'Maverick' Star Jay Ellis Says Tom Cruise Made Coolest Entrance Ever When They Met

Tom Cruise knows how to make an entrance, “Top Gun: Maverick ” star Jay Ellis can confirm. (Watch the video below.)

Ellis told host James Corden on Tuesday that when he met the matinee idol for the first time, Cruise orchestrated the blockbuster of introductions.

Ellis, who played Lt. Reuben “Payback” Fitch in the Oscar-nominated “Top Gun” sequel, said he was at a gathering at producer Jerry Bruckheimer’s office for a table read of the script when in came Cruise like the cinema god he is.

The double doors parted, Ellis recounted, and Cruise pulled into the office on a red motorcycle, removed his helmet with a model-like shake of his hair, put on his sunglasses, and said, “Hey, I’m Tom Cruise.”

“Everyone is like, is this a prank show?” recalled Ellis, who added that Cruise was perfectly lit by the sun as it all went down.

The moment should surprise absolutely no one. Cruise is a master of the grand gesture, whether it’s having coconut cakes flown around the world to friends and associates, skydiving as he thanks fans who watched “Maverick,” or even chewing out film crew members who violate COVID-19 safety rules. He always goes big.

Like “Mission: Impossible 2” costar Thandiwe Newton once said, Cruise is a “very dominant individual .”