When you've been carrying a franchise for almost 30 years, it's understandable that you might get tired now and again. However, perhaps one of the worst places to do so would be on the wing of a biplane thousands of feet in the air. And yet, that's precisely what happened with Tom Cruise for the closing incredible aerial sequence of Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning. In an interview with The Times, the star's longtime stunt coordinator and second-unit director, Wade Eastwood, revealed how much it took out of Cruise for the last big hurrah.
“It beat the hell out of him. The wind hitting him, and the blast of the propeller, particles hitting him. It was the hardest workout you could ever do, it was very dangerous and very exhausting for him," recalled Eastwood. "Many times we were carrying him off the wing because he was so tired. And he was flying all day.”
Through this sequence, Cruise resorted to hand signals to communicate with the crew and director, Christopher McQuarrie, about how he was doing. A repeated tap on the mouth meant he was tired, leading him to rest on the wing mid-flight, 10 to 15 minutes at a time, before picking up again. Nevertheless, the star kept calm and carried on. “Tom doesn’t show fear, Tom shows competence," explained Eastwood. "He had fun during all his stunts, even when it was exhausting. He’s always positive, he’ll always put on a smile, and he genuinely enjoys it.”
Now, given that this is the final entry in the Mission: Impossible franchise, Cruise can take a break from wild stunts with his next project, working alongside The Revenant director, Alejandro González Iñárritu. The movie is a science-fiction story with world-shattering ramifications as Cruise plays a man set on proving he's the planet's savior after almost causing its destruction. The film also stars Sophia Wilde, Emma D'Arcy, Riz Ahmed, Jesse Plemons, and John Goodman.
While it might sound like a pretty big deal, there's been no confirmation on how much Cruise will physically push himself for the role. Even if it did, Eastwood doesn't expect the star to be stepping away from danger for too long. “No, no chance. He’s a machine. He acts like a 20-year-old. And there’s no magic there, it’s just hard work and discipline with his food, nutrition, and training.”
