Tom Cruise's shocking payday for death-defying stunt at Paris Olympics closing ceremony leaves fan stunned
LOS ANGELES. CALIFORNIA: Tom Cruise ended up being the show stealer at the 2024 Paris Olympics closing ceremony with his death-defying stunt.
However, anyone would be shocked at how much the 'Mission: Impossible' star was paid for his stellar performance.
Casey Wasserman, the LA28 chairperson and president of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, revealed some secrets behind the scenes, and Cruise's payment was one of them.
The truth is Cruise did the entire stunt for free.
The 62-year-old reenacted his 'Mission: Impossible' stunt jumping from the Stade du France and accepted the Olympic flag from gymnast Simone Biles and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass. He then went on his motorcycle through the Paris streets, boarded a plane near the Eiffel Tower, and then skydived onto the Hollywood sign in Los Angeles in a pre-taped video.
Casey Wasserman says he hired the 'best person in the world' to do Olympic stunt
Speaking at a CNBC x Boardroom: Game Plan panel, Wasserman shared the backstory on Cruise's free stunt at the Paris Olympics for the official flag handover ceremony for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, as per The Hollywood Reporter.
LA Mayor Bass, LA28 directors' board member Jessica Alba and Team USA managing director Grant Hill were present at the event along with CNBC moderator Andrew Ross Sorkin.
"The backstory is that we realized we were producing a 15-minute live TV show, and so I hired who I think is the best person in the world to do that," Wasserman revealed.
He added that Cruise wanted to do all the stunts on his own following his 'Mission: Impossible' reputation.
LA28 chairperson noted that during the Zoom meeting, the team pitched a person in the stadium would be a stunt double, but Cruise insisted on doing the entire act himself.
"We're like, 'Well, there’s no way we’re getting this. We're going to get four hours of filming time. We'll do the thing that the LA with the Hollywood sign, he'll hand the thing off and he's done. Maybe we’ll get the other stuff and the rest will be just a stunt double.' About five minutes into the presentation [Tom Cruise] goes, 'I'm in. But I'm only doing it if I get to do everything.'"
After the Zoom ended, producer and TV guru Ben Winston asked Wasserman not to get too excited because Cruise's team would reject the idea after learning about the number of shooting days and rehearsals, even if the actor loved doing it.
Tom Cruise did the Olympic stunt for free despite a packed schedule
Wasserman revealed how Cruise managed his schedules to complete the jumps to the Hollywood sign, though he was in a packed schedule for 'Mission: Impossible' and that too for free.
According to Wasserman, the actor completed filming ‘Mission Impossible' at 6 pm in London and boarded a flight. He reached LA at 4 am and shot the scene where he pulled onto a military plane.
"In LA he does two jumps out of the thing. He didn’t like the first one, so he did a second jump. Then he helicoptered from Palmdale to the Hollywood sign, filmed from 1 until 5, helicoptered to Burbank Airport and flew back to London," he said.
Besides Cruise, everyone else involved in the project also worked free of charge.
Fans stunned after knowing Tom Cruise's payday for Olympics stunt
Netizens could not contain their excitement after knowing Cruise did the entire Olympics stunt for free. This prompted many to praise the actor, while some said it would act as a promotion for his movie.
"He did it for free!! Kudos Tom! Respect to you," a user commented on Facebook.
"Tom Cruise was paid for a breathtaking stunt he pulled off at the closing ceremony of the Paris Olympics from ...... thrills! After all, who needs real money when you can pay with a heartbeat?" another remarked.
"That's right! Tom Cruise is known for his daring stunts, and he always seems to thrive on the thrill of it all. His dedication to performing such impressive feats definitely shows his passion for the craft. It's incredible to see how much he puts into his roles! If you're a fan of action movies, Tom Cruise's stunts are definitely a highlight," added a third user.
"Why does he need to get paid? His net worth is more than some countries GDP…. Good on him for just doing the event for the sake of doing it," read a fourth response.
"It’s a huge promo for his new movie. He will be more than compensated lmao," another opined.
"Basically promotion for the up coming mission impossible movie," someone else chimed in.
"He is an adrenaline junkie!" an individual noted.
"He is The Tom Cruise. Why should anyone be surprised. He is the STAR," another user added.
"Can’t think of a better way to send it to LA than with the last real movie star. Notice he’s basically stayed away from social media? Seems like that’s helped him maintain his position. Of course he doesn’t need money," read one remark.
"He did it to promote and keep his career popping strong and it has been too as he grows older. That is not for free, the benefits to him were immense," one user wrote.
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