It was reported last week that while Tom Cruise was in Korea promoting Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, he made a variety show appearance – and the show he chose was Run Jin!, hosted by Kim Seokjin, one of the seven members of BTS. 

 

Their interview was released yesterday and if you’re a Jin/BTS fan, you’re getting what you came for. Because Jin is the highlight here, not Tom Cruise… even though, of course, every effort is made by Jin and production to give Tom the VIP Hollywood movie star treatment, it’s Jin who’s responsible for making this entertaining and wholesome since, well, Tom just says the same sh-t over and over, earnestly. Although, through Jin, we do learn two new things about Tom other than how grateful he is to be “allowed to entertain you”. One of them is that he is ARMY. 

“We all know BTS.” 

Tom Cruise listens to K-pop? Look, do I believe that six months ago, Tom was bumping “Butter” in the gym? No. Do I believe though that he was prepared before meeting Jin on who Jin is and why the marketing team had chosen Jin’s show in particular for promotion? Absolutely. Because you can always count on Tom Cruise to do his homework and tell you that he did his homework. 

 

Not only did Tom say that “we all know BTS”, at various parts of the conversation, he made a point to let Jin know that he’d watched some of Jin’s show, citing specific activities that Jin had tried in previous episodes. Not only because he was considerate to his host, but also because he must have been tipped off that ARMY does not take kindly to those who disrespect their faves. And you don’t want to be pissing off ARMY just as you’re trying to sell a summer blockbuster. 

Tom, instead, did the most, not only giving BTS and Jin the flowers they deserve but also shouting out the crew, many of whom have worked with the group since their debut. This is, as I keep saying, why it’s hard to just straight clown on Tom Cruise – because unlike so many celebrities, he takes the time, even goes out of his way, to acknowledge the contributions of people who are not on camera. 

 

So now we know that Tom Cruise knows BTS. Thanks to Jin we also know that Tom can handle some spice. Koreans love some heat in their food and when Tom asks Jin what his favourite food is, Jin introduces him to mulhwe, spicy fish stew, which Tom had never tried before. But he promised to send proof and at the end of the video, we see this: 

From the colour of the broth, you can tell that there is some gochujang in there, or another heat agent. Not sure how high it’s dialed up but it’s definitely not at zero level. And this is surprising to me because if you had asked me before whether I thought Tom Cruise looked like he could handle any heat in his food, I would have say no f-cking way, he’s a bland eater. And yet, here he is, digging into the mulhwe with the same energy he applies to jumping off a plane. 

 

Speaking of jumps, has he ever jumped off the Empire State Building? This is probably what he would have told Jin to do if he was with him last night in New York to promote his album Echo. Jin was invited to light up the tower in blue, pink, yellow, and white.

 

Tonight he’ll be at The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon to perform. Curious to see if Jimmy asks him about Tom. And also does what Tom does and facetimes Jin’s family. That happened after he and Jin wrapped on the interview – at Tom’s suggestion. And the entire Kim family, it seems, wanted in on the call. 

 

Here’s one thing that’s un-Hollywood about this moment: Tom looked like he just showed up for Jin right after bungee-jumping off the Seoul Tower – is he too busy to comb his hair?! 

Attached: Jin celebrating the launch of 'Echo' at the Empire State Building on May 20, 2025 and Tom Cruise on the red carpet for 'Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning' in Mexico City on May 20, 2025.