TLDR
Ving Rhames says his most enduring Hollywood lesson came from Tom Cruise, who he credits with keeping dangerous sets safe and egos in check. Their long partnership now shadows his new chapter as a History Channel host.
Cruise’s Lesson on Power and Kindness
For nearly three decades of explosions, disguises, and close calls in the “Mission: Impossible” franchise, Ving Rhames has quietly played the calm center of the storm. Behind the scenes, he says he was studying something even more valuable than stunt choreography. He was watching how Tom Cruise handled power.
The 66-year-old, who has appeared in every “Mission: Impossible” film as trusted hacker Luther Stickell, told Fox News Digital that he never truly feared for his safety on those high-octane shoots. The reason, he said, was Cruise. “Tom Cruise made it quite safe for us,” Rhames explained, describing a set where risk was calculated, not careless.
From the beginning, Cruise surprised him in ways that had nothing to do with running across rooftops. Rhames recalled being moved by how the global star interacted with him as a Black colleague. “I would say the fact that Tom Cruise does not see color,” Rhames said. “To work with a Caucasian actor who really did not see color, I was very moved by the experience.”
Their real bond, he suggested, grew in the quiet spaces between set-ups, not in the fireballs. “My favorite memories are talking to him off-stage,” Rhames shared. “Learning secrets he knew about the industry that he was able to talk to me about.” Out of those conversations came what Rhames now calls Hollywood’s most important rule: “Treat each person fairly.”
In an industry built on hierarchy, that principle became his compass. Rhames added another piece of Cruise-inspired wisdom that he has tried to live by. The goal, he said, is “to be in Hollywood, not of Hollywood.” For a character actor whose reputation is built on gravitas rather than gossip, it is a telling mission statement.
From ‘Pulp Fiction’ to History Channel Host
Long before he was Luther in “Mission: Impossible,” Rhames was Marsellus Wallace in 1994’s “Pulp Fiction,” a role that made him unforgettable to a generation of moviegoers. He remembered that ensemble as “down-to-earth,” another early example of big names choosing humility over posturing.
Today, he is carrying those lessons into a very different kind of project. As host and narrator of the History Channel series “History’s Deadliest with Ving Rhames,” he walks viewers through some of the most catastrophic natural disasters ever recorded. The stakes there are not fictional. He described one episode about a disaster in China that stayed with him. He found himself thinking about “how many people were affected by this” and wondering, “If that happened in America, how would it have affected me?”
Those stories, he said, have deepened him. Rhames hoped that exploring past tragedies would “give knowledge” to viewers, and that the knowledge he gains would “make me a fuller human being.” His parting advice to audiences was blunt and unsentimental. “Never put anything past man,” he said. “History repeats itself.”
Two Men, One Relentless Franchise
Rhames is still a steady presence, and Cruise remains as relentless as ever. According to The Hollywood Reporter, at the premiere of “Mission: Impossible The Final Reckoning” in May 2025, Cruise said he does not see himself stepping away from action anytime soon.
Cruise has compared his ambitions to Harrison Ford’s late-career runs as Indiana Jones. He told the outlet that he wanted to keep making “Mission: Impossible” films into his 80s. Then he pushed the idea even further. “I actually said I am going to make movies into my 80s; actually, I am going to make them into my 100s,” Cruise declared. “I will never stop. I will never stop doing action, I will never stop doing drama, comedy films. I am excited.”
For Gen X and Baby Boomer viewers who met Rhames in “Pulp Fiction” and then watched him anchor “Mission: Impossible” from the 1990s through 2023’s “Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning Part 1,” the partnership between the two men has become part of Hollywood history. One is the front-facing daredevil. The other is the unshakeable ally who has been there for every mission.
Rhames’ stories about fairness, humility, and staying “in Hollywood, not of Hollywood” sketch a different kind of action heroism, one rooted in how you treat people when the cameras are not rolling. As he lends his voice to “History’s Deadliest,” that quiet code may prove to be the most enduring legacy of his friendship with Tom Cruise.
Join the Discussion
How do Ving Rhames’ stories about Tom Cruise, safety, and fairness on set shape the way you see their long-running partnership in the “Mission: Impossible” franchise?
