Tom Cruise made headlines earlier this week when a piece of audio recording was published online in which the actor can be heard furiously unloading on a couple of crew members of his upcoming Mission Impossible film who were standing too close to each other during filming. Now, in an interview with Howard Stern, actor and filmmaker George Clooney has voiced his support for Cruise given the seriousness of the matter of social distancing.

"[Tom] didn't overreact because it is a problem. I have a friend who's an AD on another TV show who just had the almost exact same thing happen with not quite as far out a response. I wouldn't have done it that big. I wouldn't have, you know, pulled people out. You're in a position of power and it's tricky, right? You do have a responsibility for everybody else and he's absolutely right about that."

"And, you know, if the production goes down, a lot of people lose their jobs. People have to understand that and have to be responsible. It's just not my style to, you know, to take everybody to task that way. I understand why he did it. He's not wrong at all about that. You know, I just, I don't know that I would have done it quite that personally, but I don't know all the circumstances so maybe he had it 10 or 15 times before."

The online reaction to Cruise's Mission: Impossible 7 set rant has been divided, with some applauding the actor for taking the health of his crew so seriously, while others accused him of being unnecessarily bullying. You can read the first part of the actor's speech below.

"We want the gold standard. They're back there in Hollywood making movies right now because of us! Because they believe in us and what we're doing! 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. We are creating thousands of jobs you motherf***ers. I don't ever want to see it again, ever! And if you don't do it you're fired, if I see you do it again you're f***ing gone. "And if anyone on this crew does it - that's it, and you too and you too. And you, don't you ever f***ing do it again. 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. 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! So I'm sorry I am beyond your apologies. I have told you and now I want it and if you don't do it you're out. We are not shutting this f***ing movie down! Is it understood?"

Mission: Impossible 7 stars Tom Cruise, Simon Pegg, Rebecca Ferguson, Vanessa Kirby, Henry Czerny, Esai Morales, Hayley Atwell, Pom Klementieff and Shea Whigham. The film arrives in theaters on November 19, 2021, while Mission: Impossible 8 releases on November 4, 2022. This news was first reported at E! Online following George Clooney's interview on Howard Stern.