NCIS: Origins star Caleb Foote recently dished on the Top Gun legend’s casual drop-in to the NCIS prequel set back in October, which happens to film right on the Paramount Studios lot in Los Angeles.
Foote told PopCulture he “didn’t believe it at first” when he heard Cruise was nearby.
“We were hanging out in interrogation. That’s where our cast holding was,” he recalled to the outlet. “And Jake, our PA, said, ‘Tom Cruise is in the secretary…’ And I was like, ‘What?’ It didn’t even register as a real sentence. Those words have never been said before. And then he said it again, and he was dead serious this time. He said, ‘Tom Cruise is in the secretary pool.’ So then we went in there, and he was just holding court with our whole crew. It was so amazing.”
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“I think that’s the perk of shooting somewhere as legendary as the Paramount Lot. I think that’s the beauty of shooting in Los Angeles,” Foote continued. “And I think that’s what makes it so special.
“It’s just one of these once-in-a-lifetime moments where Tom Cruise is just so excited to be on set,” the actor added. “And I wouldn’t say appear because it’s Tom freaking Cruise, but where you can have these genuine conversations face to face, and then pop into the scene, and then come back, and then keep talking to the legend that is Tom Cruise.”
Meanwhile, Austin Stowell, who plays young Gibbs on the series, was also clearly moved by the visit. At the time, he reposted a photo of himself and Cruise on his Instagram Stories. His caption read, “Gibbs & Hunt, NCIS: Impossible,” referencing Cruise’s character, Ethan Hunt, from the Mission: Impossible films.
NCIS: Origins has been renewed for Season 3, and filming is slated to begin this July. As for what’s in store for the new season, both on-screen and off, it’s anyone’s guess. Topping a surprise visit from Tom Cruise, though? That’s a mission that might be impossible.
Seasons 1 and 2 of NCIS: Origins are streaming on Paramount+. Season 3 will premiere this fall.