When he’s not busy scaling the Burj Khalifa or holding onto the side of an airplane, Hollywood star Tom Cruise finds himself performing 360-degree spirals in a helicopter, as he prefers to do those most of these scenes himself rather than let a stuntman step in.
In the upcoming Mission: Impossible – Fallout movie, Cruise will also be clinging to the side of a helicopter and jumping from building to building, the latter resulting in a broken ankle.
Yet, none of those look as dangerous as spiraling towards the ground in a helicopter, with other helicopters in close vicinity. It’s a very difficult maneuver, even for skilled pilots, yet Cruise had to perform it while also acting out his role as Ethan Hunt.
“It’s super important for a movie like Mission to be doing it all practically and for real,” stated stunt coordinator Wade Eastwood. “Tom doesn’t want to sit in a green screen. The audience can tell when something’s been cheated.”
Indeed we can, which is why we look forward to seeing not just this helicopter stunt, but everything the sixth installment in the Mission: Impossible franchise has to offer, including the car and motorcycle chases, of course.
The movie hits theaters worldwide this summer, July 27th.