Tom Hiddleston’s Most Unforgettable Interview Moments—Loki-Level Mischief Included!

Henry Cavill has become known for his action-packed roles, from embodying Superman in the DC Universe to portraying the infamous Geralt of Rivia in The Witcher. Throughout his career, Cavill has taken on numerous physically demanding scenes, but none were quite as brutal as the helicopter chase in Mission: Impossible — Fallout — a sequence that pushed him to his absolute limits.

In the film, Cavill plays August Walker, a CIA agent with a dark secret, who becomes the main antagonist in the film’s final act. The thrilling helicopter chase, which sees Cavill’s Walker go head-to-head with Tom Cruise’s Ethan Hunt, stands as one of the most exhilarating and intense moments in the Mission: Impossible franchise. While the scene is visually spectacular, Cavill reveals that filming it was nothing short of grueling.

During a press tour for Enola Holmes 2, Cavill spoke with Collider about the immense physical challenges he faced while shooting the sequence. The scene required him to film in freezing conditions, flying above the Southern Alps in winter, while hanging out of a helicopter and firing blanks from a machine gun. Cavill was unable to hear his crew over the deafening wind and had to rely on visual cues to coordinate with the action around him.

“It was so extremely cold, literally above the Southern Alps in winter, with the doors open on a helicopter. I’m sticking my face into the wind and firing blanks, with all sorts of stuff flying back at me, and just doing it over, and over, and over again,” Cavill explained.

The conditions were harsh, but Cavill was determined to give the scene his all. He recalled how, at times, he felt “completely deaf” due to the noise from the wind and had to wait for the pilot to signal when they were rolling. “I had to just keep on acting with my head out the window until I assumed that they had stopped shooting,” Cavill said. “I was watching either Tom’s helicopter in front or behind, and watching the camera ship as well, to see when the camera ship pulled away and did its own thing. I’d do that for 40 minutes, then land, and then sit by a little Red Rad heater to warm my hands up. Within half an hour, they’d say, ‘Right, we’re refueled. Let’s go again.’”

Despite the grueling conditions and the repeated nature of the shoot, Cavill described the experience as both “rough” and “worth it.” The final result, which shows his character dangling out of the helicopter as he evades Ethan Hunt’s chase, is one of the most memorable and exciting moments in the film. As Cavill put it, “That was rough, but I absolutely loved the sequence, and it was so worth it.”

Mission: Impossible — Fallout is well-known for its jaw-dropping stunts, many of which are performed by Cruise himself. The franchise’s refusal to rely on CGI has led to some of the most thrilling action sequences in modern cinema, and the helicopter chase is no exception. With both helicopters swerving around rocky mountains and the characters attempting to outmaneuver each other, the sequence is a true testament to the dedication of both Cavill and Cruise.

For fans of Mission: Impossible and action films in general, this helicopter chase will go down as one of the greatest moments in cinema, thanks in large part to Cavill’s commitment to making the sequence as real and exhilarating as possible. The actor’s ability to endure harsh conditions for the sake of authenticity makes this scene one of the standout highlights of his career.