Tom Cruise Forces Director to Prove Stunt on Plane Wing

Tom Cruise, the iconic actor known for pushing boundaries in the Mission: Impossible series, has truly taken the concept of "impossible" to new heights with the eighth installment, Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning. In a fascinating twist, Cruise shared that the film's director, Christopher McQuarrie, challenged him with stunts that were literally impossible. To illustrate the difficulty, McQuarrie was put to the test himself.

During a recent press conference in Tokyo, Cruise recounted the conversation: "And then we talked about story and [McQuarrie] was like, 'Okay, I want you to go from here to here in a couple of seconds.' I was like, 'I can't do that.' He's like, 'Okay, well, I want you to do this and this.' I was like, 'I really can't do that.'"

McQuarrie chimed in about the stunt that stumped Cruise, saying, "It was the simplest thing. Anything you'd describe, [he'd] say, 'No, you actually can't do that.' And I don't hear 'can't' from him."

Cruise, with his extensive experience performing daring stunts in the *M:I* franchise, was quick to explain the physics behind his limitations: "I said, 'Just in terms of the speed, because the force of the air, for me to move quickly on the wing was… You just can't do it,'" he stated. He further elaborated that a "20-minute tutorial" helped McQuarrie grasp the challenge. "You're limited by the physics of how fast the aircraft is traveling and the force of the wind, that was utterly brutal. So I just said, 'Listen, I think the best thing is if you just do it. Go out, sit in the airplane, go out on the wing, and feel it. Feel the pressure. So, here I am, training him."

Surprisingly, McQuarrie enjoyed the experience immensely, noting, "It was great, actually. Yeah, it was a lot of fun. I would definitely do it again." Cruise also revealed at the conference that he had been preparing for this particular stunt for years, emphasizing the importance of selecting the right aircraft to make it feasible.

Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning is set to premiere at the Cannes Film Festival from May 13 to May 24, 2025, before thrilling audiences worldwide in theaters starting May 23, 2025.