Tom Cruise Turned Down Kiss Scene with Co-Star in $410M Flop
Annabelle Wallis reveals the awkward moment when Tom Cruise rejected their romantic scene during The Mummy filming, leaving her embarrassed in front of hundreds of crew members.
When Annabelle Wallis signed on to star opposite Tom Cruise in 2017's The Mummy reboot, she probably expected at least one romantic moment with Hollywood's biggest action star. Instead, she got publicly rejected in front of 900 people on set.
The British actress shared the cringe-worthy story during an appearance on Conan, describing how excited she was for what she thought would be a highlight of filming. Her enthusiasm quickly turned to mortification when Cruise decided the kissing scene didn't work for the story.
"I arrive on set and am like c'mon Tom, it's about to be the best day of your life. And then he goes, 'Yeah about that. Alex, can we have a chat? I'm not feeling that. I'm not feeling the kissing scene.' And he talked himself out of kissing me in front of 900 people. Can you imagine what I felt like? Not good."
When Star Power Couldn't Save a Doomed Franchise
The Mummy was supposed to launch Universal's Dark Universe, a monster movie franchise that would rival Marvel's success. With Cruise headlining the project, studio executives felt confident they had a guaranteed hit. The reality proved far different.
Despite a massive budget estimated between $125-195 million, the film struggled to connect with audiences worldwide. Director Alex Kurtzman's vision transformed the classic monster story into a generic action vehicle, stripping away much of what made the original Brendan Fraser trilogy so beloved.
The movie earned $410 million globally, which sounds impressive until you factor in marketing costs and theater splits. For a film meant to kickstart an entire cinematic universe, those numbers spelled disaster for Universal's ambitious plans.
Chemistry Problems Beyond the Missing Kiss
Wallis and Cruise's lack of romantic chemistry became glaringly obvious throughout the final cut. Where Fraser and Rachel Weisz sparked genuine connection in the 1999 version, these two leads felt like they were reading lines from completely different scripts.
The forced dialogue and awkward intimate moments highlighted a fundamental problem with the reboot's approach. Instead of developing character relationships, the film prioritized elaborate action sequences and special effects over emotional storytelling.
Ironically, Wallis has praised Cruise for actually saving her life during a dangerous zero-gravity stunt sequence. Their professional relationship worked fine behind the cameras, but translating that into believable romance proved impossible.
The failed Dark Universe experiment serves as a reminder that star power alone can't overcome poor storytelling choices. Sometimes even Tom Cruise's dedication to his craft isn't enough to rescue a project that was flawed from the start.