Tom Cruise Reveals The Insane Preparation Behind His Mission Impossible Stunt

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Tom Cruise just spilled some serious behind-the-scenes details about how he put together the jaw-dropping biplane stunt in Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning. I mean, at 62 years of age, what evolves Tom Cruise from a human to an untouchable is still that he accredits it as-it-is to lined-up. During the talk show, Cruise was telling that wingwalking at 145 mph was insane because any other stunts are boring for him.

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He told how he came up with this idea after watching black-and-white footage from the earliest wingwalkers: “I just thought, I’d love to do that,” as casually as one might say, “I’ll grab some coffee.” Instead of ordering a latte, he was basically saying that he wanted to strap himself to a plane and defy physics. He says that the great problem was the air wind: “I didn’t realize that amount of force of air, I can’t breathe.” That feels like one of the scariest things ever.

Well, there is more. For one thing, this was a hang-on-for-your-life kind of stunt; there were zero gravity moments between the wings, hand gestures to communicate because you couldn’t possibly scream over the noise of the engine, and they even restarted the plane’s engine mid-air. Because why not? “We spent a lot of time figuring this stuff out,” sounds like,,”just some weekend work with my buddies.”

The reactions were just golden. @matthewrpatterson laid down, “HES ALSO 62… for the record.” Meanwhile, @name.is.asif joked, “Me @ my 30’s watching this with back pain.” Same here.

Then it got into the debate: is Jackie Chan really the king of stunts or is it Tom Cruise? “@shah33dworld” exclaims, “I don’t care what nobody say. Tom Cruise is the king of stunts. 1. Tom Cruise 2. Jackie Chan.” And cue the Internet wars. A lot went for Buster Keaton, a few backed Jackie Chan’s reputation, and some just enjoyed the mess. Classic.

@sapiosurgeon went on to say, “Next time I am gonna ask the pilot of my plane to open the window just so I could feel my hand in 145miles/hour wind. If he asks me who in the world does that? I’ll say Tom Cruise.” Please don’t do that, okay?

Generally? Tom Cruise is a maniac-in-a-good-way. @foodielewie said it best: “He’s our last true Movie Star. Does it all like no one ever will.” And @staticreviews said, “This scene puts CGI to shame.”

Meanwhile, it is just the waiting game for what impossible thing he tries next. Skydiving without a parachute? Swimming with sharks while solving a Rubik Cube? You can bet it’s happening already.

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The man really still beats the drum that age is just a number, fear is an option, and if you are really willing to put it all on the line for a perfect shot, then there is no stunt that is too far-fetched for him. Maybe this world will never see another actor like Tom Cruise.