Tom Cruise addresses that Covid rant on the set of 'Mission: Impossible': 'I said what I said'

The actor's fury-filled exchange on the set of the blockbuster went viral in December

Tom Cruise during the shooting of 'Mission: Impossible 7' at Piazza di Spagna in Rome, during the Covid-19 pandemic. EPA

Cruise stands next to a yellow vintage car during the filming of the movie 'Mission: Impossible 7' at the Monti district in Rome, Italy. EPA

Cruise has been filming in Italy since October. EPA

US actor Tom Cruise wears a face mask while talk to a person during the filming of the movie 'Mission: Impossible 7'. EPA

The film is currently scheduled for release in November 2021. EPA

The film is being shot under the working title 'Libra'. EPA

'Mission: Impossible 7' was scheduled to begin filming in Italy and England in February and March respectively. EPA

However but shoots were delayed as the countries went into coronavirus lockdowns. EPA

'Mission" Impossible 7' has been written and directed by Christopher McQuarrie. EPA

Tom Cruise has spoken out over that Covid-19 safety rant on the set of Mission: Impossible 7, a furious exchange with crew members that went viral.

In a recording obtained by The Sun, Cruise let rip over an apparent breach of Covid-19 safety protocols, telling crew members they would be fired if they didn't obey the rules.

"Do you understand the responsibility that you have? Because I will deal with your reason. And if you can’t be reasonable and I can’t deal with your logic, you’re fired," Cruise told the crew on the set in December.

Cruise told the crew Hollywood was relying on films such as the Mission: Impossible series to keep the beleaguered industry going.

"We want the gold standard. They’re back there in Hollywood making movies right now because of us! Because they believe in us and what we’re doing," he said, according to the audio tape.

And now in an interview with Empire magazine, Cruise has addressed the clip for the first time. "I said what I said," he told the publication.

He also said that a surge in Covid-19 cases in the UK in December was the trigger for his frustration, and that the rant was not aimed at the whole crew, but certain members of the team.

“There was a lot at stake at that point. But it wasn’t my entire crew. I had the crew leave the set and it was just select people,” he said.

The actor said that when production was able to reopen, “all those emotions were going through my mind”.

“I was thinking about the people I work with, and my industry,” he said. “And for the whole crew to know that we’d started rolling on a movie was just a huge relief. It was very emotional, I gotta tell you.”

The seventh Mission: Impossible was one of the first films to shut down production because of the coronavirus when it abandoned filming in Venice, in February 2020.

Production resumed in September, with filming in Italy, Norway, London and Abu Dhabi. It has faced several delays, but is now due for release in May 2022.