Tom Cruise's Daredevil Mindset Started on the Big Screen When He Did His Own Stunts

Actor Tom Cruise made a name for himself long before the Mission Impossible movies, but those certainly captivated audiences with their high-action moments, including some very theatrical stunts on their screens. The cast of the movie franchise was faced with a challenge, though. They needed to either do their own stunts or little doubles fill in.

Tom was the main actor who needed to make the decision. His decision would change his entire legacy and set the tone for the future in his acting career.

Yes, Tom is known for doing his own stunts, especially in the Mission Impossible movies. This means that star has racked up some incredibly experiences like sky diving, epic climbs, and rock climbing. While he made the decision for his career, it turns out that he's been doing those stunts since he was a kid for fun. It looks like he was well-adjusted to the danger before stepping onto set, anyway.

He explained during an appearance on The Graham Norton Show that doing his own stunts helps with his "storytelling" process. “I feel that [when] acting you’re bringing everything, you know, physically and emotionally, to a character in a story,” he explained. “And I’m able to do [those stunts], and I’ve trained for 30 years doing things like this that it allows us to put cameras in places where you normally are not able to.”

Tom has become so accustomed to the crazy, daring moments that he's participating in them outside of the big screen, too. During the 2024 Paris Olympics Closing Ceremony, the star rappelled down from the Stade de France, landing on the field, and carrying the Olympic flag. He boldly got onto a motorcycle and drove through the crowd, seemingly heading off to Los Angeles where the 2028 games are slated to occur.

While all of this sounds totally exciting, Tom isn't immune from the danger and risks of his stunts. In fact, there have been a few times where he was hurt in the process. In one instance, Tom was supposed to be jumping between buildings in a Mission Impossible scene, but he didn't quite stick the landing correctly. "I knew instantly my ankle was broken and I really didn’t want to do it again so just got up and carried on with the take," Tom said on The Graham Norton Show.

"I drove us into a tree and almost killed Tom Cruise," Emily Blunt once admitted on Conan O'Brien's talk show. During a scene, Tom was muttering at her to brake, but she didn't quite react in time. The driving scene wasn't necessarily a stunt that Tom was trying to do, but it was an unfortunate moment on the set that could have turned gruesome very quickly.

During The Last Samurai, the actor was hurt during a fight scene. “Tom’s neck was right in front of me, and I tried to stop swinging my sword, but it was hard to control with one hand,” co-star Hiroyuki Sanada said to the Washington Post. “The film crew watching from the side all screamed because they thought Tom’s head would fly off.”