Tom Cruise Gave His All in Jimmy Fallon's Mad Lib Theater Mission: Impossible Edition
You didn't know you needed to hear Ethan Hunt say "doodie head."
From playing Ethan Hunt in the Mission: Impossible movies to Maverick in Top Gun and Charlie Babbitt in Rain Main, Tom Cruise could teach a master class in the art of dramatic acting. And when Cruise visited The Tonight Show in July 2018, the Hollywood icon showcased how easily he can turn it on — no matter how wild or random the script ends up being.
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Tom Cruise and Jimmy Fallon acted out a “very dramatic” Mad Libs scene on The Tonight Show
During a July 2018 appearance on The Tonight Show, Cruise joined Jimmy Fallon for an installment of his “Mad Lib Theater" series — and the actor fully committed to the challenge (though he dissolved into giggles several times). Just like the kids' word game, Fallon tasked Cruise with providing a bunch of silly words before they both acted out “a very dramatic Mad Libs scene.”
“I mean, have you seen my work?” Fallon joked to his guest.
“I have, it’s excellent,” Cruise said. “You won a Grammy.”
“Yeah, I did win a Grammy for my acting!” Fallon laughed. (He did, indeed, win the Grammy Award in 2012 for Best Comedy Album.)
Cruise provided a spectacularly random collection of nouns, phrases, and other words. Name of a cute puppy? "My little cookie." A silly word? "Pollywog." Plural type of profession? "Sanitation engineers." Curse word a first-grader would use? "Doodie-head." Something you’d scream if a spider was climbing up your leg? "C'mere, darling."
With the Mad Libs complete, Cruise and Fallon got into character inside a very Mission: Impossible-style European wooden train car, reading newspapers across from each other.
“Good evening … my little cookie,” Fallon began, making them both immediately burst out laughing.
“Special Director Pollywog,” Cruise responded, quickly back in character. “It’s good to see you again.”
“I’m here for your next mission,” Fallon said. “A criminal organization of the world’s most amazing sanitation engineers hacked into the government’s Walkman, stealing their top-secret report on vintage sneakers.”
How did Cruise respond to his mission assignment? “Come here, darling,” the actor said, trying his best to contain his laughter.
“I understand your reaction,” Fallon said in a deep voice. “The group also kidnapped your Aunt Ingrid and is holding her for a ransom of 1,000,256 sofas.”
“Where the doodie-head are we gonna get 1,000,256 sofas!?” Cruise responded while dramatically shaking his head.
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As the script continues, Cruise reveals he’ll disguise himself as Huckleberry Finn and he’ll attack the criminal sanitation engineers with a knife if necessary. He also has a team of highly humongous lemmings on standby for help.
When Fallon asked his Mad Libs co-star how he prepares for “such tense missions,” Cruise delivered the final line: “By waking up every morning, going up on the roof, and kissing, and repeating my own personal mantra: poopy-di-scoop, poopy-di-scoop.”
“And scene!” Fallon declared, fully letting out a hearty chuckle.
How to watch Jimmy Fallon's Mad Lib Theater sketches from The Tonight Show
Over the years, Fallon has welcomed several of his guests to participate in a game of Mad Lib Theater on The Tonight Show. Beyond Cruise, celebrities including Chris Pratt, Kristen Wiig, and Kerry Washington have all taken their turn.
