Actor Tom Cruise has now addressed his big social distancing rant on set of Mission: Impossible 7 at Warner Bros Studios.

Leaked audio captured Cruise hurling profanity and threatening crew members that supposedly broke social distancing rules on set at Warner Bros Studios in Leavesden, as he threatened if they did it again, they’d be “f***ing gone”.

Following the rant in December, there were reports of a “tense” atmosphere at production and five crew members had quit in response.

The initial dispute happened after Cruise noticed two employees were sat together at a computer screen.

Now speaking to Empire, the three-time Oscar nominee addressed the rant and admitted “I said what I said”.

Speaking to the magazine, he said: “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.”

The actor reportedly cited a surge in Covid-19 cases in Watford and England as the reason for his frustration.

He continued: “All those emotions were going through my mind. I was thinking about the people I work with, and my industry. 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.”

Tom Cruise took a break early from filming in December after the rant (Photo: Paramount Pictures)

Tom Cruise took a break early from filming in December after the rant (Photo: Paramount Pictures)

Cruise implied that the intimidation appeared to have worked, as filming was “never shut down again” after.

Filming for Mission: Impossible 7 and 8 restarted at Warner Bros Studios in Leavesden and other parts of the UK in July under strict coronavirus restrictions.

But when Cruise saw two crew members sat close together watching a computer screen, he began to shout.

In the leak he threatened: “If I see you do it again, you’re f****** gone. And if anyone in this crew does it, that’s it – and you too and you too.

“And you, don’t you ever f****** do it again.”

During the rant, Cruise appeared to claim a lot of responsibility for the wellbeing of staff and continuing production, as he said: “They’re back in Hollywood making movies right now because of us.

“We are creating thousands of jobs, you motherf***ers.”

Crew members with Tom Cruise during filming at North York Moors (Photo: PA)

Crew members with Tom Cruise during filming at North York Moors (Photo: PA)

“I’m on the phone with every f***ing studio at night, insurance companies, producers and they’re looking at us and using us to make their movies,” he shouted. “That’s it. No apologies. You can tell it to the people that are losing their f***ing homes because our industry is shut down.”

He continued: “It’s not going to put food on their table or pay for their college education. That’s what I sleep with every night – the future of this f***ing industry.”

While the dispute seemed to come in the best interest for safety of crew members and continuing production, it appears other members didn’t take the reaction well as five members are said to have quit in response.

The film had already gone under many delays due to coronavirus, including production halting after twelve people tested positive on set in Italy.

Mission: Impossible 7 is now scheduled to appear in cinemas in May 2022 after a set of delays in theatrical releases due to Covid-19.