Simon Pegg got emotional as he spoke about Tom Cruise and revealed what made him ‘shed a tear.’

The actor, 55, who has just finished working on the final Mission: Impossible film, has reprised his role as field agent and Ethan Hunt’s (Tom) close friend, Benji Dunn. 

Speaking on The Chris Evans Breakfast Show with The National Lottery on Virgin Radio UK, Simon admitted it was ‘incredibly emotional’ leaving behind 20 years of his life. 

He said: ‘Obviously everyone always talks about the stunts, but at the heart of the movie, it’s incredibly sort of emotional. 

‘For all the characters everybody gets an arc, everybody gets a really sort of powerful emotional beat and it’s moving. 

‘I shed a tear and I think partly because it’s been 20 years of my life and partly because it genuinely gets to you, there’s some real moments in it.’ 

Simon Pegg got emotional as he spoke about Tom Cruise and revealed what made him ‘shed a tear’ 

The actor, 55, who has just finished working on the final Mission: Impossible film, has reprised his role as field agent and Ethan Hunt’s (Tom) close friend, Benji Dunn

Host Chris replied: ‘You’re tearing up just talking about it. I can see you glazing over.’ 

Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, will screen this week at Cannes Film Festival on May 14, bringing an end to the film franchise which began in 1996.  

Elsewhere, Tom delighted fans with a wide-ranging discussion about his lengthy career on Sunday at the British Film Insтιтute’s IMAX building in London. 

During his conversation in front of fans, he admitted that he joined the Mission: Impossible franchise for Brian De Palma’s first entry in 1996 because he hoped to transform the action genre after a string of critically acclaimed performance that raised his profile in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

‘It was about looking at Mission and thinking, “What can we do with action?”‘ he said, via ᴅᴇᴀᴅline. 

‘It was about how I can evolve action and storytelling and imbue that kind of storytelling with greater amounts of emotion. That’s my interest. So I studied stunts and different cameras to develop my abilities and develop the technology.’

He added that, though he didn’t have a formal education in acting or film, he was able to work closely with major filmmakers — like Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg — and iconic actors — including The Color Of Money costar Paul Newman — to teach him about his craft.

Tom noted that earlier in his career he would ‘force the studios’ to send him abroad on various projects so he could learn how movies were made outside of the United States.

Speaking on The Chris Evans Breakfast Show with The National Lottery on Virgin Radio UK, Simon admitted it was ‘incredibly emotional’ leaving behind 20 years of his life (pictured with Tom in 2011’s Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol)

He said: ‘I shed a tear and I think partly because it’s been 20 years of my life and partly because it genuinely gets to you, there’s some real moments in it’ 

‘At the time, Hollywood was very Hollywood. It was about America, but I was very much about the global,’ he said.

Read More Tom Cruise makes rare comment about ex Nicole Kidman

The Collateral star even claimed that he introduced Hollywood studios to the idea of holding red-carpet premieres in other countries to help promote and grow film culture across the world. 

He went on to recall his time working on A Few Good Men and his ‘extraordinary experience’ filming its climactic courthouse scene with Jack Nicholson.

Cruise said bigwigs from around Hollywood would drop by the studio in LA to see him and Nicholson sparring on stage.

He also explained his decision to turn down a sequel to his blockbuster action film Top Gun (1986) because he wanted to make different kinds of films and diversify himself as an actor.

‘My goals are endless,’ he reportedly said to hearty applause.

The Chris Evans Breakfast Show with The National Lottery on Virgin Radio UK.