Hayley Atwell has recently recalled the wise words she received from the Mission Impossible co-star, Tom Cruise.

While appearing on the Reign With Josh Smith podcast, the Hollywood actress candidly discussed how Cruise helped her to overcome anxiety.

“Social anxiety tends to be something that people talk about a lot at the moment, right? And how a lot of people do have social anxiety at some point,” she began.

Recalling Cruise’s advice, Atwell told the host, “It manifests in different ways, but the pep talk [Tom] gave me helps that. If you walk into a room and you feel the anxieties coming.”

“And it makes me want to retreat into myself, I start to overthink, and go: ‘Do I look weird? Do I seem awkward?’ We go into ourselves, and Tom said: ‘Try doing the opposite’” the Captain America: The First Avenger actress added.

“Try to look out, look around the room, and go… Where is it? Where is the thing that I have attached to my insecurity?” she said. “Is it that person over there that reminds me of my school bully?”

“As soon as I can name what it actually is, the general sense of free-floating anxiety goes and then I actually have an opportunity to do something about it,” Atwell continued.

Before concluding, the 42-year-old actress shared, “Just keep looking at it and it will often give you information about what to do to overcome it.’”

Tom Cruise and Hayley Atwell’s movie Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning is set to be released in cinemas on May 21, 2025.