In the year 2000, the MTV Movie Awards produced one of the most iconic comedy sketches in television history: “Mission: Improbable.” The parody featured Ben Stiller as “Tom Crooze,” a hyper-enthusiastic, dim-witted stunt double for Tom Cruise who claimed to handle the “dangerous” work—like intense staring contests and the famous sunglasses-flip from Mission: Impossible 2. While the world laughed at Stiller’s bowl cut and aggressive nodding, the most shocking part of the production was what happened behind the scenes: Tom Cruise himself was the one directing his own mockery. The Birth of “Tom Crooze” Stiller originally worried that a superstar of Cruise’s stature might be offended by such a biting impersonation. However, when Cruise arrived on set, he didn’t just approve of the sketch; he took active control of it. According to Stiller, Cruise began giving him specific performance notes on how to make the character even more ridiculous. “He was laughing behind the monitor, but then he’d come over and say, ‘You know, if you do that laugh a little more boisterously, or if you finish my sentences like we’re one person, it’ll be funnier,’” Stiller later recalled. This collaboration proved that Cruise—an actor often perceived as intensely serious—possesses a rare and self-deprecating sense of humor. A Master of Self-Parody Cruise encouraged Stiller to lean into the most recognizable parts of his public persona, from the boisterous, high-energy laughter to the “locked-in” intense eye contact used in films like Jerry Maguire. He even poked fun at his own legendary insistence on doing his own stunts by having “Crooze” act as a double for non-action scenes, such as mixing drinks in Cocktail or the famous Risky Business dance. By the time they finished, the genuine laughter between the two was so infectious that it became the highlight of the show. Stiller even had to cut his honeymoon short to film the segment, a move he says was entirely worth it to witness Cruise’s comedic timing firsthand. The Blueprint for Les Grossman The chemistry between the two was so undeniable that it laid the groundwork for their next legendary collaboration eight years later. In 2008, Cruise would play the foul-mouthed, balding studio executive Les Grossman in Ben Stiller’s satirical masterpiece, Tropic Thunder. Just as he did with the “Tom Crooze” sketch, Cruise fully committed to the absurdity, even suggesting the character’s signature dance to Flo Rida’s “Low.” The role earned Cruise a Golden Globe nomination and cemented his status as a king of comedy. By late 2025, as fans look back at Cruise’s storied career, these moments of self-parody remain some of his most beloved, proving that he is at his funniest when he’s the one in on the joke.