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Tom Cruise Is the Man When It Comes to Driving, Riding or Jumping Out of Stuff

Tom Cruise has been making movies since before many were born, at a consistent rate and with equal levels of success, which is in itself a true accomplishment. Today, if Leonardo DiCaprio is Hollywood’s last movie star, Cruise is the industry’s last action movie star, the one man studios can go to in order to have him drive or ride or jump out of stuff.
Tom Cruise in promo still for Mission: Impossible - Fallout 11 photos
Photo: Paramount Pictures / BMW
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Acting is make-believe and, even though many actors go Method and live inside the character they portray for months at a time, what they’re doing is still make-believe. With Cruise, acting is slightly more real because he is adamant he do the majority of his own stunts, even the most dangerous ones.

If you know anything about the industry, it’s that stars – generally referred to as the big names that headline movie posters – are barred from doing dangerous stuff. Some of them do end up doing stunts (driving a car also fits the bill, if it’s at relatively high speed), but only with approval from the movie’s insurance company and the producers.

To put it simply, if anything goes wrong during a stunt and the main star is hurt, production can be derailed for months at a time. If the star dies or is badly injured, everyone’s out of a job. Meanwhile, stuntmen and stuntwomen, though severely underpaid, have the advantage of being easily replaceable.

Throughout his career, Cruise has met with plenty of resistance from studio bosses and movie producers, regarding his desire to do his own stunts. In his interviews on the topic, he says it’s not about ego or about wanting to cut out the middle man – the stuntman, in this example – but about wanting to deliver the most believable experience possible. In his mind, viewers will see through the BS if he’s not driving his own car, riding his own bike during chases, or jumping out of airplanes.

If it can be driven, ridden or jumped out of, Tom Cruise is here for it
Photo: Paramount Pictures / YouTube
Tom Cruise is a badass because he also trains very hard, to ensure that he doesn’t get hurt during the stunts. It happens occasionally, and those times (like when he broke his ankle while jumping from one building to another on the set of 2018’s Mission: Impossible – Fallout) translate into months of suspension for the production, which, in turn, costs the studio money. For example, for the 2020 Top Gun: Maverick, he trained for months so he could fly a fighter jet, while also overseeing the training of the other actors so they could do the same. The HALO jump in Fallout required a couple of months' worth of training on the ground and then some weeks of actual shooting up to 10 takes a day.

This is a man who’s pushing 60 who is still able to drive cars, ride bikes and jump out of planes for the sake of his art, and for that alone, his efforts are commendable. There are many actors truly dedicated to their craft, but Cruise seems bent to put his life on the line for it, as well.

Of course, there is another side to Cruise’s obsession of doing his own stunts and you’re probably familiar with it if you’re well-versed in celebrity trivia. There is no denying his dedication to the art of moviemaking but, if he were to stop talking about his stunt work, what would there be left? Since the 2005-era (think the time he jumped on Oprah’s couch to announce his engagement to Katie Holmes), Cruise has not done a single personal interview.

If it can be driven, ridden or jumped out of, Tom Cruise is here for it
Photo: Paramount Pictures / BMW
Cruise is one of the most prominent members of the Church of Scientology, which has been accused of anything from slave labor and human trafficking to being a brain-washing cult. Cruise is actually second only to leader David Miscavige and the number one celebrity member. If he suddenly stops with the stunt work narrative on promo trails, he would have nothing else to talk about but his personal life, from his involvement to the controversial cult to his love life and all those crazy rumors swirling around it.

Tom Cruise is a machine that’s able to do the most physically challenging stuff for the big screen, and which never stops grinding – because the alternative would be too costly for him. Because of this, he’s been able to remain a top leading man for action movies, while earning respect from both the industry and the fans.

So yes, if you see a Tom Cruise movie, expect him to drive and ride anything with wheels, or even to jump out of everything that’s airborne. He will still flash that trademark smile and possibly romance a damsel or two, but his number one appeal these days is that of a man who can – and will – do as many stunts as physically possible. In the end, for a moviegoer, it should suffice to suspend disbelief.
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About the author: Elena Gorgan
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Elena has been writing for a living since 2006 and, as a journalist, she has put her double major in English and Spanish to good use. She covers automotive and mobility topics like cars and bicycles, and she always knows the shows worth watching on Netflix and friends.
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