The actor is shooting for the seventh installment of the Mission Impossible movie, and the family who met the star is still trying to process it. “It was surreal, I still now can’t believe it happened.”
Editor’s note: This article was originally published on August 25, 2021. It has since been updated.
When Alison Webb was informed that a helicopter would be landing in her garden, never in her wildest dreams did she think she'd get to meet Tom Cruise. Apparently, the Kinght and Day star was in the U.K. to shoot for the latest installment in the Mission Impossible series, but the closure of the local airport in Coventry caused him some minor inconvenience, reports BBC.
The family — who live in Baginton, Warwick — was only informed that an unnamed “VIP who was running late” would be using their property to land, according to Independent. Though he was late, he didn't seem to be in a rush, as he took time to pose with the bemused family for pictures. He even gave Webb's kids' helicopter rides.
How one family made Tom's Mission (Im)possible! 🚁
— BBC CWR (@BBCCWR) August 23, 2021
When Alison was asked if a helicopter could land in her back garden, she had no idea it would be Tom Cruise who stepped out!
She'll be speaking to Trish @BBCCWR after 5pm.
📻 https://t.co/SNk3i00UkQ pic.twitter.com/AnCLzscpws
"I thought it would be kind of cool for the kids to see the helicopter land in the garden," Webb said. "He [Tom Cruise] basically arrived and got out and it was like, wow."
After getting out of the copter, Cruise immediately walked over to her children and "elbow bumped" them to say hello and to thank them for their generosity. "Then he said if the kids would like they could go up in the helicopter," she said. The pilot then took her kids for a ride while Cruise attended a meeting.
It truly does seem like a movie, doesn't it? Well, Webb and her family feel the same way too, and they have a hard time digesting what's just happened. “It turned out to be an incredible day,” she said. “It was surreal, I still now can’t believe it happened.” Sure, it's normal to spot a celebrity out in public, but how many people can actually say that a star landed in their garden for an emergency? Guess Alison Webb has got bragging rights for a while!
Tom Cruise landed a helicopter in someone's backyard. NBD. 🚁🏡👀 https://t.co/X8ZXDSAWwV pic.twitter.com/cuLrSdHXD5
— K92 (@K92radio) August 24, 2021
Though Webb got to have a close and personal sighting of the Top Gun star, several others were also lucky enough to spot him from afar, as he is currently filming at Birmingham's Grand Central with co-star Hayley Atwell.
Maxine Thawley, from Nottingham, spotted them at Grand Central shopping center and said it was "exciting" to see the stars. "We saw lights and lots of people with cameras, and we couldn't work out what was going on," she said. "We walked past and had a coffee and realized it was Tom Cruise."
"I am excited to watch the film so I can say I was walking past when they were filming that scene."
A day before Cruise's surprise landing, it was reported that he went to an Indian restaurant in Birmingham, where he ordered Chicken Tikka Masala twice, reports Sky News. The restaurant, Asha's, said it was "an absolute pleasure to welcome Tom Cruise".
It was an absolute pleasure to welcome Tom Cruise to Asha's Birmingham yesterday evening 🌟
— Asha's (@Ashas_UK) August 22, 2021
Tom ordered our famous Chicken Tikka Masala and enjoyed it so much that as soon as he had finished, he ordered it all over again - The greatest compliment 😋 pic.twitter.com/gemd7QJUEg
"Tom ordered our famous chicken tikka masala and enjoyed it so much that as soon as he finished, he ordered it all over again - the greatest compliment," the restaurant said.
The seventh installment of the Mission Impossible franchise is set to release in May 2022, after numerous delays.
References:
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-birmingham-58305506
Cover Image Source: Getty Images | Photo by Clive Brunskil