A recent photo featuring legendary actor Tom Cruise and Australian entertainment reporter Richard Wilkins is causing a stir online — and not just because of the blockbuster they were promoting.
The image, snapped during a press event in London for Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, shows 70-year-old Wilkins posing alongside Cruise, 62, after an interview. At first glance, the shot appears to be a standard celebrity photo-op — but fans quickly zeroed in on one striking detail: the jarring height difference.
“Always great catching up with the incredible @tomcruise,” Wilkins captioned on Instagram, praising the upcoming film as “bigger, faster, higher, deeper.” He lauded Cruise’s energy and work ethic, saying the Hollywood icon “keeps raising the bar… and then jumping over it.”
But online observers were less focused on the glowing review — and more curious about the proportions in the photo.
Wilkins, who stands tall at 6 feet 2 inches (1.88 meters), appeared to tower over Cruise, who is reported to be 5 feet 6 inches (1.7 meters). Though the angle of the shot places Wilkins slightly closer to the camera, giving the illusion of a greater height gap, fans were quick to chime in with some brutal commentary.
“Tom looks like he just popped out of a Kinder Surprise egg,” one user joked. Another commented, “I know he’s not the tallest, but this photo seems off — like it’s been warped or something.” A third added, “There’s no way Cruise likes that photo floating around.”
Putting the height difference aside, the conversation shifted to Cruise’s iconic stunt work — a defining feature of the Mission: Impossible franchise. When asked by Wilkins about his first-ever stunt, Cruise skipped past his famous Risky Business sock slide and reached back even further.
“I think it started when I was about three,” Cruise said with a grin. “I used to climb out of windows and onto the roof at night just to look at the stars. It’s just always been a part of me.”
When asked if he ever gets scared pulling off such death-defying feats, Cruise was reflective but confident. “It’s not that I don’t feel fear,” he added. “I just don’t let it stop me. I don’t mind being scared — it pushes me.”
Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning is already generating massive buzz, both for its staggering $400 million budget and its high-octane action. Early reactions from critics suggest Cruise may have delivered one of the franchise’s best entries yet.
“An absolute adrenaline rush,” raved Anthony Gagliardi. “Cruise proves once again that he’s the king of cinematic spectacle.”
Fandango’s Erik Davis agreed, calling it “the wildest and most consequential Mission movie to date,” while critic Dave Baldwin declared the film “pulse-pounding, gasp-inducing, and wildly entertaining.”
With explosive reviews and viral moments, Cruise is once again reminding audiences why he’s one of Hollywood’s most bankable — and watchable — stars.
Sources: Daily Mail
