Tom Cruise on Monday met the president of Ukraine to talk about locations for a new film.
Cruise, who met with Volodymyr Zelenskiy, appeared on televised footage in the country as untroubled by the Ukrainian leader’s role in recent explosive allegations that President Donald Trump sought his help in digging up dirt on potential Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden.
In the footage, Cruise is seen dressed in a sweater and jeans chatting to Zelenskiy, a former actor and TV comic who was elected president of the ex-Soviet country earlier this year.
Details of Monday night’s meeting in Kiev, released Tuesday by the Ukrainian president’s press service, revealed that “Cruise told Zelenskiy that he was interested in Ukrainian locations for the filming of one of his new film projects.”
The statement did not elaborate on the subject matter or title of the movie.
Zelenskiy stressed that Ukraine had recently adopted a tax-rebate system for film producers to help attract international projects to the country.
Footage of the meeting showed the two men relaxed and cheerful in each other’s company, with Zelenskiy telling Cruise he was “good looking” and the actor replying that “it pays the rent.”
Cruise impressed fans by taking a ride on the Kiev subway, and there was speculation on social media that he was in Ukraine to shoot the seventh film in the Mission: Impossible series.
