Tom Cruise has toppled competitors at the box office and performed death-defying stunts, but there’s one thing that appears to be "mission impossible" for him: talking politics. The Hollywood megastar was in Washington, D.C., to attend the premiere of his new film, "Mission: Impossible — Fallout" on Sunday. Asked if he might join the list of media titans — including Kanye West, Oprah Winfrey and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson — who have flirted with a 2020 presidential run, Cruise responded: “I’m here to talk tonight about ‘Mission: Impossible.'" ADVERTISEMENT The action star ducked and dodged any political talk as impressively as the lead character he plays in the popular franchise, fictional Impossible Missions Force (IMF) agent Ethan Hunt. “I’m just happy to be here tonight in this beautiful museum. Bringing ‘Mission: Impossible’ here is very exciting because last time I was here it was 1986 when I did ‘Top Gun.’ So I can’t wait for audiences to see it,” Cruise said when ITK inquired whether he would consider bringing together a politically divided country. The Academy Award nominee spent more than two hours chatting with reporters and posing for snapshots with fans on a massive red carpet outside the museum. The sixth “Mission: Impossible” installment, which hits theaters Friday, finds Cruise’s character in a race against time to stop a terrorist group from obtaining nuclear weapons and setting off a series of attacks around the world. “It’s kind of fun to come back to the political heartland of America,” Simon Pegg, who provides some comic relief in the film as Cruise’s IMF teammate, said of touching down in the nation’s capital as part of an international promotional tour. After flying in from Tokyo, British-born Pegg says he and some of the “Mission: Impossible” team toured the Pentagon and the Capitol. “I felt like I’m a government agent, kind of, so I should be here," said Pegg of his Capitol visit. Director Christopher McQuarrie advises against audiences opining whether any of the action in his latest film is inspired by real-life political drama or current events. “If somebody takes that from it, they’re welcome to do it,” says McQuarrie, who also wrote the film. “Whatever’s happening now is going to be done six months from now, and I’m trying to make a movie forever.” “I get a kick out of people trying to read into ‘Mission: Impossible.’ They’re always trying to outsmart it,” McQuarrie added. Cruise also cautioned against trying to read any political tea leaves in the movie. “This is an entertaining film and people will walk away with things with [what] they want to walk away,” Cruise, 56, said. “I’m excited for people to see it.”<doc-sep>He plays the ever unflappable Ethan Hunt in Mission: Impossible- Fallout. So it was no surprise that Tom Cruise kept his cool when he graced the red carpet for his latest Mission: Impossible premiere in Washington D.C. Sunday. The 56-year-old looked dapper in a three-piece black suit as he showed up to the film's premiere at the Smithsonian solo. Premiere night: Mission: Impossible- Falloutt star Tom Cruise looked dapper in a three-piece black suit Sunday as he showed up to the latest Mission: Impossible film's premiere and screening at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington D.C. solo The Top Gun star came to see screening of his new flick at the National Air and Space Museum in the nation's capital. He walked the carpet by himself but not without snapping photos with his co-stars, producers, and directors on the film. This particular Mission: Impossible- Fallout premiere went off with a fashion mishap, unlike the one Tom attended in Tokyo a few days ago. The New York native showed up to that viewing with his trouser zipper undone. Styling: The Top Gun star walked the carpet by himself but not without snapping photos with his co-stars, producers, and directors on the film Uh oh: This particular Mission: Impossible- Fallout premiere went off with a fashion mishap for Tom, unlike the one he attended in Tokyo a few weeks ago Accidentally exposing too much, Tom didn't seem to be aware of the mishap, happily waving and smiling for fans before heading into the press conference and photo call. Once inside the venue, Tom appeared to notice the mishap as he took to the stage with his trousers pulled up. That wasn't the only bad luck The Mummy star has had since filming this movie for the series. What happened at the Tokyo premiere? The New York native showed up to that viewing with his trouser zipper undone He recently revealed his ankle still hasn't fully healed from the horrific accident he suffered on the set of MI:F. The actor insisted that gone through 'great rehab' as he's on the road to recovery. Paramount's full statement read: 'During production on the latest Mission: Impossible film, Tom Cruise broke his ankle while performing a stunt. Made the movie happen: Tom poses with Fallout producer Christopher McQuarrie at the latest Mission: Impossible premiere in D.C. Sunday Injury: Cruise revealed his ankle still hasn't fully healed from the horrific accident he suffered on the set of MI:F a few months ago 'Production will go on hiatus while Tom makes a full recovery, and the film remains on schedule to open July 27, 2018. 'Tom wants to thank you all for your concern and support and can't wait to share the film with everyone next summer.' The latest film in the Mission Impossible franchise, titled Fallout, will find the titular Ethan Hunt and IMF team 'race against time after a mission gone wrong'. Also at the premiere Sunday were Tom's fellow Fallout stars, Angela Bassett and Michelle Monaghan. The Rock's ex-wife, producer Dany Garcia and their daughter Simone Alexandra was in attendance, too. Costars: Also at the Mission: Impossible- Fallout premiere Sunday were Tom's fellow Fallout stars, Angela Bassett and Michelle Monaghan His on-air love life: Michelle Monaghan, pictured here at the premiere Sunday night, plays Tom Cruise's wife, Julia Meade-Hunt, in the Mission: Impossible film Famous attendees: The Rock's ex-wife, producer Dany Garcia and their daughter Simone Alexandra was at the movie premiere in D.C., too Lady in red: Actress Rebecca Ferguson, who plays Isla Faust in the movie, stunned in a satin, red dress and matching high heels In attendance: British actress Carly Steel showed up to the event in a white dress covered in gorgeous, detailed lace<doc-sep>Well, better to aim low and tackle the smaller issues first, like actually getting the C.I.A. on board. Director Christopher McQuarrie said he’s always trying to put the spy agency’s headquarters in his films. But current filming restrictions make that tough, even when your movie is about a spy agency.<doc-sep>Paramount/Skydance’s Mission: Impossible – Fallout blew up on social media when critics got their first glimpse this week, and as reviews stream in, it’s seeing some of the best notices of the franchise. With international rollout beginning on July 25 and domestic going July 27, cast and crew were on hand for last night’s world premiere in Paris. On a perfect evening in the capital, and with the Eiffel Tower as a backdrop, star Tom Cruise declared the movie a “love letter” to the City of Light. Director Christopher McQuarrie, who here makes his 9th movie with Cruise, said he hatched the idea to shoot the majority of Fallout in Paris after the November 2015 terrorist attacks that rocked the city. “I was home and saw what happened here and my heart was broken. It was not the Paris I knew,” he told the crowd. “I immediately called Tom and said ‘I want to take the film to Paris.’ Some were concerned, worried we wouldn’t be safe. Tom said, ‘That’s exactly why we’re going, to show the world it is safe.’” Cruise told the audience inside the Palais de Chaillot, “We truly hope you know this is our love letter to you.” While Cruise’s unprecedented HALO jump has made headlines over the past few weeks, it is one of a series of dazzling action set pieces. Cruise said it was “incredible” to have been able to ride a motorcycle down the Avenue de l’Opéra at 120 kilometers an hour. The chase scenes are particularly notable for their continuity. Often in films, sequences jump from one side of a city to another, but Fallout has a lot of flow-through for sharp-eyed Parisians to note. McQuarrie added his thanks to the city and the Ministry of Culture “for being so tolerant and letting us drive motorcycles through everything nice in Paris,” and to the Prefecture de Police “for closing their eyes.” For the portion of the motorcycle chase scene at the Arc de Triomphe, McQuarrie said they were told it would be impossible. They had two hours to shoot it and the “crew and the city came together. It was amazing.” There are also helicopter and icy clifftop battles as well as an unforgettable bathroom brawl set in the Grand Palais — which we’d gotten a look at during CineEurope in Barcelona last month. It evidently took four weeks to shoot and even the indefatigable Cruise admitted to feeling somewhat battered afterwards. Noting the broken ankle Cruise suffered during a stunt in London, McQuarrie said the shooting schedule had gone to 164 days after starting out at 120 and “stayed relatively on budget,” he smiled. Cruise was asked what goes through his mind when he’s performing these wild stunts and he deadpanned, “Oh, sh*t!” McQuarrie commented he’s never seen Cruise work harder on a film, putting in his all for Fallout. As they walked off the stage, Cruise took time to note the other main event in the capital this weekend, wishing the French football team, “Good luck on Sunday.” The movie is 96% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes and looks like a box office winner mid-summer. It does not yet have a China release date owing to the July blackout, but does have Alibaba Pictures in the mix, and should score a nice slot. The M:I 6 folks are taking the action to London tonight.<doc-sep>
WASHINGTON — Looking for classified information about Sunday's "Mission: Impossible – Fallout" premiere? You've come to the right place. And good news, this post won't self-destruct in a matter of seconds. Stars of the franchise's sixth installment turned out for the U.S. premiere at the National Air and Space Museum. Here are five bits of intel we gathered at the event: 1. Tom Cruise's ankle, which he broke on the set, is on the mend. Cruise, who stars in the series as Impossible Missions Force agent Ethan Hunt, told USA TODAY his ankle is "doing really well." He added: "Still healing, but good." Last August, production for the movie went on hiatus when Cruise was injured jumping off the roof of a building and colliding with the wall of another. He was supposed to fall short of the next roof on which his character intended to land, Cruise explained Sunday. "It was a hard hit, and I was trying to mitigate the hit," he said. "I thought, 'Well, I'm just going to touch my foot,' and I just kept it there for, really, a split-second too long, to try to soften the impact of the side of the wall." Cruise said he knew immediately he'd broken his ankle, but thought he should finish the shot anyway. "I was like, 'It's broken, I know it's broken, just keep going and run past the camera so that we have the shot,' " he said. "That was the first thing I thought: Just get through the shot." Cruise said his injury hasn't scared him away from doing his own stunts. "When you're doing these things, stuff like that happens," he said simply. Christopher McQuarrie, who returns from the fifth installment to direct "Fallout," endorses Cruise's decision. "It would cease to be 'Mission: Impossible' if he didn't do his own stunts. Then, anybody could do it," he said, joking that the franchise would then be more like "Mission: Obviously Possible." More:Tom Cruise details insane 'Mission: Impossible' jump stunt at 25,000 feet, done 106 times 2. Henry Cavill isn't shaken by #Mustachegate. Cavill's character, August Walker, has facial hair in the film, which had to be digitally removed from "Justice League" when reshoots for the superhero movie overlapped with "Fallout" filming. Naturally, Twitter had a field day with what was dubbed #Mustachegate. Cavill, who plays Superman, didn't anticipate there would be such a big reaction. "People get excited about all sorts of things, it just happen to be my mustache this time around," he said. If you're wondering if the hullabaloo makes him more wary of facial hair choices now, the answer is "no." 3. Michelle Monaghan and Rebecca Ferguson became great friends during filming. At the premiere, the actresses embraced each other for photos. Monaghan, whose frock had a bright green bow in the back, joked to Ferguson, clad in a red dress, that the two looked like Christmas. Ferguson jokingly gave her friend a tutorial on how to pose without a double chin and threw her head back and began to laugh. Monaghan gushed over her pal on the carpet. "I think (Ferguson) was one of the best things that came out of this latest movie," she said. "To meet her and hang out with her, and I consider her a dear friend now." 4. Wolf Blitzer dished on his casting. "It came about because the producers and director and everyone said, 'You know what? Wolf Blitzer would be good in this scene,' " the journalist recalled on how he was cast to play himself in the movie. "They called me through my agent, and it took about a nanosecond for me to say 'Yes, of course.' " "The Situation Room" host said filming his bit in England was "very different" than his gig on CNN. "I was thrilled to do it," said Blitzer, who has also appeared in "House of Cards" and "Skyfall." 5. Tom Terrific surprised fans. For those fans who attended the premiere and thought getting a selfie with the film's star himself was a "Mission: Impossible," guess again. As the red carpet was dying down, Cruise surprised fans in attendance by returning to the carpet, posing for pictures and signing autographs. This reporter witnessed him giving two lucky fans kisses on the cheek. Cruise wasn't the only actor to visit with the crowd: Monaghan and Cavill also spent quite a bit of time interacting with the adoring public.