It’s been over 20 years since MTV cast Ben Stiller in a parody skit about Mission: Impossible 2, but here’s why it nearly didn’t happen. The parody aired as part of the 2000 MTV Movie Awards, the same year the sequel premiered. Stiller, who is arguably best known for his roles in the Zoolander and Night at the Museum franchises, starred in the skit alongside M: I lead Tom Cruise himself.
In Mission: Impossible 2, Ethan Hunt (Cruise) is tasked by the Impossible Missions Force to track down the Chimera. This genetically modified virus was hijacked by rogue agent Sean Ambrose, and Hunt enlists the help of Ambrose’s ex-girlfriend and professional thief Nyah Nordoff-Hall (Thandiwe Newton) to put a stop to his evil schemes. Four more films have followed since and another two are the works, with Mission: Impossible 7 set for release in 2022.
In MTV’s “Mission: Improbable” spoof, Stiller plays an eccentric stunt double who changed his name to Tom Crooze. He’s got a similar look to his superstar counterpart, but certainly not the smarts. The parody follows Crooze – who is ever so loyal to the real Cruise – in a behind-the-scenes look at the making of Mission: Impossible 2‘s stunts. The skit also includes moments when Crooze acts as a double in brief scenes from movies like Risky Business – clearly exaggerating the need for a stuntman in some decidedly non-action movies. What makes the parody so funny is Crooze’s over-the-top dedication to his job, though a straight-faced Cruise declares he’s harmless.
As memorable as the sketch is, it almost didn’t happen. According to MTV, Joel Gallen, who produced the MTV Movie Awards at the time, had an idea to create something based on Mission: Impossible 2. He wanted Cruise to take part but found out the actor had to attend a premiere overseas. The idea came to do a short instead, based around Cruise’s limited availability, and air it during the ceremony. Once the idea was put into action, MTV wanted to get Stiller on board too. Cruise, who famously does many of his own stunts, approved, saying he wouldn’t do it with anyone else. But there was a problem; Stiller was on his honeymoon with then-wife Christine Taylor and wasn’t available to shoot during the timeframe Cruise was free.
Gallen sent Stiller an email asking if there was any chance he could leave his honeymoon early to shoot the parody. He thought it was a long shot, but it turned out Stiller was really interested in doing the project. Stiller and Taylor then cut their honeymoon short and flew fifteen hours back to the United States for “Mission: Improbable.” The best part of filming came when Stiller finally got the chance to meet the man he had been parodying. He was glad to see Cruise laughing from behind the monitor, and their on-screen laughter during the moment where they’re talking about finishing each other’s sentences is genuine. Indeed, that moment between Ben Stiller and Cruise ended up being one of the most memorable moments in the award show’s history.
