Ben Stiller ditched his honeymoon for Tom Cruise as he simply couldn’t miss out on the opportunity of parodying the superstar in front of his face.

Apart from his charm and jaw-dropping acting skills, Tom Cruise is known for the fact that he does his own stunts in his films, no matter how dangerous it might be. From being in a car crash in Collateral to driving a motorbike off a cliff, Tom Cruise has done it all and it really doesn’t seem to be stopping anytime soon.

Tom Cruise in Mission: Impossible II (2000) | Credits: Paramount Pictures

However, even someone of Tom Cruise’s caliber needs a helping hand and that’s when Ben Stiller comes in, or should we say Tom Crooze? When the MTV Movie Awards’ producer reached out to Ben Stiller to shoot a comedy skit for the ceremony where he would play the role of Tom Cruise’s stunt double, Ben Stiller couldn’t say no to the opportunity. Even if it meant cutting his honeymoon short.

Ben Stiller Left His Honeymoon for a Skit

Ben Stiller as Tom Crooze | Credits: MTV

The year was 2001 and Tom Cruise had just been seen in Mission: Impossible II (2000). Needless to say, the action flick was nominated for a handful of awards including two MTV Movie Awards – Best Male Performance and Best Action Sequence.

In order to spice things up, MTV Movie Awards producer Joel Gallen wanted Cruise to be a part of the ceremony. However, due to prior commitments, the superstar couldn’t say yes to the request. In a conversation with MTV, Gallen stated (via Unilad),

I very much wanted Tom Cruise to be on the Movie Awards. But then he realized he had already committed to be at the [Mission: Impossible II] premiere someplace in Korea, so there was no way he could be at our show that night.

The producers ended up settling for a short skit starring Cruise which they could air during the award function instead. However, there was yet another obstacle in the way – they really needed Ben Stiller to step up.

Ben Stiller and Tom Cruise in MTV’s Mission: Impossible II parody | Credits: MTV

However, as luck would have it, Stiller was busy on his honeymoon with Christine Taylor. But when Gallen requested him to cut his vacation short, Stiller complied and the skit became a reality.

I wrote Ben an e-mail: ‘I know it’s your honeymoon and everything but what if you came back two days early? What do you think?’

Stiller replied that he really did “want to do this film” and thus, he and his wife packed their bags and headed back to America earlier than expected. Talk about priorities, right?

Tom Cruise Couldn’t Help but Laugh at the Absurdity of All

A still from the comedy skit | Credits: MTV

Back in 1990, Stiller parodied various actors for The Ben Stiller Show and Cruise was one of them. Therefore, when the chance came to parody the superstar right in front of his face, the Greenberg actor couldn’t pass the opportunity.

Luckily, Cruise was a great sport and the two had fun shooting the hilarious skit where Stiller played the role of Tom Crooze, the actor’s stunt double. Or as he likes to call it, “one-ble.”

Towards the end of the skit, Cruise and Stiller just turn to each other and erupt in laughter. As it turns out, that scene had a bit of authenticity to it. Stiller stated,

I never had the experience of actually doing him to his face, and he was sitting at the monitor and he started cracking up watching and I knew it was OK. The part where we’re both laughing is kinda real, because we’re both laughing at the absurdity of the moment.

The skit begins with Tom Crooze “filming” the rock-climbing scene from Mission: Impossible II. Not only does Crooze interrupt rehearsals with his own absurd two cents but he also claims to know Cruise better than anyone else.

According to Crooze, stunt doubles need to “become one” with the actor, including walking and talking like them and maybe even legally changing their name to sound like them. Watch the skit below:

Stiller sure did an incredible job at parodying Cruise. One would say that he perfected the essence of Hollywood’s superstar right down to the T including his laugh and hand movements.

Mission: Impossible II is available to watch on Paramount+.