Mission Accomplished
with Tom Cruise

It's not exactly an impossible mission to hunt down Tom Cruise. He's the most famous movie star on Earth. I doubt you'll meet anyone over 21 who doesn't know him. Some may argue that his peak is long gone, but his fame and legacy have stood the test of time.

So when I decided to get his autograph on my Mission: Impossible poster, the original one from 1996, I was fairly confident it'd be easy to do. From what I've seen of him on TV, he also likes interacting with fans. He's pretty generous with his autographs, so I had no doubt I'd get it done.

Unsurprisingly, I accomplished this mission at a Mission: Impossible premiere. The franchise stayed strong through the years, and it was billed as the finale in 2025 with The Final Reckoning. I'm even surprised that there are only eight in total. I definitely thought there were more, because I feel like Tom Cruise constantly promoted it over the last few decades.

But no, there are only eight Mission: Impossible films. It only looks and feels like a lot because Cruise really amped up the promotional antics through the years. Instead of just Hollywood or New York City, he even held movie premieres around the world. There was one in Dubai, another in Vienna, and, of course, Paris.

I would've loved to be at any of those monumental events, but my finances only allowed me to go to the US premieres. Fortunately, they usually held an American red-carpet premiere after the foreign spectacles, and I finally met Cruise at one.

I had just turned 21 in 2011, and one of the first things I did as an official adult was go to New York City for the US premiere of Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol at the Ziegfeld Theatre on December 19. It was the best decision ever because that movie became my favorite in the entire franchise. Though I think it helped that I also met and got Tom Cruise's autograph that night.

He was everything I thought he'd be and more. He looked sharp in a black suit, was so charismatic, and emanated major aura throughout the night.

Contrary to what some people assume about big stars, he was also very nice. He was, at least to me, and I appreciated how approachable he was when I asked him to sign my poster.

Inspired by that moment, I spent the rest of the 2010s chasing down the rest of the original Mission: Impossible cast from the 1996 film. I eventually met Ving Rhames, Jon Voight, Emilio Estevez, Kristin Scott Thomas, Vanessa Redgrave, and even the director Brian De Palma. They were all great and just as nice, but honestly, none of them topped my encounter with Tom Cruise.

The guy really is one of a kind. A true movie star in every sense of the word. And believe me, you'll feel his star power when you meet him in person.