Tom Cruise ‘would pass out’ clinging to plane at 10,000 feet for death-defying ‘Mission Impossible’ stunt

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Tom Cruise is known to perform his own stunts in the ‘Mission: Impossible’. Be it hanging off buildings or scaling skyscrapers, this daredevil actor has done it all.

While the 62-year-old actor's dictionary lists nothing "impossible", physical and geographical factors may prove to be hindrances. 

Speaking to Empire ahead of the release of his ‘Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning’, Cruise admitted that he “would pass out” while filming scenes that would involve him dangling from an airplane.

Tom Cruise admits he ‘would pass out’ while filming airplane scene

Tom Cruise, who is currently gearing up for the eight installment of ‘Mission: Impossible’ with Christopher McQuarrie on the director's chair, recently opened up about some of the challenges he had to overcome while filming the high-octane action drama. 

The ‘Top Gun’ star recently shared a clip from behind-the-scene footage of their filming process, where the actor was seen clinging to the wing of a 1930s Boeing Stearman biplane, which was cruising at 10,000 feet.

Reflecting on the electrifying sequence, shot in South Africa, McQuarrie said, “There are stunts in this movie that will melt your brain.”

The director continued, “There would be a day in Africa — any day in Africa — where Tom would go out and do something that topped anything he had ever done before.” 

While the scene is daunting enough for us mere mortals to experience on the screen, Cruise was actually up there - hanging from the airplane wing - filming the shot. 

Naturally, the star shared that the stunt often left him breathless - quite literally. 

“When you stick your face out, going over 120 to 130 miles an hour, you’re not getting oxygen,” Cruise explains, and added, “So I had to train myself how to breathe. There were times I would pass out physically; I was unable to get back into the cockpit.”

Sharing about the mental stress they often went through while filming the action-thriller, which also includes an underwater sequence, McQuarrie shared “I truly want to puke thinking about the stress.”

Hinting at an even more stressful sequence - more than the air and the water sequence - the director concluded, “It was intense.” 

Cruise and McQuarrie’s latest offering at the ‘Mission: Impossible’ series will hit the theaters in May. 

Tom Cruise opens up about 'training and preparation' for ‘Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning’

While Tom Cruise has not yet spoken in detail about the rigorous training he underwent for his role as Ethan Hunt for 'The Final Reckoning', he hinted at some. 

Last year in November, the evergreen actor shared a picture of him in a water tank, which he captioned with, "The training and preparation we put into this film is a culmination of all before it. From the depths, to the skies, I can’t wait to share more with you."