Dia Dipasupil/FilmMagic (2) Tramell Tillman tells PEOPLE atMission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning's premiere that he "was just hoping that I didn't mess it up" while working with Tom Cruise on the new movie "Tom is such a wonderful scene partner and he creates a really safe environment for me to do what I need to do," Tillman says TheSeverancestar portrays a U.S. submarine captain named Captain Bledsoe inThe Final Reckoning Tramell Tillmangoes from Lumon Industries' severed floor to the decks of a submarine inMission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning. Severancestar Tillman, 39, caught up with PEOPLE at the newMission: Impossiblemovie's New York City premiere on Sunday, May 18. InThe Final Reckoning, the actor portrays a character named Captain Bledsoe, who operates a secretive U.S. submarine and plays a pivotal role in Ethan Hunt's quest to stop the movie's artificial intelligence villain, known as the Entity. "So primarily I worked withTom Cruise, and I was just hoping that I didn't mess it up," Tillman confesses. "Tom is such a wonderful scene partner and he creates a really safe environment for me to do what I need to do and other actors as well. So it was a delight to work with him." Paramount Pictures and Skydance Tillman toldEntertainment Weeklyrecently that he wast cast inThe Final Reckoningin large part due to directorChristopher McQuarrie, who he told the outlet "is a big fan ofSeverance." When McQuarrie asked Tillman to set up a Zoom meeting to chat, "He went on to talk aboutMission: Impossible, and he said that there was a role in it for me," Tillman toldEW. "And I asked him, I said, 'Well, what do we do from here? What's the deal?' He said, 'You think about it, and if you want to take the role, it's yours.' " Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE's free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Gareth Cattermole/Getty Tillman said that he was cast beforeSeverance's second season began filming. "I ended the meeting and I closed my laptop, and I jumped up and down, and ran around my apartment, and called my team and I said, 'Listen, I know that we're gearing up to film for season 2 ofSeverance, but we got to figure this out.' " AfterMission: Impossible, Tillman is looking forward to a number of upcoming projects, includingSeverance's third season, a new movie titledVariance Codeand another titledYour Mother Your Mother Your MotherwithMahershala Ali. Tillman tells PEOPLE he cannot not "say too much" about that project yet. "But I think it's a really good story. It's a powerful moving and touching story." Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoningis now in theaters. For more on the franchise, including exclusive interviews and behind-the-scenes photos,PEOPLE's special editionis out now. Read the original article onPeople
