Tom Cruise: MAN ON A MISSION

THE ACTOR STOPPED AT NOTHING TO MAKE M:1 7 AND 8 AND TOP GUN: MAVERICK. NOW HE'S FEELING THE PRESSURE.

TOM CRUISE's exceedingly high standards are the stuff of Hollywood legend. It's a trait the 59-year-old traces back to his hardscrabble childhood in upstate New York. "I've always had a great work ethic," he told UK talk show host Graham Norton last spring. "I've had jobs since I was a little kid, shoveling snow and [delivering] newspapers, selling cards door-to-door to make money. And I liked it. I liked working."

Over the past few years, that's become crystal clear. Despite the pandemic, Tom has churned out three films, Mission: Impossible 7 and M:18, plus the long-awaited sequel Top Gun: Maverick, out May 27. And he demands the same of his casts and crew, as his viral tirade over COVID safety protocol showed, not to mention the intense training he put his Top Gun wannabe fighter pilots through. As an insider tells Star, "When Tom says jump, he expects people to say 'how high?"

ALL WORK, NO PLAY