Is Tom Cruise an ‘Underestimated Actor’?

Tom Cruise is "an underestimated actor," according to Kenneth Branagh.

The 62-year-old star is set to be honored with the BFI Fellowship, the most prestigious honor bestowed by the British Film Institute, and his Valkyrie cast mate thinks that the Hollywood legend deserves to be thought of as more than just a "movie star."

Branagh told The Sunday Times newspaper: "If he ever tires of wowing the world with action, he's going to surprise those who view him as only a movie star.

"What he's done with Mission Impossible and Top Gun is unique: Cinematic entertainment with a serious intent to give you a wonderful time at the movies. But he's an underestimated actor, for whom a golden age of performance beckons."

Cruise has made a number of blockbusters in the U.K. and Branagh revealed that the star enjoys getting to spend time in Britain.

The 64-year-old actor and filmmaker said: "He's a honorary Brit now, with a handy line in Cockney rhyming slang.

"In the U.K. he enjoys respect but a lack of fuss. I've been to the pub with him a few times. He finds a quiet corner, enjoys the atmosphere and is always gracious when he gets spotted.

"He's a natural giggler and just enjoys what he does so much and that's infectious. I have quietly observed his interactions with crew and he's always the same: direct, easy, upbeat, humble, the same fella at all times. This country responds to that."

Cruise described how he was "truly honored" to be receiving the BFI accolade.

The Collateral star said: "I'm truly honored. I've been making films in the U.K. for over 40 years and have no plans to stop."

BFI chief executive Ben Roberts explained that the organization wanted to acknowledge Cruise's "extraordinary contribution" to the British film industry with the honor.

He explained: "We want to recognize his extraordinary contribution to our industry, having made so many films here in the past 20 years.

"The sheer scale of the big-budget, complex productions he has brought to the U.K. is a major investment in the U.K.'s craft. He demonstrates that we have the capability to make enormous movies here, against a backdrop of iconic landmarks and landscapes.

"The films he's made in the U.K. have spent hundreds of millions of pounds and created jobs."

Cruise will once again reprise his role as agent Ethan Hunt in the upcoming movie Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning and his co-star Simon Pegg revealed that the high-octane stunts he does in the film "just beggar belief."

The 55-year-old actor, who returns as the technician Benji Dunn, said: "For me, it was my favorite of the six Mission [movies] that I filmed. It was my favorite to shoot.

"We were in the Arctic; we were in South Africa. The stunts Tom is doing just beggar belief. I mean, really, really dumb s--t."