Simon Pegg credits Mission: Impossible for saving him from depression and alcoholism

Simon Pegg credited this acting thriller for saving his life.The actor, 55, got candid on starring in six “Mission: Impossible” movies alongside Tom Cruise, starting with 2006’s “Mission: Impossible III.”Pegg told Variety that in “the apotheosis of my life ambitions, my dreams as a kid, a situation I’d never even thought I’d find myself in … being in Hollywood, where they made the films that I grew up loving.”The actor also recalled being “deeply unhappy” during that time.“What I was ultimately dealing with was depression,” Pegg said, “which I was trying to manage by anaesthetising myself.It was less of being alcoholic, more being dependent on the sensation.”The comic reminisced on spending the first day on set with Cruise, 62, “slightly hungover and feeling a little bit wired … I remember not being particularly present, because I was so inside my own head that it was hard to actually relax and enjoy it.” When Pegg made it back to the hotel, he went straight to the bar, which was a “nihilistic, self-destructive impulse.”By the time “Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol” rolled around in 2011, the English actor’s character, Benji Dunn, was sent out to work in the field alongside Cruise’s Ethan Hunt.

The film’s production understood Pegg was battling addiction and went out of their way to help support him on set.“They had a sober companion for me — and just really looked after me,” he told the outlet, highlighting the efforts of J.J.Abrams and Brad Bird.“I felt very taken care of and felt valued, because they bothered to do that,” he said.

Pegg also recounted Cruise telling him, “You’re going to get in shape for this film — you’re an agent now!” And that he did — having now been sober since 2010.“I kind of found this joy in looking after myself and just realizing that if I ate well and went to the gym I could actually feel good,” Pegg confessed.“So I credit ‘Mission’ with rescuin...