Simon Pegg and Pom Klementieff Share Their Experience Meeting Tom Cruise and Joining His Exclusive Coconut Cake List

Published: May 22, 2025

Simon Pegg and Pom Klementieff are sharing what it's like to work with and befriend Tom Cruise. During a panel discussion with PEOPLE's General Manager and Editor-in-Chief Charlotte Triggs, the actors shared their first memories of meeting Cruise.

Meeting Tom Cruise

"The first time I met him was at a screen test. He's very lovely, he's very warm and he looks you in the eye," Klementieff said. "It's just like he's always like 300% with the person he speaks to. So it's always amazing."

Pegg, who joined the Mission: Impossible series nearly 20 years ago, recalled how he was called by the movie's director J.J. Abrams to join the cast. "I had never made a film in Hollywood. I'd only been to L.A. once, and I rocked up," Pegg said, noting that he was "very hungover" on his flight from the U.K. to Los Angeles for his audition.

"I got on the set, I sat down and then Tom and [Ving Rhames] came out of this door on the set and just came over and went, 'Hey, how's it going? Nice to meet you.' And action," Pegg said. "And I was like, 'What the f--- is going on here?' But Tom was super sweet. Pom's absolutely right. When he fixes his gaze on you, it's like someone shining a very powerful spotlight in your eyes because he makes the moment all about you. He's very keen. . . He doesn't really want to talk about himself."

Tom Cruise's Coconut Cake Tradition

Cruise is famous for sending friends a coconut cake for the holidays. "Oh, yeah. I like to slice it and freeze it," Klementieff said, when asked if she and Pegg are on Cruise's list of cake recipients. "And then I eat it frozen because it makes it less sweet and it's great with the coffee in the morning. And then you start the day with a lot of energy."

Check out more celebrity news and updates on Neil Patrick Harris, James Corden, and Bobby Cannavale Team Up for Broadway's Art, JoJo Siwa and Chris Hughes Spark Romance Rumors with Cuddly Photos on Mexican Getaway, and Helen Mirren Dazzles at Cannes Film Festival with Jaw-Dropping 400-Carat Necklace

90 Day Fiancé Alum Ben Rathbun Dies at 55

Dean Butler Believes Michael Landon Didn't Receive the Respect He Deserved in the Industry

Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning is in theaters May 23.

Additional reporting by Seyanna Barrett and Robbie Moscato-Goodpaster.