Henry Cavill has starred in multiple action films in his career and has even performed many of his own stunts. The actor starred in two action comedies this year alone, featuring in Matthew Vaughn’s Argylle and Guy Ritchie’s The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, which saw him return to his action hero persona.
The Superman star also featured in Mission: Impossible – Fallout in 2018, which saw trade blows with Tom Cruise. The latter, who is known for performing dangerous stunts on his own reportedly inspired Cavill to do so on the sets of the film. However, he had to go through one obstacle before he was allowed to perform one iconic stunt that the Cruise-led franchise is known for.
Henry Cavill Was Gutted Over Not Being Able To Do A Motorcycle Stunt For Mission: Impossible – Fallout
While Henry Cavill’s appearance in Mission: Impossible – Fallout will be associated with his mustache issues in Joss Whedon’s Justice League and the controversies surrounding the film, the film actually sees Cavill in one of his best action roles. The actor plays the role of a CIA assassin who tags along with Tom Cruise’s Ethan Hunt on his mission.
Cavill’s August Walker has many iconic scenes in the film, including the fan-favorite fistfight in the bathroom. However, Tom Cruise’s motorcycle riding and sprints were far more popular due to Cruise’s commitment to the stunts. The Top Gun star is known for performing his own stunts and challenges himself with each new Mission: Impossible film.
Henry Cavill was reportedly also equally excited to perform some of his own stunts and even mentioned that he was up for anything that did not involve hurting someone else. However, when the time came for his own motorcycle stunt, Cavill was reportedly not allowed to risk it as he did not have a license and had never ridden one before. Cavill mentioned on Jimmy Kimmel Live,
“I was kicking myself at this point because about two or three years ago I had not taken my license because…I got excited by motorbikes and yeah I wanted my license and then I thought, ‘I am 30 plus and I don’t want to be stupid’…I didn’t realize I was going to use it for work ever and I had an opportunity…After that, I was so gutted by my failure that I went and got a license during shooting.”
Cavill mentioned that the stunt coordinators built a special rig for him to perform the stunt. The actor also went on to describe the process of getting a license in the UK on the talk show.
Tom Cruise Broke His Ankle And Returned To Film In Six Weeks While Shooting Mission: Impossible 6
Tom Cruise has performed a wide variety of dangerous stunts in his films and the Mission: Impossible franchise has been the perfect ground for him to experiment with newer feats. The actor recently performed a death-defying jump with a motorcycle off a cliff in the latest Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part 1.
However, the actor showed a great level of commitment when he suffered an injury while filming Mission: Impossible – Fallout. While performing a sprint, Cruise was required to jump from one building to another during which he hurt his ankle. According to Deadline, the production of the film was shut down until the actor recovered from his injury.
Henry Cavill mentioned that Cruise was reportedly advised by his doctors that he would not be able to perform any stunts for six months and that he might never be able to run again. However, that did not deter the Magnolia star. Cavill said on Jimmy Kimmel Live,
“He was told immediately afterward by doctors who said, ‘You won’t be able to use it or put weight on it properly until like six months from now…and you may never run again.’ Six weeks later he was running again. Sprinting.”
Tom Cruise also reportedly finished the take before opening up about the injury. The shot where he is seen to be breaking his foot while sprinting is reportedly in the film.
