Cruise Performed Own Stunts in Latest MI Flick, Reveals Movie Stunt Coordinator

Tom Cruise is now known for doing his own stunts but this wasn’t always the case. His first movie, Taps, a 19-year old Cruise was not confident about using a machine – and getting shot at.

In speaking with W Magazine, Cruise said, “This was my first experience with stunts, and an expert marksman was aiming at me! Between takes I pulled the guy aside and said, ‘Have you done this before? You’re not going to shoot me, are you?’ I was terrified that my first big part would be my last.”

Of course, he survived through his first movie but since then he’s enjoyed doing his own stunts. This has been made evident in the movie, Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation, where no stunt doubles were used except for in rehearsal.

As Eastwood, the stunt coordinator reveals, Cruise plays Ethan Hunt for real in being the one doing all the fighting, high-speed driving and in particular, being strapped to the outside of a plane as well.

He also says that in comparison to Cruise, a number of other Hollywood actors don’t put themselves in the line of fire. They demonstrate, for all practical purposes, a less than cooperative attitude.

While they prefer being in their trailers, Cruise enjoys the realism of not having to cut away to a stuntman. If that’s not enough, he thrives on performing these crazy action scenes that audiences might have never seen him do before.

It’s clear that audiences are far more critical and want more. This is something that the Mission Impossible franchise is committed to deliver ever since its first movie in 1996.

And if you’ve seen the previous movies, you’ll know that Cruise has had to play stuntman at some point of time or the other in each of them.