High altitude, high risk. For his new “Mission: Impossible” movie, Tom Cruise is doing a stunt that’s never been done before. The options are: Everything goes right, or Tom dies. We’re getting a behind-the-scenes look at this dangerous jump.
Christopher McQuarrie: “There’s always a ticking clock when you’re making a movie, but it’s not usually the Earth flying up towards you.”
Tom Cruise is one of those rare actors who doesn’t just make Hollywood blockbusters. He produces them, stars in them — and even does his own stunts.
Tom Cruise: “I can’t wait for an audience to see this.”
And even though he’s known for being a bit of a daredevil — breaking his ankle while filming “Mission: Impossible – Fallout” — he’s pushing the boundaries even more in “M:I6,” by performing something called a HALO jump.
Which means “high altitude, low opening.”
Christopher McQuarrie: “You’re talking about Tom jumping out of a plane that’s traveling 165 miles an hour.”
It’s so dangerous that Tom will be the first actor in history to perform the stunt on screen.
Christopher McQuarrie: “There is danger of hypoxia and the bends.”
Crew member: “You start losing your mind, but you don’t realize it.”
A special helmet was created for Cruise as a prop and a life-saving device to help him breathe.
Christopher McQuarrie: “The first phase of the HALO sequence was building a wind machine that was large enough for us to be able to rehearse.”
It ended up being the world’s biggest wind tunnel. Tom also did five real jumps a day to hone his airborne skills.
Christopher McQuarrie: “You can’t just get on the plane and go. You have to spend 20 minutes on the ground breathing pure oxygen so that you don’t get decompression sickness. The plane has to climb to 25,000 feet; all of the lighting turns from white to red.”
The HALO sequence was planned for sunset, and the crew had just three minutes to get the shot.
And, while they may call it movie magic, this stunt was all about timing.
Christopher McQuarrie: “Falling at 200 miles an hour, he’s to position himself so he lands exactly three feet away with 20,000 feet beneath him.”
The successful jump made Hollywood history.
“Mission: Impossible – Fallout” dives into theaters July 27.
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