Ryan Gosling Missed Tom Cruise Dropping in on the Set of STAR WARS: STARFIGHTER
Ryan Gosling just shared a pretty funny behind-the-scenes story from his time working on his Star Wars: Starfighter film project, and it involves none other than Tom Cruise showing up in the most Tom Cruise way possible, and Gosling wasn’t even there to see it happen.
While a guest on the Happy Sad Confused podcast with Josh Horowitz, Gosling revealed that Cruise happened to visit the set on the only day he decided to take off during production. Talk about bad timing.
“I wasn’t there, it’s the one day I’m not there.”
That one missed day turned into a story that sounds straight out of an action movie. Gosling explained that he had been working nonstop, so stepping away for that single day meant missing a completely unexpected moment.
Director Shawn Levy made sure Gosling knew exactly what he missed. He sent photos from set featuring Cruise alongside co-star Flynn Gray, covered in mud mid-scene.
“Shawn sends me a picture of him and Tom Cruise and Flynn in the mud.”
The entire thing went down without warning. The crew was in the middle of filming when they suddenly heard a helicopter approaching.
“They were just shooting, and they heard a helicopter, they had to cut, and it’s just Tom Cruise.”
Because of course it is.
Cruise didn’t just stop by to say hello either. He went full Cruise mode the second he touched down.
“He lands in the middle of the set, he takes a camera and just starts shooting the action scene.”
Gosling said there’s even footage of Cruise in the mud filming Flynn, which would be cool to see, so hopefully they share that one day.
As chaotic and awesome as that moment sounds, Gosling had his own personal connection to the galaxy far, far away that he did get to experience. He shared a nostalgic detail that adds a surprisingly sweet layer to the whole production.
“The first sheets I ever had were Star Wars, and I had them in my trailer when I made the movie.”
Turns out his mom held onto those childhood sheets and gave them back to him when he landed the role. That’s a pretty perfect full-circle moment for anyone who grew up loving the franchise.
The upcoming Star Wars film, directed by Levy, is set to hit theaters in 2027.