75% of the movie hating his character."
Analyzing the decision from a storytelling standpoint, Cruise's choice may have been rooted in maintaining the film's narrative integrity. Cinemablend observed that the romantic kiss between Wallis's Jenny and Cruise's Nick wouldn't have impacted the story as much, suggesting that omitting the kiss kept the audience's focus on the action. Cruise's commitment to his roles and the overarching narrative is well-documented. As per Deadline, director Joseph Kosinski admired the 'Mission Impossible actor, stating, "I’ve gotten to work with many actors who’ve had great success and long careers, Tom being at the top of the heap." This dedication often translates into meticulous decisions on set, even if they lead to unexpected outcomes for co-stars.