Billy Bob Thornton Turned Down 'Mission: Impossible' Role Because of Tom Cruise

Billy Bob Thornton has starred in plenty of action films throughout his career, but when it came to becoming a part of Mission: Impossible, one of the most beloved action series of all time, the Landman star wasn't interested only because of the character he would play. 

In a new interview on the Bingeworthy podcast, Thornton reflected on two villain roles he's turned down in his career: The Green Goblin in 2002's Spider-Man and arms dealer Owen Davian in 2006's Mission: Impossible III. Acting alongside Tom Cruise wasn't the problem, though his role in relation to Cruise's agent character Ethan Hunt was. 

"I don’t have much interest in those kinds of roles," the Sling Blade star stated plainly. "With the Green Goblin, I didn’t feel like getting up at 4 a.m. for five or six hours of makeup. And with Mission: Impossible III, I didn’t want to be the guy trying to kill Tom Cruise. If you’re the bad guy in a big movie like that, audiences remember it forever. I prefer to keep things looser and less predictable."

Related: Why Billy Bob Thornton Is 'Happy' He Wasn't Famous in His 20s

Still, the Mission: Impossible series remains strong after almost two decades in the cultural zeitgeist. Cruise's high-flying stunts—which he famously does himself—were featured during this year's Olympic closing ceremony as Los Angeles prepares to host the 2028 Games. And the eighth installment in the franchise is due out in the spring, serving as a follow-up to 2023's Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One. 

Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning is in theaters May 23, 2025. Thornton's new series Landman is now streaming on Paramount+.