Tom Cruise really knew no bounds with death-defying stunts for ‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One’.
Cruise has previously talked about achieving the most dangerous stunt of his career: riding a motorcycle off a cliff and narrowly escaping a potentially fatal end. Now, in a new behind-the-scenes featurette of the upcoming Paramount film, Cruise shares how he learned to fly fast.
“It’s a very beautiful and delicate sport,” Cruise said of the intense sport he’s spent years training for. “We’re going to spiral and land at an incredibly high speed, over 80 kilometers per hour.”
“Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning” director Christopher McQuarrie noted that fast flying is “one of the most dangerous sports in the world.” While visually similar to paragliding, fast flying occurs closer to cliffs for greater acceleration; however, there is also a higher probability of crashing.
“While it may sound similar, fast flying is not skydiving,” McQuarrie said. “Skydiving is pretty predictable. Fast flying is very unpredictable. Behind the scenes, we were all in absolute terror.
McQuarrie added, “With Tom, there are no limits.”
Leading lady Cruise admitted earlier this year that with her motorcycle stunt, she was worried it “wouldn’t turn out well” if she didn’t deploy her parachute in time.
“I had about six seconds once I got off the ramp to pull the chute and I don’t want to get tangled in the bike,” Cruise said. “If I do, it won’t end well.”
The ‘Eyes Wide Shut’ actor previously shared that his favorite element of filmmaking is practical stunts.
“I’m a very physical actor and I like doing them. I study and train and it takes me a long time to figure everything out,” Cruise said in 2021. “I broke a lot of bones! The first time of any stunt is nerve-racking, but it’s also exhilarating. I was told a few times while filming a stunt to stop smiling.
With a burgeoning stunt category rumored to be recognized by the Academy Awards, it seems Cruise’s chances of an Oscar could turn out to be real.
“Dead Reckoning Part One” is released July 12 from Paramount Pictures.
