{"id":272340,"date":"2025-04-02T16:25:08","date_gmt":"2025-04-02T16:25:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2025\/04\/02\/how-tom-cruises-simple-trick-helped-marvel-star-hayley-atwell-overcome-social-anxiety-if-youre-scared-of-something\/"},"modified":"2025-04-02T16:25:09","modified_gmt":"2025-04-02T16:25:09","slug":"how-tom-cruises-simple-trick-helped-marvel-star-hayley-atwell-overcome-social-anxiety-if-youre-scared-of-something","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2025\/04\/02\/how-tom-cruises-simple-trick-helped-marvel-star-hayley-atwell-overcome-social-anxiety-if-youre-scared-of-something\/","title":{"rendered":"How Tom Cruise\u2019s simple trick helped Marvel star Hayley Atwell overcome social anxiety: \u2018If you\u2019re scared of something\u2026\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Marvel star Hayley Atwell recently revealed in a podcast appearance how Tom Cruise\u2019s advice helped her cope with social anxiety. Known for playing Peggy Carter in the superhero franchise, Atwell made her Mission: Impossible debut with Dead Reckoning in 2023 . Despite her decades-long career, the 42-year-old admitted that nerves can still creep in. While speaking on Reign With Josh Smith, she credited the Top Gun star for sharing a powerful tip that changed the way she approaches anxious moments in social settings.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n

\u201cSocial anxiety is something a lot of people talk about these days, and many experience it at some point,\u201d Atwell said. \u201cFor me, it manifests as overthinking. If you walk into a room and feel the anxieties coming, it makes me want to retreat into myself,\u201d she continued. \u201cI start questioning\u2014\u2018Do I look weird? Do I seem awkward?\u2019 And then I retreat into myself.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Also read: Tom Cruise says he \u2018passed out\u2019 while hanging from upside down plane for Mission: Impossible 8: \u2018Couldn\u2019t get back into the cockpit\u2019<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

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Hayley Atwell, who is set to return for the next and possibly last installment of Mission: Impossible<\/a>, reprising her role as Grace, revealed how Tom Cruise encouraged her to do the opposite of what her anxiety dictated. Instead of withdrawing, he suggested she confront the fear head-on. \u201cTom said, \u2018Try looking out. Look around the room and find the thing that\u2019s making you feel insecure,\u2019\u201d Atwell recalled. \u201cWhere is the thing that I have attached to my insecurity? Is it that person over there that reminds me of my school bully? That person over there didn\u2019t give me a job once? That person over there that I think was mean to me once?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Also read | \u2018Tom Cruise has in his contract that you cannot look into his eyes\u2019: Mira Nair claims this rule applies to \u2018aam log\u2019 on his sets<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

By keeping a tap on the source of anxiety, Atwell found that she could give it a name, making it feel less overwhelming. \u201cIf I look at it long enough, I can identify what it actually is,\u201d she explained. \u201cMaybe I\u2019m feeling jealous, lonely, or intimidated by someone\u2019s confidence. But once I name it, the vague sense of unease disappears. That\u2019s when I actually have the power to do something about it.\u201d Cruise summed up his prep talk with a simple but effective mantra: \u201cIf you\u2019re scared of something, just keep looking at it, and it will often give you information about what to do to overcome it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Directed by Christopher McQuarrie, Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning Part One hit theatres in 2023. However, despite the Tom Cruise factor, the film\u2019s box office numbers were underwhelming, grossing just $571 million worldwide. But, despite the setback, one thing that did land well with audiences was the on-screen chemistry between Cruise and Hayley Atwell.<\/span><\/p>\n

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The film marked Atwell\u2019s debut in the <\/span>Mission: Impossible<\/span> franchise, where she played a mysterious and highly skilled agent. But beyond the action-packed sequences and professional spotlight, Atwell has always spoken fondly of Cruise. In a past interview with The Guardian, she called him \u201cvery kind, very professional\u201d and admitted that working with him felt like a one-of-a-kind experience. \u201cWhen I started, I was aware of the rarefied air around him\u2014there\u2019s no one like him,\u201d she shared. \u201cActors aren\u2019t made like him anymore. He\u2019s a one-man studio, and because of that, I felt like I could try new things without fear of failure.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

With Mission: Impossible \u2013 The Final Reckoning arriving this summer, fans can expect another action-packed showdown, with Hayley Atwell and Tom Cruise sharing the screen once again.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n