Tom Cruise dodges tariff talk during Seoul Mission Impossible promo

"Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning" will have its world premiere at the 78th Cannes Film Festival. It's one of the most anticipated events of the year. The budget, reaching hundreds of millions of dollars, shows just how dedicated Tom Cruise is to his beloved cinematic project. During his time in Seoul, he spoke about the newest entry in the franchise. A Korean reporter at the conference asked him:

"I’d like to ask this question to anybody who’s up for it. I watched this film and I saw that it was filmed in many different locations around the world, including Africa. Of course, we all are aware of the tariffs that President Trump has been imposing on overseas productions and films. So, is this particular movie under that tariff? And how much of the film was shot overseas?"

The issue the journalist addressed is a hot topic in Hollywood. Donald Trump announced the introduction of 100% tariffs on all film and television productions not made in the USA. This could shake the industry to its core because many films are made in Europe due to tax incentives.

As reported by Variety, upon hearing the question translated into English, Cruise turned to the translator off-microphone, but he could still be overheard saying, "We’d rather answer questions about the movie. Thank you."

The discussion moderator then replied, "I think that's a fair answer."

One might disagree with that response, as questions about where the latest "Mission Impossible" was shot and whether tariffs were imposed are relevant to the film. Cruise is probably wary of the Trump topic and doesn't want to publicly engage in a dispute with the politician, who is known to use his power against opponents. Additionally, it's clear that Cruise is concerned about cinema attendance, so he prefers not to provoke Trump supporters, which is not difficult to do in the current U.S. political climate.