Tom Cruise is willing to endure just about anything for the perfect stunt, even if it means coming dangerously close to a serious injury.
In bonus footage from the digital release of Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, Cruise and director Christopher McQuarrie break down one of the film’s most intense and physically demanding scenes: a high-altitude biplane battle between Cruise’s Ethan Hunt and the villain Gabriel, played by Esai Morales.
In the sequence, Ethan leaps from one plane to another midair, clinging to the wing as the aircraft soars and spins through the sky. But behind the breathtaking visuals was a grueling reality — one that nearly left Cruise seriously hurt.
"Oh, this almost broke my back," Cruise admitted in the film’s commentary, according to Entertainment Weekly.
"You’re talking about a lot of pain here," McQuarrie added.
In a clip from the commentary, Cruise is shown grabbing a seatbelt and holding on as the plane turns upside down, an effort that took a serious toll.
"Now watch this, the thing we haven’t talked about, holding on to this belt," McQuarrie pointed out, as Cruise responded, "Oh God, that was brutal."
McQuarrie went on to explain just how extreme the toll was on Cruise’s body during the shoot, saying: "This separated the joints in Tom's fingers from the force, so by the time we finished this sequence, your hands were absolutely swollen – oh my God, it was so painful to watch."
At one point in the scene, Ethan crashes into the side of the plane — a moment that Cruise recalled vividly.
"Oh, that was brutal. That hit, that was a hard one," the actor said.
McQuarrie laughed, recalling Cruise taking the stunt to another level. "And you improvised that, thank you very much," he said. "I appreciate that. You were like, ‘I think we’re gonna need that,’ and I was like, ‘I didn’t ask you to do that.’"
In a May interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Cruise confirmed he has no plans to slow down when it comes to action roles. He previously expressed his desire to continue making Mission: Impossible films well into old age, inspired by Harrison Ford’s continued work on the Indiana Jones franchise.
"I actually said I’m going to make movies into my 80s; actually, I’m going to make them into my 100s," the 62-year-old said during the Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning premiere.
