Sean Penn is pointing to how Tom Cruise is saving Hollywood, one stunt at a time. The “Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning” actor and producer famously throws himself off buildings, narrowly hangs out of planes, and holds his breath for minutes at a time underwater for roles. And according to Penn, it’s all proof that Cruise is the “best stuntman” out there. Just don’t tell Keanu Reeves or Chad Stahelski and David Leitch — or any of the army of full-time professional stunt perfomers.
Penn said during “The Louis Theroux Podcast” that Cruise is clearly “a guy who pursues excellence on a very high level,” including his own stunt work. “Certain kind of movies people appreciate more than others… but this is a very good actor who is also an incredibly extraordinary craftsman,” Penn said of Cruise. “Those movies don’t get made on those level without somebody extraordinary behind them. He’s the common link behind many of them. It’s no accident. He does his own stunts. He’s probably the best stuntman in the movie world. He’s the most experienced guy.”
During the Cannes press conference for the “Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning” premiere, Cruise explained how timing real stunts within a narrative structure is akin to being “a Swiss watch of keeping the audience’s attention.” Cruise continued that collaborating with camera operators is key: “It’s finding the camera positions and all of the engineering,” Cruise said. “It represents thousands of hours of work of many people, craftsmen, pilots, engineers, decades of work to be able to develop these things, which is studying these aerial sequences. I fly jets, I fly aerobatic airplanes, helicopters. And then how do we apply an understanding of those physics? I will be pulling this in or parachuting, and I say, ‘OK, I understand enough about this. I really do believe we can do it.’”
“Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning” director Christopher McQuarrie specifically cited how Cruise lit his own shot for a jaw-dropping (and already viral) biplane sequence that serves as the climax for the action film. “Tom is lighting the shot by how he’s positioning the plane in its relationship to the sun, and he’s operating focus just off-camera,” McQuarrie said, adding that there was no crew with Cruise as he flew solo at 10,000 feet. “He is the crew in every single shot you see. I’m talking to Tom on a radio where he can barely hear me, and he’s flying in an open cockpit.”
McQuarrie continued, “Watching Tom, at the point of physical exhaustion, get himself up because the plane can’t land if Tom’s on the wing. He’s got three minutes to get up, but he’s been on that wing for 20 minutes, and we watched as he pulled himself up and stuck his head in the cockpit so that he could replenish the oxygen in his body and then climb up into the cockpit and bring the plane safely down to land. No one on Earth can do that.”
And perhaps Cruise could land an Oscar for his stunt work: The Academy announced that the 2028 Oscar ceremony will include the first-ever Best Stunt Design award. “John Wick” director Chad Stahelski, who was Keanu Reeves’ stunt double on the first “Matrix” film, and his 87Eleven co-founder David Leitch were instrumental in getting award recognition for stunt people.
