Tom Cruise got recognized in public and the result was something he’ll “never forget.”

(Image credit: Paramount Pictures)

Tom Cruise is probably the biggest movie star in the world, and while that has to be pretty cool a lot of the time, as he gets to be part of the Closing Ceremonies of the Olympics, we know that extreme levels of fame often mean celebrities can’t do a lot of very “normal” stuff that they might otherwise like to do. But Tom Cruise has said he hasn’t drastically changed his life as a result of his fame, and will still do simple things like take public transportation, though that has led to some pretty funny interactions with the public.

In an interview on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Cruise related a story that sounds like it occurred while the newest Mission: Impossible movies were filming in England. Cruise said that he has taken the Tube from where he is living to the film studio, though he admits the security that stays with him is not a fan. Cruise said…

Yeah, I do go on transportation. My security loves that when I do that. The Tube in England. I do that. Like, sometimes I put on my hat and my earphones and I’ll just go in and get on the Tube if I want to get to the studio.

It sounds like the Tube is the easiest way for Cruise, who has been living in London recently, to get from point A to point B. But with all the people, Cruise’s security doesn’t love it, likely because if a mass of people recognized him, it could potentially lead to a situation where the star got mobbed. It doesn’t appear that’s ever happened, though Cruise has been recognized before.

The actor relayed a story where a teenager on the Tube recognized him. While most of the people heading home weren’t looking at the world around them, this girl did and was shocked that nobody else realized that Tom Cruise was on the train with them. Cruise continued…

Sometimes it works. During rush hour, I’ll go in and I’ll be there. I remember one time I was there and there was this 14-year-old kid, this girl was there. And everyone was looking at their phones and I just saw her, I looked over, my head’s down I got my baseball cap, and she’s just staring at me like this.

Obviously, Cruise wanted to avoid a scene, so he silently asked the girl not to say anything. She politely agreed, to keep the secret, but not without making sure she had some proof that she’d had a run in with Tom Cruise. He said…

And I looked at her, and she just looked at me and she just looked around the subway like this, and then looked back to me, and I went [puts a finger in front of lips]. And the look she gave me, she just looked around, she was like [smiling], took her iPhone and went ‘click’ and was like ‘Alright.’ I’ll never forget her.

If everybody’s reaction to seeing celebrities in public was this, it would probably be a lot easier for them to go about their lives. The interaction seems to have touched Cruise. And until Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part Two is complete, maybe people on public transit should take a moment to look around. You never know who you might see.