Tom Cruise Reveals Near-Death Stunt That Nearly Left Him With a Life-Altering Injury While Filming 'Mission Impossible'

Tom Cruise continues to push the limits of action filmmaking, but the 63-year-old actor recently revealed a stunt from Mission Impossible – The Final Reckoning that nearly resulted in a life-altering injury.

In bonus content from the film's digital release, Cruise shared behind-the-scenes insights, particularly about a harrowing scene in which he hung from a biplane. "Oh, this almost broke my back," he remarked during the commentary, with director Christopher McQuarrie chiming in, "You're talking about a lot of pain here."

Cruise detailed how the crew faced challenges abroad, battling difficult weather conditions. "We had to shoot in Africa twice because of the weather and the cold, and it was so demanding," he explained.

"Once you shot it for real, there was no way to fake it," McQuarrie noted from his helicopter vantage point, praising the skilled camera operators who captured the action.

The actor didn't stop there; he executed another exhilarating stunt, gripping the side of the plane while dangling his legs in the air. Cruise described this experience as "brutal," admitting, "It was so punishing on this wing." He emphasized that every moment was "all real."

"It separated the joints in Tom's fingers from the force," McQuarrie revealed. "By the time we finished the sequence, your hands were absolutely swollen. It was so painful to watch."

Cruise recounted a tense moment when the plane's engine stopped mid-scene, leading to his body slamming against the aircraft. "That was a hard one," he confessed, explaining that part of this high-stakes action was improvised.

It was also Cruise's decision to stab through the side of the plane during that sequence. "This was really fun," McQuarrie shared, showcasing the actor's fearless approach to filmmaking.

Fans of the Mission Impossible series know well the risks Cruise takes for his craft.

While filming the 2000 Mission: Impossible 2, he endured significant injuries but maintained his determination to deliver authentic performances. "What people don't know is that there's a section where I'm jumping high to low, but my foot was broken. And I never mentioned it to anyone," he told Empire in February.

"Some of these injuries, what's the point? You just keep going. … I had to keep doing it. And that's the shot that's in the movie. But it was so much fun working with John [Woo], doing that sequence, because I knew it was our marketing campaign."