Tom Cruise Faints Attempting Daring Stunt in Mission Impossible 8 – How Far Did He Go?

Tom Cruise, a cinematic icon and undisputed action movie hero, recently told Empire in an exclusive interview for the upcoming “Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning” that one stunt in the film caused him to faint repeatedly.

In a breathtaking stunt featured in the movie’s trailer released two months ago, Cruise’s character, Ethan Hunt, who he has portrayed since 1996, is seen precariously hanging from the wing of a 1930s Boeing Stearman biplane. The scene unfolds over the skies of South Africa at an altitude of 10,000 feet (over 3,000 meters).

“When your face is exposed to wind speeds of over 120 to 130 miles per hour [193 to 209 km/h], there’s no oxygen,” Cruise explained. “So, I had to train to breathe. There were times I passed out and couldn’t make it back to the cockpit.”

Christopher McQuarrie, who directs from his own script and promises this to be an epic finale to the nearly two-decade-long franchise, said some stunts in the film will “melt your brain.” He added that Cruise does “something that surpasses anything he has done before” every day on set. McQuarrie also mentioned another stunt more awe-inspiring than the airplane and underwater sequences shown in the teaser, saying it made him want to “vomit” just thinking about the “intense” scene.

Over the years, Cruise’s unwavering commitment to his stunt work has led to some jaw-dropping moments—and several injuries. Whether it’s climbing the world’s tallest building or holding his breath underwater for six minutes, his love for stunts involving airplanes and parachute jumps is palpable on screen. For the sake of Hollywood and entertaining audiences, the actor has completed hundreds of parachute jumps for the Mission Impossible films (including with a broken ankle) and has also clung to the side of an airplane during takeoff. He even jumped from the Stade de France for the closing ceremony of last year’s Paris Olympics and endured G-forces in supersonic jet fighters for Top Gun: Maverick.

Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning is set to hit theaters on May 21, 2025.