Who needs a stuntman when you’ve got Tom Cruise in your movie? The veteran star established himself as a Hollywood leading man in the ‘90s, but his stint in the Mission: Impossible franchise reintroduced him as an action star.
Like everybody else who became an expert in their field, Cruise also had his Day 1—the very first day he was told to perform his own stunts because using a body double wouldn’t suffice. He was quite scared, but he did it anyway. Now he’s jumping off cliffs and dangling from a biplane like it’s just a normal day.
How Tom Cruise started doing his Mission: Impossible stunts
Brian De Palma, director of the first Mission: Impossible movie, shared via Deadline how he got Tom Cruise to do his own stunts, especially since he didn’t have that much experience back then. The scene would require the actor to flee from a giant fish tank filled with loads of water, but the dangerous part was that there would be shards of glass that might cause injuries.
At first, Cruise was reluctant and told De Palma that he was not fit to do the stunt since he was just there as an actor.
I said to Tom, ‘You’ve got to do this to make it really work.’ I remember when we were just about to shoot it, he came over to me. There was going to be so much water coming out, and glass, and this was really scary. He walked over and said, ‘I’m just an actor.’ I said, ‘Tom, you gotta try.’ And he did it.
This stunt activated something in Cruise that he came to realize he’s capable of doing more. Throughout the movie, the actor became more interested in executing Ethan Hunt’s spy moves, such as the signature spider web scene where he had to drop close to the floor while strung from a wire. This was another challenge that Cruise took on, and he had the brilliant idea of putting coins on his shoes to make sure his weight was even on both sides.
Of course, we cannot forget the speeding train stunt where Cruise held on for his life. The crew members had to be tied down so they wouldn’t fly off, but the actor managed to do a flip, which was astoundingly impressive.
Tom Cruise still gets scared but he’s doing it anyway
Almost three decades later, Cruise is now a record holder for performing dangerous stunts. He’s cemented a legacy as a one-man action film crew—he’s not only acting on screen but also heavily involved in the camera work, script, and overall production.
Just because he’s now doing death-defying stunts doesn’t mean he’s not scared at all. Cruise still feels a bit nervous before engaging, and this is why he always makes sure that he follows protocols and safety measures. He’s very disciplined when it comes to this part of the process.
It’s still surprising to think he’s already 62 years old but still capable of running fast or even skydiving.
Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning is now showing in theaters worldwide.
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