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Tom Cruise’s Rant to Crewmembers Breaking COVID Safety Rules Divides Internet

Published

2 years ago

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  • In an audio clip obtained by The Sun, actor Tom Cruise can be heard yelling at crewmembers on the set of “Mission: Impossible 7” for not following COVID-19 guidelines. Cruise said their guidelines are a “gold standard” for Hollywood and that the industry as a whole could be impacted by this film. 
  • In the over three-minute clip, Cruise says, “They’re back there in Hollywood making movies right now because of us!…You can tell it to the people that are losing their fucking homes because our industry is shut down…That’s what I sleep with every night. The future of this fucking industry.”
  • The clip sparked debate online, as some thought it was completely unjustifiable and inappropriate for Cruise to yell at people on set in this way. 
  • Others agreed with him and found catharsis in a powerful figure taking COVID-19 and the economic devastation it has caused seriously, especially since the pandemic has left thousands in the field without work. 

Tom Cruise’s Rant Goes Viral

“Mission: Impossible” star Tom Cruise yelled at crewmembers who were not following coronavirus guidelines on the set of the seventh installment of the film series, according to now-viral audio featuring an expletive-laden rant that has drawn both praise and criticism online. 

The over three-minute clip was obtained and published first by The Sun on Monday and other major outlets have since confirmed its validity. It is unclear when exactly Cruise lashed out, but The Sun says it happened after two crewmembers were standing close to each other while looking at a computer. This violates the social distancing rules for the production, which is currently taking place in the United Kingdom. 

With a raised voice and colorful vocabulary, Cruise did not mince words when he told those workers that if they were to break the rules again, they would be let go from the set. He said that “Mission: Impossible 7” should serve as the “gold standard” for Hollywood right now and claimed that the success of the industry as a whole is riding on the success of this movie. 

“They’re back there in Hollywood making movies right now because of us! Because they believe in us and what we’re doing!” Cruise said. “I’m on the phone with every fucking studio at night, insurance companies, producers, and they’re looking at us and using us to make their movies. We are creating thousands of jobs you motherfuckers.” 

“You can tell it to the people that are losing their fucking homes because our industry is shut down,” he added. “It’s not going to put food on their table or pay for their college education.” 

The pandemic first caused production of the movie to shut down in February while filming was taking place in Italy. It picked up again in September, filming in Italy, Norway and the U.K. Reports indicate it had to briefly pause in October because of a positive case. 

According to The Sun, Cruise has been taking safety precautions seriously and wears a mask on set. He is allegedly trying to prevent future shutdowns and is on the constant lookout for anyone who might bend the rules. 

“That’s what I sleep with every night. The future of this fucking industry… We are not shutting this fucking movie down,” he continued. 

“If I see it again you’re fucking gone, and you are, so you’re going to cost him his job. If I see it on the set you’re gone and you’re gone.” 

Internet Reacts to Rant

This is far from the first time Cruise — one of Hollywood’s most bankable and controversial stars — has lost his temper, but this rant struck a chord with those who found his anger to be cathartic, as well as those who thought it was out of line.  

“I understand that we are in a pandemic and the stakes, both physically and professionally, are high, but that outburst is not OK.,” wrote NPR’s Aisha Harris. “You can translate the urgency of your message without going full-on Bale.”

Daily Beast writer Marlow Stern published a piece titled: “Stop Praising Tom Cruise for Berating His Crew.” 

“The Hollywood superstar — and leading Scientologist — was merely punching down and putting on a show,” Stern wrote. 

The piece then dove into an in-depth exploration of his relationship with the Church of Scientology, the disturbing actions Cruise has possibly okayed, and the power dynamics within the system. Through that lense, as well as the intensity of his rant, it argues that both his tirade and any attempt to defend it are unjustifiable. 

Others, including those who may not necessarily support Cruise or his ties to the Church, admired his frustration. While many powerful and wealthy people seem to not understand the loss and economic hardship people have suffered throughout the pandemic, Cruise expressed that he did and that he wanted to be part of putting that suffering to an end. 

“I don’t like rich people yelling at people who are less powerful than they are and I’m not wild about him in general, BUT if you’re going to yell at people, make it about something worthwhile,” wrote NPR writer and host Linda Holmes. 

“His message is effective at being both self-interested (I don’t want us to shut this movie down) and community-minded (people are counting on us),” she added. “And weirdly, I think finding that balance in public messaging has been hard.”

“Tom Cruise is right and he should say it,” said Vanity Fair writer Joanna Robinson. 

Others said that Cruise should deliver this speech to anti-maskers. Some also thought this kind of anger should be a more standard response to those who break safety protocols right now. 

“If only more people saw the bigger picture that Tom is highlighting here,” wrote critic and podcaster John Rocha. 

COVID Impact on Film Industry

That big picture is striking. In the U.S. alone, 300,000 people have died from COVID-19. Even more people have suffered from joblessness and other financial hardships because of the pandemic.

Over 19 million people in the United States are receiving some kind of unemployment benefits. The entertainment industry was among the many fields hit hard by the coronavirus, though estimations on how many people were impacted vary. According to the LA Times, in California alone, 284,000 creative jobs were lost in the pandemic. This includes jobs in entertainment, digital media and art, and fashion. The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees estimates that around 120,000 jobs in Hollywood have been lost by members of their union.

Productions are resuming, but many have to shut down due to outbreaks on set. Filming for “Batman” halted when star Robert Pattinson tested positive, Olivia Wilde’s latest flick starring Harry Styles was forced to shut down, and Aubrey Plaza recently revealed that while filming “Happiest Season,” Kristen Stewart and several others caught coronavirus, leading to a pause. The same issue has occurred for television productions. The sets of “The Flash,” “The Witcher,” “Mr. Mayor” and two separate Real Housewives franchises have had to close because of COVID-19 cases, and the list goes on. 

The idea that the virus is spreading on sets means that less people will be hired to work on them so crews can remain smaller. It also means that studios might send fewer projects into production right now, meaning the mass unemployment will only last longer. 

The pandemic has put the entertainment in a vulnerable and fragile place for many reasons. 

Since employment in film is rare right now, some in the industry supported Cruise’s choice to lash out against those who took it for granted.

“Anyone lucky enough to be working right now who can’t follow safety guidelines is spitting in the face of ALL the colleagues who have been unemployed since March, had to sell their homes, move back in with their parents etc,” wrote actor Roger Clark. 

See what others are saying: (The Sun) (IndieWire) (Variety)

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Swifties Rally Outside Los Angeles Courthouse Amid Ticketmaster Lawsuit Hearing

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4 days ago

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March 28, 2023

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Over 300 fans are suing Ticketmaster over the “disaster” they experienced while attempting to purchase tickets for Taylor Swift’s latest tour. 

Monday’s Hearing

Taylor Swift fans rallied outside of a Los Angeles courthouse on Monday as the first hearing for a lawsuit they filed against Ticketmaster took place.

Swift’s fans, dubbed “Swifties,” sued the ticket giant late last year after the presale for the singer’s Eras Tour left many fans empty-handed. Swift herself called the ordeal “excruciating” after her fans were kicked out of the virtual queue, lost tickets they thought they had purchased, and experienced technical difficulties for hours on end. 

Dozens of fans, including virtual attendees, spoke at Monday’s hearing, which largely centered around the status of the suit. There are over 300 plaintiffs represented in the case, though attorney Jennifer Anne Kinder, the self-proclaimed Swiftie leading the case, said she does not plan on pursuing class-action status. 

Fans are seeking at least $2,500 each in damages, though as one fan told CNN: “It has nothing to do with the money.” Swifties really want to take aim at the alleged monopoly Ticketmaster and its parent company, Live Nation, hold over the entertainment and live event industries. Live Nation is currently the subject of a Department of Justice investigation over potential abuse of power. 

Swifties traveled from across the country to attend the hearing and rally. Roughly a dozen stood outside the courthouse carrying signs using Swift’s lyrics to take aim at Ticketmaster. One sign featured a broken heart with “Ticketmaster” and “Live Nation” written on either side. “Are you ready for it?” the sign asked. 

Others used lines like “my pennies made your crown” and “can’t shake it off.”

What’s In The Lawsuit?

Kinder’s firm made a website called “Take Down Ticketmaster” to lay out issues fans had with the Swift presale and with the company as a whole.

“We monitored the Taylor Swift sale in real time of what was happening to fans across the U.S.,” the website says. “Collectively, fans’ experiences with Ticketmaster indicated a potential pattern of fraudulent behavior and antitrust violations by the company.”

The site also encouraged music fans across genres and artists to fight back against Ticketmaster and take “back our power in the live entertainment ecosystem.”

In their lawsuit, Swifties accused Ticketmaster of “anticompetitive conduct” by imposing higher prices on the sale, resale, and presale markets. It also claims the company gave out more presale codes than demand allowed, and “intentionally and purposefully mislead ticket purchasers by allowing scalpers and bots access” to the presale.

According to Ticketmaster, the incredibly high demand, coupled with an onslaught of bot attacks, forced the platform to slow sales down. The company delayed sales in certain cities and canceled the general sale altogether before it started slowly releasing pairs of tickets to fans with presale codes who did not have tickets in their accounts. 

The Eras Tour kicked off in Arizona earlier this month. Swifties are not the only fandom Ticketmaster has to worry about though, as just last week, Drake fans slapped the company with a price-gouging suit.

See what others are saying: (CNN) (The Los Angeles Times) (Rolling Stone)

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Twitch Tightens Policies on Explicit Deepfakes 

Published

3 weeks ago

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March 8, 2023

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“The creation, promotion, or viewing of this content is not welcome on Twitch,”  the company said in a blog post.

New Rules Regarding “Synthetic NCEI”

Twitch is cracking down on explicit deepfake content and will indefinitely suspend users who share or promote it after a first offense.

“The existence of this content, and its presence and distribution on various sites, is personally violating and beyond upsetting. Deepfake porn isn’t a problem on Twitch, but it’s a terrible issue that some streamers (almost exclusively women) may face on the internet at large,” Twitch said in a Tuesday blog post, explaining it wants to “help streamers protect themselves” in any case this issue arises. 

Twitch referred to this content as “synthetic non-consensual exploitative images,” or “synthetic NCEI,” but many of the platform’s users have casually referred to it as deepfake porn. Synthetic NCEI involves someone taking the face of another person and editing it into a pornographic video to make it appear as though that person filmed themselves demonstrating those sexual acts. The new rise in access to this technology has concerned many, as it is easy to use it to exploit others.

While synthetic NCEI is already banned on Twitch, the company took a more actionable step against it in its Tuesday post by creating an Adult Sexual Violence and Exploitation policy. The new rule prohibits the intentional sharing, promoting, or creation of synthetic NCEI and those acts can result in an indefinite suspension on the first offense. 

Twitch also updated its Adult Nudity policy to include synthetic NCEI. Even if it is only shown briefly, that content will still be taken down and result in an enforcement. 

In addition to the policy changes, Twitch made available a list of resources for those who might be impacted by or wish to learn more about synthetic NCEI. 

“The creation, promotion, or viewing of this content is not welcome on Twitch,”  the company said closing its blog post.

Growing Concerns About Explicit Deepfakes

Twitch’s updates come as synthetic NCEI and deepfakes have become a primary topic of concern for social media platforms. Earlier this year, Twitch was home to a major deepfake controversy after a streamer known as Atrioc was caught with an open tab to a website that hosted these videos. That site specifically hosted deepfakes of female Twitch streamers, some of whom were Atrioc’s colleagues. 

Many women featured on the page spoke out against these deepfakes, explaining the trauma they endured knowing their face, image, and likeness were used in a sexual manner without their consent. It’s an issue that extends far past Twitch creators. Some fear they could be used for revenge porn, and there are already several cases where the technology is used to create sexual videos of celebrities. 

On Tuesday, NBC News published a report finding that Facebook and Instagram ran suggestive ads featuring deepfakes of actresses like Emma Watson and Scarlett Johansson. The ads were for a deepfake app that told users they could “replace face with anyone.”

While the ads did not show explicit pornographic content, one ad featuring Watson was clearly meant to mimic the start of an explicit video, suggesting a sexual act was about to start. The face of the “Harry Potter” actress was seen looking into the camera before bending down.

The report found that 127 ads with Watson deepfakes and 74 with Johansson deepfakes ran across Meta’s platforms on Sunday and Monday, but have since been removed. The app in question was also removed from the Apple app store after NBC News contacted the tech giant for comment. 

See what others are saying: (The Verge) (Engadget) (Kotaku)

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Fans Defend Pedro Pascal After Actor Refused to Read Thirst Tweets: “It’s Sexual Harassment”

Published

4 weeks ago

on

March 6, 2023

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Pascal has been dubbed the Internet’s “daddy,” but many think the joke has gone too far.

Pascal’s Heartthrob Status

Fans are defending actor Pedro Pascal after he refused to read thirst tweets on the red carpet, arguing that it is inappropriate and disrespectful to ask him to do so. 

Pascal, the star of HBO’s “The Last of Us” and Disney+’s “The Mandalorian,” has become a major Hollywood heartthrob. He has even been widely dubbed as the Internet’s “daddy” by those posting about his handsome looks. The running joke grew last year when he did a Vanity Fair lie detector test and said he considered himself a “bigger daddy” than “Star Wars” star Oscar Isaac. 

“Daddy is a state of mind, you know what I’m saying? I’m your daddy,” he quipped during the interview. 

Since then, TikTokers have started posting thirst trap edits of Pascal, journalists have called him “daddy” on the red carpet, and interviewers have shown him tweets where fans call him a “cool, slutty daddy.”

Pascal has been a good sport about the public displays of lust for him, but many think the joke may have crossed a line. During last week’s red carpet premiere for season three of “The Mandalorian,” an Access Hollywood reporter went viral for asking Pascal to read thirst tweets to the camera. Pascal politely declined. 

“No. Dirty! Dirty!” he told the reporter after reading through the tweets.

“For your enjoyment only,” she responded.

“Thank you very much,” Pascal said before exiting the interview. 

Fans Condemn Thirst Tweet Interviews

In response, many who watched the clip condemned this treatment of Pascal, arguing it promoted constant objectification.

“I think it’s time for the internet to leave Pedro Pascal alone,” one person wrote. “It’s sexual harassment, but no one seems to care bc he’s a man + is graceful about it. It’s really gross and I would never want to be treated like that.”

“These jokes have gone way too far and he’s visibly uncomfortable,” another fan added. 

Some claimed that while the Internet’s love of Pascal “started as harmless fun…the constant public objectification and sexualization must be terrible” and should stop.

“Being attractive, banking on it, selling it, and even at times enjoying some of the attention, doesn’t give everyone wholesale permission to sexualize you,” someone else argued. 

See what others are saying: (IndieWire) (The Gamer) (BuzzFeed News)

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