Tom Cruise Escapes Death Multiple Times In Fiery New Stunt Video
The actor has long been known to do his own stunts.
Tom Cruise was doing anything but cruising.
A new video posted by the Mission Impossible franchise star has gone viral for its behind-the-scenes footage of how a major stunt is performed – something the actor has long been proud of doing himself throughout his career. In this instance, Cruise's stunt entailed him jumping out of a helicopter while purposely igniting his parachute on fire. Talk about a rough day at work!
Cruise would end up doing the incredibly dangerous stunt SIXTEEN times to get that "just-right" moment for the eighth and final installment of the MI franchise.
TOM CRUISE STILL DOES HIS OWN STUNTS
"If [the parachute] is twisted while it's burning, I'm going to be spinning and burnt. I have to kick out of the twist and then ignite, and I only have 10 seconds," Cruise tells director Christopher McQuarrie and safety officials in the video.
"We're going to be real smart. I'm not saying be risky. We don't take risks, obviously," Cruise tells the camera operator before boarding the helicopter to film the stunt. The video then goes on to show Cruise's parachute being downright disintegrated due to the fire as he does take-after-take.
Cruise's insistence on doing his own stunts has made him a rare figure in Hollywood these days, as many studios refuse to let their A-list stars anywhere near something that may cause them injury and possibly a production delay. Ironically enough, in a previous MI film, that's exactly what happened when Cruise undershot a jump and ended up breaking his ankle, shutting down production for weeks.
In a recent interview, martial arts acting star Jackie Chan said he wouldn't be as famous as he is now if he was just starting out and wasn't allowed to partake in his own stunts. Chan blames the rise of AI, CGI screens and studios' hesitancy for why actors and actresses are being pushed aside by stunt devils.
But this is Tom Cruise we're talking about, people!
Fans of the actor have come to not only appreciate but expect him to perform some sort of daredevil maneuver in any action-related movie he is in.
For better or worse!