Tom Cruise Proves Point with Daring Plane Wing Stunt

Legendary actor Tom Cruise has truly redefined the concept of "impossible" with the Mission: Impossible series, and he's taken it to new heights with the eighth installment, Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning. In a surprising twist, Cruise shared that director Christopher McQuarrie challenged him with stunts that were genuinely impossible. To demonstrate the difficulty, Cruise even had McQuarrie attempt the stunt himself.

During a recent press conference in Tokyo for the film, Cruise recounted the moment, saying, "And then we talked about the 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, describing the stunt as "the simplest thing," and noted Cruise's usual reluctance to admit impossibility: "Anything you'd describe, [he'd] say, 'No, you actually can't do that.' And I don't hear 'can't' from him."

Cruise, known for his daring stunts in the M:I films, drew from his extensive experience to explain the challenge. "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 explained. To help McQuarrie understand, Cruise provided a "20-minute tutorial" on the physics involved, emphasizing the limitations imposed by the aircraft's speed and wind force. "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.'"

McQuarrie found the experience exhilarating, stating, "It was great, actually. Yeah, it was a lot of fun. I would definitely do it again." Cruise also mentioned that he had been preparing for this particular stunt for years, emphasizing the importance of selecting the right aircraft to make it work.

Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning is set to premiere at the Cannes Film Festival from May 13 to May 24, 2025, before making its global theatrical debut on May 23, 2025.