Michelle Monaghan had just gotten married — when she made out with Tom Cruise.
The actor was recently interviewed for Collider by her “Family Plan” co-star Mark Wahlberg and recalled being unbelievably nervous to start filming “Mission: Impossible III” (2006). After all, Monaghan was cast as Cruise’s love interest. She was also a newlywed.
The native Iowan told Wahlberg that she “skipped” her honeymoon for the role and had to shoot “an intimate scene” with Cruise on her first day of production. Monaghan had no idea how her husband, graphic designer Peter White, would react to that when she got home.
“I was so nervous, and my husband was like, ‘Don’t worry, you’re gonna follow his lead. You’re gonna have a great time. It’s going to be wonderful,’” she told Wahlberg. “I come home at the end of the day, open up the hotel room, and he said, ‘How was it?’”
“I was like, ‘Oh my god, it was amazing. He was so nice. It was great,’” Monaghan continued. “He goes, ‘How cool is it that you were making out with Tom Cruise on our honeymoon?’ Because we’re just such fans.”
Stephane Cardinale/Corbis/Getty Images
Monaghan reportedly met White in 2000 and told Wahlberg they “discovered” their careers while living in New York City. She had only just started getting small roles on TV and recalled landing “Mission Impossible” opposite Cruise was “really special.”
Cruise was dating Katie Holmes at the time and, before marrying her the next year, appeared on “The Oprah Winfrey Show” to promote the film — only to jump on her couch. The couple welcomed a daughter in 2006 before divorcing in 2012.
Monaghan and White share two kids. She told Wahlberg that his “supportive,” “excited” and “jazzed” attitude about kissing Cruise is “a testament to the man” she married — despite the story still making her endearingly uncomfortable.
She told Wahlberg, “I can’t believe I shared that story, but it’s the truth.”
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