Tom Cruise Reveals The Thrill Behind His Death-Defying Plane Stunt: ‘Holy Sh*t, The Force Of It!’
Tom Cruise pushed the limits of action filmmaking by performing ‘Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation’s’ intense plane stunt eight times, relying on real danger instead of CGI.
Tom Cruise Performing A Plane Stunt (Photo Credit – Facebook)
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Tom Cruise isn’t one to shy away from danger, but his jaw-dropping stunt in ‘Mission: Impossible—Rogue Nation’ took things to new heights.
Instead of relying on CGI or stunt doubles, the Hollywood star strapped himself to the side of an Airbus A400 as it took off, soaring through the air at 140mph.
Tom Cruise Takes Stuntwork to New Heights
The ‘Eyes Wide Shut’ actor put his body on the line by suspending himself on the side of the aircraft during the fifth installment of the Mission: Impossible franchise.
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What makes this even more intriguing is that the 62-year-old pushed himself through the stomach-churning sequence eight times, ensuring the final cut delivered the pulse-pounding intensity fans expect.
“I give the thumbs up to the camera, they’re inside the airplane, and I’m telling them, ‘Let’s go, let’s go, let’s go!’” Cruise said, explaining he had a lot of input into the scene. “He [the pilot] is pushing that throttle forward, and we are hammering down that runway. Like holy sh*t, the force of it.”
“I was just trying to keep my feet on the ground, as I always had in my mind the image of when the airplane took off, my feet are going to come off,” he added. “And the force of that wind…I’m trying desperately to keep my feet on the floor. That feeling, man, it just…the airplane left the ground, and I couldn’t hold my feet on the side of that airplane anymore.”
Tom Cruise sends a thank you message to fans of #TopGunMaverick while FREE FALLING OUT OF A FUCKING PLANE
“Thank you for allowing us to entertain you, it truly is the honor of a lifetime”
Tom Cruise on the Psychological Aspect of Pulling the Stunt
The actor also recalled his thoughts while he performed the daring stunt, saying, “How high are we above the ground? Now do I say my line? They want the line at a particular time when the lighting is good, where I’m not in shadow.”
“So, all of these other things are occupying my mind. [After] we landed, I was like, ‘Good, I’ve got that out of my system,’” he added. “It’s always the first [take]. It’s like, alright, everyone feels a little calmer; everything’s fine.”
Even the visual effects supervisor, David Vickery, confessed that he initially thought it was a ‘one-take’ situation, but Cruise, being the daredevil he is, went on to do the plane stunt another seven times.
“I just said to the camera, ‘Let’s go again, I’m ready,'” the stunt maestro continued. “Every time was like holy sh*t. I wanted to make sure we had that shot.”
The Crew’s Extreme Precautions
Behind the camera, Director of Photography Robert Elswit had the impossible task of capturing every detail.
“Inside the aircraft was an aluminum truss that was carefully bolted to the plane, which held the wires that went through the door, which held Tom,” Elswit told The Hollywood Reporter. “He was also wearing special contact lenses to protect his eyes. If anything hit him at those speeds, it could be really bad. They were very careful about cleaning the runway so there were no rocks. And we took off in certain weather conditions; there were no birds. And he’s protected by how the air moves over the wing.”
