Hayley Atwell, co-starring with Tom Cruise in the new Mission: Impossible movie Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning (set to premiere in theatres May 23, 2025 exclusively), has this to say about Cruise:
Actors aren’t made like him anymore,” she said, “and because of that, I felt I was able to try lots of different things. There was never a risk of failure or being unsafe. Tom really likes people to thrive on set.
He Gave Hayley Atwell Great Advice on Social Anxiety
According to Hayley Atwell, Cruise gave her the following key advice on how to deal with her social anxiety:
If you’re scared of something, keep looking at it. Try not to close your eyes or turn away, just keep looking at it…It will often give you information about what to do to overcome it.
Hayley Atwell further broke down this key advice by saying:
Try to look out, look around the room and go ‘Where is it? Where is the thing that I have attached on to my insecurity…Is it that person over there that reminds me of my school bully? Is it that person over there that didn’t give me a job once? That person over there that I think was mean to me once? Where does it live outside of me and where do I feel like the source of it might be coming from?
What Is Social Anxiety?
Social anxiety is a disorder characterized by having fears about meeting people in social settings that are considered more intense than usual and more persistent than usual. Most are familiar with experiencing social anxiety when one goes to a workplace or a school for the first time. The first day of school is a very classic example of normal anxiousness about meeting new people.
People with enough social anxiety they find it a problem, however, can experience physical symptoms such as nausea, sweating, and shakiness. Their feelings of intense fear may isolate them, causing them to miss school and work.
Cruise’s Advice Is Echoed By Doctors
The most effective treatment for anxiety disorders, according to the APA (American Psychological Association), is exposure therapy. In exposure therapy, one technique is to directly face the source of one’s fears. It involves:
“…Directly facing a feared object, situation or activity in real life. For example, someone with a fear of snakes might be instructed to handle a snake, or someone with social anxiety might be instructed to give a speech in front of an audience.”
So Cruise’s advice to Hayley Atwell is absolutely on point with doctor recommendations about this problem.
If you need help with social anxiety or other psychological issues, do not be afraid to reach out for help! Contact resources local to you for help.
