Michael Cera Claims Tom Cruise Publicly Called Him Out for Talking on Set ‘40 Feet Away’ From Him 

Michael Cera admitted he was once playfully told off by Tom Cruise during a Tuesday, June 24, installment of the Louis Theroux Podcast.

Surprisingly, the Arrested Development alum, 37, initially forgot they’d even collaborated together.

“I haven’t worked with Tom Cruise,” he said, before correcting himself to add, “Oh, yes. I have. Crazy thing to forget.”

Cera revealed that he was called out by the Top Gun actor, 62, while talking with a writer on set during the filming of a 2010 MTV Movie Awards clip.

“We were just kind of mumbling while they were shooting, but they could hear us,” he explained. “It was just, like, 40 feet away.”

According to Cera, Cruise suddenly said, “Is that Michael Cera talking during a f**king take?’”

Later, the American Made actor made a similar quip to him, but quickly told him that he was just “kidding.” Despite calling Cruise “very friendly” otherwise, Cera said it was still obvious the Hollywood legend had been asking him to “shut up” at the time.

Cera went on to describe Cruise as “such a leader” throughout filming.

“I was there for, like, five minutes,” the Juno star recalled. “But what I observed was, he was like the first [assistant director] on the set.”

This isn’t the first time that colleagues have recalled Cruise’s intense leadership style. After audio was leaked of Cruise yelling at crew members for allegedly breaking COVID-19 pandemic rules on the set of Mission: Impossible 7, an industry insider told People that the actor “is a perfectionist” and that he “wants others to follow suit.”

“Tom’s whole life is his work,” the insider continued. “When he sees something less than professional, he wants to make it right.”

New Girl alum Jake Johnson also once told a story about when the Cruise asked him to join him for a workout at his personal gym while preparing to film 2017’s The Mummy together. As Johnson arrived, he was turned away by a member of production who told him not to bother Cruise.

“Let me make something crystal clear: I don’t care what anybody on the crew says to you, they don’t know what I’m saying to you,” Johnson remembered Cruise telling him at the time, according to Vulture. “And I’m saying to you that you are always welcome. I don’t care what I’m doing in there. You’re not other. You’re my castmate. Come in.”