The Hollywood daredevil, Tom Cruise, who is known for his death-defying stunts in the Mission: Impossible franchise, but for The Final Reckoning, he pushed himself so hard that he actually passed out mid-scene.
In a new interview with Empire, Cruise revealed that while filming a sequence where his character, Ethan Hunt, clings to the wing of a 1930s Boeing Stearman biplane flying at 10,000 feet, he struggled to stay conscious.
"When you stick your face out, going over 120 to 130 miles an hour, you're not getting oxygen, so I had to train myself how to breathe," Cruise explained. "There were times I would pass out physically; I was unable to get back into the cockpit."
Director Christopher McQuarrie teased that the eighth Mission: Impossible film is packed with next-level stunts, including one so intense that just thinking about it made him nauseous.
"There are stunts in this movie that will melt your brain," McQuarrie said, hinting at a terrifying underwater sequence. "I truly want to puke thinking about the stress."
Fans got a fresh look at Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning during the Super Bowl 2025 trailer drop, showcasing more high-octane action across land, sea, and sky. The story picks up after the IMF’s battle against a rogue AI cyberweapon, the Entity, and assassin Gabriel (Esai Morales), who previously killed Ilsa Faust (Rebecca Ferguson) in Dead Reckoning Part One.
"The stakes have to be real," McQuarrie previously explained about the shocking loss. "The mission has to cost, and without that, the villain simply will not have a threat."
Alongside Cruise and Morales, returning stars include Hayley Atwell, Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Vanessa Kirby, Pom Klementieff, and Henry Czerny. Angela Bassett reprises her role from Fallout, while newcomers Nick Offerman, Hannah Waddingham, Holt McCallany, and Katy O'Brian join the action-packed finale.
With The Final Reckoning potentially being the last Mission: Impossible film, Cruise is leaving it all on the screen—literally. And if passing out mid-air doesn’t stop him, nothing will.
Source: Entertainment Weekly