Tom Cruise Took Over Star Wars: Starfighter for a Day — Now Ryan Gosling Regrets It

Tom Cruise took the helm on Star Wars: Starfighter for a day — and Ryan Gosling missed it. On Happy Sad Confused, Gosling admitted he still regrets not being on set when Cruise showed up.

Ryan Gosling just told a story about his upcoming Star Wars movie that sounds like a prank the universe played on him: Tom Cruise dropped in to the set, grabbed a camera, and shot an action scene… on the one day Gosling wasn’t there.

Tom Cruise shows up. By helicopter. Of course.

Gosling says he was grinding straight through the shoot with only a single day off. Naturally, that’s when Tom Cruise decided to make an entrance. Director Shawn Levy sent Gosling proof: photos of Cruise and co-star Flynn Gray, caked in mud and in the middle of the action.

'I wasn’t there, it’s the one day I’m not there.'

According to Gosling, the crew was rolling when they heard the thump of rotors, had to cut, and watched Cruise land right on the set. No cameo, no press stop — he reportedly took a camera and started shooting the sequence himself, wading into the muck to film Flynn like it was just another day at the office.

'They were just shooting, and they heard a helicopter, they had to cut, and it’s just Tom Cruise.'

What actually happened that day

• Crew hears a helicopter overhead mid-scene and halts the take.
• Tom Cruise lands directly on the set and jumps into the action.
• He grabs a camera and films an action beat in the mud with Flynn Gray.
• Shawn Levy sends Gosling photos to prove he didn’t hallucinate it.

Gosling’s Star Wars nostalgia is real (and embroidered)

For what it’s worth, Gosling’s been riding this one since childhood. He says his first-ever bedsheets were Star Wars, and he brought those exact sheets to his trailer for the shoot. His mom kept them all these years, then handed them back when he signed on. The production even spotlighted that detail when the film was announced, which tells you how baked-in his fandom is.

'The first sheets I ever had were Star Wars, and I had them in my trailer when I made the movie.'

The movie

Shawn Levy is directing, Gosling is starring, and the film is set for a 2027 release with an ensemble cast. Specific plot details are still locked up, but if Cruise’s muddy pop-in is any hint, the set has already seen some wild days. Gosling missed the wildest one. Tough break.