Despite reigning as one of the most prominent film stars across the globe for the past forty years, Tom Cruise remains resolute in personally performing his own stunt sequences. Various directors have attempted to persuade the Mission: Impossible protagonist to relinquish this role on occasion; however, Cruise remains steadfast in his readiness to embrace risks. Fortunately, none of these instances of injury sustained by Tom Cruise reached fatal proportions.
There have been occasions where his commitment led to significant personal harm, pushing him to the brink of literal peril. The presence of proficient stunt coordinators notwithstanding, the assurance of complete safety for a stunt isn’t guaranteed.
Tom Cruise Nearly Killed Himself Shooting Top Gun
In his early foray into the realm of blockbuster action films, Tom Cruise assumed the role of the audacious Navy fighter pilot, Lieutenant Pete ‘Maverick’ Mitchell, in the iconic movie Top Gun. The poignant sequence etched into the memory of anyone who has experienced the ’80s masterpiece revolves around the heartrending moment when Maverick’s co-pilot and closest companion, Goose (portrayed by Anthony Edwards), meets a tragic end after being compelled to eject from their aircraft.
Maverick manages to evade the clutches of death and skillfully makes a safe descent into the ocean’s embrace. Paradoxically, it was Tom Cruise, the actor behind Maverick, who found himself in a perilous predicament during the filming. The boundary between safety and jeopardy blurred as Cruise’s parachute became inundated with water, presenting a looming threat of being swept away into the heart of the vast ocean.
“Cruise came as close to dying as anybody on a set I’ve ever seen,” said co-star Barry Tubb (Wolfman). “They were refilling the camera or something, and luckily, one of the frogmen in the chopper saw his chute ballooning out. He jumped in and cut Cruise loose right before he sank. They would have never found him. He would have been at the bottom of the ocean.”
Well, Top Gun isn’t the only movie where Tom Cruise escaped death.
Tom Cruise Almost Fell From A Helicopter
Even when stunts unfold precisely as blueprinted, their inherent peril remains unchanged. Demonstrating this fact vividly, in the sixth installment of the Mission: Impossible series, titled Fallout, Tom Cruise went beyond merely fracturing his ankle. Within this cinematic endeavor, he undertook one of the most hazardous feats witnessed across the entire espionage franchise.
In the film’s climactic scene, Ethan Hunt, portrayed by Tom Cruise, clings perilously to an airborne helicopter. Yet, the grip slips, sending Hunt plummeting several feet. Miraculously, he manages to seize hold of a netted cargo payload that dangles beneath the helicopter as it continues its ascent.
A number of individuals from the cast and crew bore witness to Cruise’s descent from the helicopter and were convinced, for a fleeting moment, that he had truly met his demise.
Source: Ranker
