Tom Cruise’s visit to the set of the new Star Wars film apparently ended with him working as a camera operator.
In a new interview with director Shawn Levy for the New York Times, journalist Calum Marsh recounts that the Mission Impossible legend unexpectedly became part of a lightsaber duel sequence while visiting the set of Star Wars: Starfighter.
The 63-year-old actor apparently arrived from London by helicopter intending only to observe, but as Levy staged a scene involving a lightsaber fight in a muddy pond, he jokingly suggested Cruise handle one of the cameras.
Cruise took it seriously, wading into ankle deep water and filming like a professional as Levy looked on in disbelief.
"Last week Steven Spielberg was here. And now Tom Cruise is wielding a camera, ruining his very nice shoes," Levy joked. "Now when you see the movie, you'll know that part of it was shot by Tom. I mean, how cool is that?"
IGN notes that this anecdote has drawn particular attention because it confirms that Starfighter includes lightsaber battles, despite the project being positioned as a standalone story separate from the Skywalker saga.
Although details about the film remain underwraps, we know so far that it centers on a scoundrel character played by Ryan Gosling and his young nephew.
"This is a standalone. It's not a prequel, not a sequel. It's a new adventure," Levy explained last April at the Star Wars Celebration 2025 event in Tokyo, Japan. "It's set in a period of time that we haven't seen explored yet."
Star Wars: Starfighter is scheduled for release on May 28, 2027.
