Tom Cruise Turned Down On-Screen Kiss With Annabelle Wallis
Annabelle Wallis opened up about an awkward moment on The Mummy set when Tom Cruise refused a kissing scene in front of hundreds. The film’s troubled production and lack of chemistry left fans unimpressed.
When Universal rolled out their 2017 reboot of The Mummy with Tom Cruise and Annabelle Wallis, expectations were sky-high. Instead, the film’s journey from start to finish was anything but smooth. Wallis, who played Cruise’s on-screen partner, recently shared a rather uncomfortable experience from the set. She’d been looking forward to a pivotal scene, only for Cruise to pull the pin at the last minute, leaving her feeling more than a bit deflated.
Awkward Moments on Set
Wallis recounted the day she arrived on set, ready for what she thought would be a highlight of her role. She was keen, joking with Cruise that it was about to be the best day of his life. But things didn’t go as planned.
…I arrive on set and am like 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? I’m not feeling that. I’m not feeling the kissing scene.’ And he talked himself out of kissing me in front of 900 people. Can you imagine what I felt like? Not good.
The moment, witnessed by a crowd of nearly a thousand, left Wallis feeling rather embarrassed. Fans who expected some on-screen romance between the two leads were left scratching their heads.
The Dark Universe Fizzles
The film was meant to kick off Universal’s ambitious Dark Universe, a shared world of monster flicks. On paper, having Cruise at the helm seemed like a sure bet. In reality, the film struggled to find its footing, pulling in around $410 million at the box office—hardly a blockbuster by today’s standards. The production budget alone was rumoured to be between $125 and $195 million, so the returns weren’t exactly cause for celebration.
Wallis, known for her work in Peaky Blinders and The Tudors, was given little to do beyond playing the token love interest. Many punters felt her character was underwritten, with no real chance to show what she could do. The film’s focus on action over character left her role feeling flat, especially compared to the original Mummy films, which had a lot more heart.
No Spark Between the Leads
One of the biggest letdowns was the lack of chemistry between Cruise and Wallis. Where Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz had punters invested in their romance back in 1999, this new pairing just didn’t click. The script didn’t help, with forced dialogue and awkward attempts at intimacy that never quite landed.
Despite the lack of on-screen spark, Wallis has credited Cruise with saving her during a risky stunt gone wrong while filming a zero-gravity scene. Still, the film’s attempt at romance never got off the ground, leaving many to wonder what could have been if the script had given Wallis more to work with.
Streaming and Aftermath
For those curious, The Mummy is now available to stream on Netflix and Prime Video. While the film didn’t live up to its much-hyped promise, it remains a curious chapter in both Cruise’s and Wallis’s careers.