Tom Cruise, who’s busy filming “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part Two” in Europe, was honored with the Knight of the Legion of Honor by France’s culture minister, Rachida Dati, in Paris on July 26.
Just hours before the Olympics’ opening ceremony, Cruise received one of France’s top honors, joining the ranks of famous artists and filmmakers like Robert Redford, Martin Scorsese, and Clint Eastwood.
Dati, who became culture minister in January thanks to President Emmanuel Macron, shared a picture of her and Cruise proudly showing off his medal.
She praised Cruise for his “passionate defense of cinemas” that “inspires all the lovers of the big screen.” She also mentioned that his 2017 “Mission Impossible” shoot in Paris “wonderfully highlighted (Paris).”
The ceremony was low-key and secret, and Cruise hasn’t commented on it yet. While France is hosting the Olympics this summer, the country is also dealing with political unrest after snap parliamentary elections.
Although Cruise wasn’t officially photographed at the opening ceremony, he was there with a host of celebrities like Sarah Jessica Parker, Matthew Broderick, Shaun White, Nina Dobrev, Lindsey Vonn, Serena Williams, Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Snoop Dogg, Chrissy Teigen, John Legend, Tyla, Queen Latifah, and Rebel Wilson.
Celine Dion stole the show with a powerful comeback performance of Edith Piaf’s “Hymne A L’Amour” at the Eiffel Tower base. Lady Gaga started the entertainment with a tribute to French icon Zizi Jeanmaire and sang “Mon Truc en Plumes.”
