Tom Cruise Reveals Life-Threatening Struggles During ‘Mission: Impossible’ Plane Stunts: ‘I Almost Passed Out’

Tom Cruise has long been synonymous with death-defying stunts in the Mission: Impossible franchise, but a particularly harrowing experience during the filming of Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning nearly left the veteran action star breathless—literally. In a recent interview with Empire magazine, Cruise revealed that while performing a stunt on a vintage biplane, he faced such severe oxygen deprivation that he repeatedly passed out.

High-Speed, High-Risk

The sequence involved Cruise hanging upside down from a 1930s Boeing Stearman biplane flying at speeds between 120 and 130 miles per hour. Filmed at 10,000 feet in South Africa, the stunt presented unique challenges. “When you stick your face out [of an airplane], going over 120 to 130 miles an hour, you’re not getting oxygen,” Cruise explained. “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.”

This isn’t Cruise’s first brush with extreme stunts. Known for climbing the Burj Khalifa, leaping off cliffs, and clinging to moving trains, the actor is no stranger to pushing the limits of what’s possible. However, the added variable of oxygen deprivation set this particular sequence apart.

Safety and Preparation

Though Cruise has built his reputation on performing his own stunts, the physical demands of hanging outside a speeding plane presented a new level of risk. Training included not only rehearsing the maneuver but also learning how to manage his breathing under extreme conditions. Despite meticulous preparation and safety measures, Cruise admitted that the stunt’s intensity resulted in multiple instances where he lost consciousness.

The film’s director, Christopher McQuarrie, highlighted just how grueling these stunts were, describing them as moments that “will melt your brain.” McQuarrie himself admitted to feeling physically ill from the stress of overseeing such daring sequences.

Pushing Boundaries

Cruise’s dedication to authenticity and his insistence on doing his own stunts have become central to the Mission: Impossible series’ identity. But the challenges he faced on The Final Reckoning—set to release on May 23, 2025—underline the physical and psychological toll of these high-stakes endeavors. As Cruise continues to raise the bar for action filmmaking, his latest revelation shows that even the most seasoned daredevils aren’t immune to the dangers that come with pushing the boundaries of human endurance.