Teacher-turned-'Mission: Impossible' actor credits Tom Cruise for career transformation
Before Hollywood scripts, private jets and "Mission: Impossible" stunts, there were lesson plans and curious students for rising actor Greg Tarzan Davis.
Davis, 31, proved the sky's the limit when he completely switched careers to become an aspiring Hollywood actor.
"I used to preach to my students that they can be whatever they want, to follow their dreams," Davis told Fox News Digital. "One of my students asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, when I got older. I was like, 'I wanted to be a teacher.' And the student was like, 'No you didn't.'"
Davis explained that the brutal honesty of one of his first grade students was a moment of clarity for him.
"Since I was young, I've wanted to be an actor, but it was something that seemed impossible," he added.
Fast-forward to his career switch, and Davis started to take steps to achieve his long-abandoned dream of becoming an actor.
At first, he admitted, he let his goals "fall to the wayside," but he gave himself two years to accomplish his mission.
WATCH: 'MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE' ACTOR SHARES HOW HE RODE IN A PRIVATE JET FLOWN BY TOM CRUISE
When asked about the biggest challenge of becoming an actor, Davis told Fox News Digital, "Not knowing anything. It was like a gift and a curse. I didn't know what I was doing or what I was getting myself into. … I didn't have anybody to talk to."
He noted that he put himself in substantial debt since he was traveling from New Orleans to Chicago for auditions.
"I racked up so much credit card debt. But I thought that's what I was supposed to do," Davis said.
While Davis continued to chase his Hollywood dreams that seemed out of reach at the time, he finally caught his big break with a role next to Tom Cruise.
"'Top Gun' was the platform that put me in the spotlight," he told Fox News Digital. "After that, I got my first offer … to join 'Mission: Impossible.' I've been working ever since, which is a blessing. That's what we all strive for as artists — to be a working freaking actor. Because it's tough out here."
In 2022, Davis landed the role of Javy "Coyote" Machado in "Top Gun: Maverick." He shared that he received a call back to return and be a part of Cruise's other big franchise.
In "Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One," Davis portrayed a character named Degas, and he explained that the crew wrote this role specifically for him.
"I'm from New Orleans, he's French, and they were like, 'We wanted to name him after you.'"
His character is an agent who shifted allegiances from initially hunting Cruise's character, Ethan Hunt, to eventually fighting alongside him.
"My role in the first film was more of like an introduction to my character. And then with 'The Final Reckoning,' you see me emerge more of a main character, and I'm a part of the team … trying to help Ethan and everybody else save the world."
WATCH: HOW 'MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE' ACTOR SWITCHED CAREERS FROM TEACHER TO HOLLYWOOD STAR
Davis' career change didn't just shift his job title. It "rapidly" transformed his entire life.
As a Hollywood actor, Davis excitedly shared how he's traveled all over the world, met a variety of people and experienced things he'd never imagined, including riding in a private jet flown by the "Top Gun" star himself.
"I got flown home by Tom Cruise in his private jet after the last day of filming 'Top Gun: Maverick.' I was like, 'My first time in a private jet, and Tom is flying it. What?!'"
"I got flown home by Tom Cruise in his private jet after the last day of filming 'Top Gun: Maverick.'"
When asked one thing fans may not know about Cruise, Davis said the A-lister is a "funny guy" and enjoys hosting dinner parties.
"He likes to have fun," Davis added. "When we're filming, he'll invite the cast over and we'll spend … five or six hours just talking, playing games, dancing, listening to music. … I have some great memories from those dinner parties."
While Davis is finally living out his Hollywood dreams, he hasn't forgotten about his students.
"I keep in contact with my students. They graduate in two years and for each one of my films — 'Top Gun: Maverick,' 'Dead Reckoning' and for 'Final Reckoning' — I take the movie back to New Orleans, and I have a screening for them and other students."
Davis' career switch has helped students in the community, as the parents shared how the teacher-turned-Hollywood actor has inspired their kids.
"I spoke to some of their parents, and they [said], 'You don't understand how much this means to them to see you … follow your dreams, and they're all excited to … do the same exact thing."
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