Twisters director unaware of Tom Cruise surpriseMike Coppola – Getty Images

Twisters director Lee Isaac Chung has revealed he had no idea about Tom Cruise’s surprise appearance at the movie’s premiere.

The actor made an unannounced stop at the film’s London premiere in Leicester Square last week (July 8) to support his former Top Gun: Maverick co-star Glen Powell.

And fans were delighted as Cruise took to Instagram to share a smiling snap of himself and Powell holding popcorn inside the cinema.

“Fun night with friends, watching a movie!!” read the caption.

But, speaking on the Inside Total Film podcast, Chung explained that he was just as taken aback as the rest of the world when Cruise arrived.

“I didn’t know he was going to be there,” he said. “He was very kind. He said hello before the film, and I was able to say hi to him.

“I could just see how much affection he had for Glen in that moment, when we were all backstage. It seems like there’s a real, genuine, deep friendship there. So that was really beautiful to see.”

JC Olivera – Getty Images

The director went on to explain he “kept on watching Tom” during the movie as he was “curious” to see how he was reacting, adding: “I would see that he keeps on leaning forward and touching somebody.

“And I was like, ‘Who’s that?’ and then I realise he’s actually patting Anthony Ramos on the back in various scenes. I was really touched by that.”

Chung added: “He was being so supportive and loving to other fellow actors, and really acknowledging the work they were doing. So it was really cool. I gained a lot of newfound respect for him.”

Universal Pictures/Warner Bros. Pictures/Amblin Entertainment

Twisters is a standalone sequel to the ’90s classic Twister. It sees Powell and Daisy Edgar-Jones play rival storm chasers who find themselves on a collision course with multiple storm systems, leading to the fight of their lives.

The film’s cast also includes In the Heights’ Anthony Ramos, The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina’s Kiernan Shipka, Peaky Blinders’ Daryl McCormack and Nope’s Brandon Perea. Superman’s David Corenswet, Love Lies Bleeding’s Katy O’Brian and Maura Tierney also feature.

Following its London premiere, Twisters received favourable reviews from critics, with us here at Digital Spy praising the film for its “huge-scale thrilling set pieces”.