Stranger Things star Millie Bobby Brown recently shared a wild story about her friendship with Tom Cruise, revealing that she once flew his helicopter and has no plans to repeat the experience. The 22-year-old actress opened up about her bond with the 63-year-old action star during a conversation with Josh Horowitz at a live recording of the Happy Sad Confused podcast in New York City on June 24.
Brown confirmed that Cruise is a close friend, calling him “a wonderful man” and saying she feels “very lucky” to have him in her life. But their friendship comes with some high-flying adventures.
“He’s a dear friend. He’s a wonderful man and I’m very lucky to call him my friend.”
— Millie Bobby Brown on Tom Cruise
Tom Does The Craziest Stuff
The conversation took an entertaining turn when Brown discussed Cruise’s famous daredevil personality. The Mission: Impossible star is well known for performing his own stunts and became a licensed helicopter pilot while preparing for Mission: Impossible – Fallout in 2018.
“Tom does the craziest stuff. I think he’s trying to get me to somehow fly a plane at some point,” Brown said, laughing about her friend’s efforts to get her more involved in aviation.
This wasn’t just empty talk. Brown revealed she has already “flown his helicopter before,” but the experience wasn’t something she wants to repeat.
“I was like, ‘This is the last time I ever fly any of his equipment.’”
— Millie Bobby Brown
The admission came with a clear message: Brown is drawing a firm line when it comes to Cruise’s aircraft collection.
Millie Bobby Brown’s Stunt Work
Brown’s helicopter story connects to her own approach to action scenes in movies. She has previously called herself the “female version of Tom Cruise” because of her commitment to doing her own stunts.
During a 2024 appearance on The Drew Barrymore Show, Brown explained how she felt while filming Damsel.
“You’re just like, ‘Are we really gonna, like, am I really gonna do that stunt?’ And then that day they’re like, ‘Yep, put the harness on,’ and I just, like, did the stunt as if it wasn’t, you know, Tom Cruise-level stuff. I felt like Tom Cruise.”
The actress, who married Jake Bongiovi in May 2024, does most of her own stunts in movies. She said she wants to set an example for young girls who might want to pursue acting careers.
“I really want young girls to think they can, you know? You’ll always hear an older actor say, ‘Don’t do your own stunts,’ and I get that. But back in the day, they might have been throwing you against a wall, and now, if you get a really great stunt coordinator and you learn how to land and you learn the whole technique of it, we as actors should know how to do certain things.”
Brown also joked about her contract limitations when it comes to stunt work.
“I try to do 90% and the 10% is probably, you know, in my contract that I’m not allowed, even though I beg.”
Tom Cruise’s Helicopter Adventures With Other Stars
Brown isn’t the only Hollywood actor with a Tom Cruise helicopter story. Glen Powell, who worked with Cruise in Top Gun: Maverick, shared his own experience in a 2022 interview.
The actor said Cruise once flew him in a helicopter to London after filming reshoots, but the flight took a surprising turn.
“Tom goes ‘oh no, oh no,’ and he starts dropping the helicopter over London. I was like, ‘Am I about to be the unnamed guy that dies with Tom in a smoking hole in the middle of London?’”
Ryan Gosling also shared a story about Cruise’s helicopter habits earlier this year. According to Gosling, Cruise flew his helicopter to the set of Star Wars: Starfighter, where he helped director Shawn Levy with a lightsaber sequence.
“Tom Cruise flew his helicopter onto set. They were just shooting, and they heard a helicopter, they had to cut. And it was Tom Cruise. He lands in the middle of set. He takes a camera, and he just starts shooting the action scene.”
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The Full Podcast Episode Details
Brown’s full conversation with Horowitz will be released on the Happy Sad Confused podcast on June 29. The actress is currently promoting her upcoming projects, including Enola Holmes 3, which is set to release on July 1.
The discussion gave fans a rare look at Brown’s friendship with one of Hollywood’s biggest action stars, complete with stories about their unusual shared experiences in the sky.
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