Artist's joy at film premiere after Cruise invite

An artist said attending the London premiere of the new Mission: Impossible film after Hollywood star Tom Cruise became a fan of his work was "absolutely incredible".

Wilf Elliott was invited to the screening in Leicester Square on Thursday after hand delivering two charcoal drawings of Cruise to the actor last year.

He was later invited by Paramount Pictures to produce artwork for The Final Reckoning - the latest film in the Mission: Impossible series.

"I feel so thrilled that I've been able to attend such a massive event. It is a complete privilege," the 22-year-old said.

"The whole build-up was really exciting but a little nerve-wracking since it was a new experience, but still absolutely incredible."

The tattoo artist did not get a second chance to meet Cruise, but did use the opportunity to grab a selfie with Black Panther star Michael B. Jordan.

Inside the cinema, he sat with other creators who had worked with the film studio as well as his dad, who had travelled to London with him from their home in Clacton-on-Sea in Essex.

"For him to come along as well to see the opportunities I've been given over the past couple of years and share that with him was incredible," Wilf said. "I loved every second of it."

He has handed artwork to other celebrities, such as singers Zara Larsson and Sam Ryder, but could not believe his luck when Cruise's team requested a meeting after he shared a drawing of a scene from Top Gun: Maverick on social media.

A time-lapse video of Wilf drawing a poster for the new release was shared on Mission: Impossible's official Instagram and has been watched over 300,000 times.

He hinted he had work lined up with another A-lister for later this year, but for now he is looking forward to unwinding while travelling around New Zealand with his girlfriend next month.

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