Tom Cruise almost forgot how to breathe after dangerous underwater stunts in 'Mission: Impossible'

2023-05-18 18:25

Tom Cruise held his breath for six and a half minutes while shooting an underwater sequence in 'Mission: Impossible - Fallout'

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Tom Cruise has mastered the art of pulling off dangerous stunts in his movies, and it is well-known how much the actor enjoys putting his body on the line for his action roles. In an earlier interview, Cruise admitted that while filming 'Mission: Impossible - Fallout', he became so adept at holding his breath that he eventually forgot to breathe in normal circumstances.

During an interview on 'The Graham Norton Show', which was aired six years ago, Cruise opened up about holding his breath for six and a half minutes while shooting an underwater stunt and how it affected his daily life. The actor acknowledged that his obsession with perfection had a negative impact on his physical well-being.

Tom Cruise's 'MI - Dead Reckoning Part One' made people 'lose their minds' at its first screening

Cruise forgot how to breathe

Describing what the stunt did to him, Cruise said at the time, "Those takes underwater because it took from the time you get rid of the regulator, get rid of the bubbles, get on the side and we wanted to do it in one shot." The 'Maverick' star continued, "What I'm gonna say - it was too late to say no on how."

"It got to the point where I’d finish the sequence and I’d be sitting there talking in meetings and I wouldn’t breathe. I realized ‘I am not breathing,’ and I had to turn my autonomic system back on to breathe again… but I’ve done that now, I’m done with that," Cruise exclaimed on the 'Graham Norton Show'.

Cruise's obsession with performing his own stunts

'Risky Business', 'Top Gun', and 'Rain Man' propelled Cruise to stardom in the 1980s, but since then, partly because of the 'Mission: Impossible' series, the actor has come to be associated with big-budget action movies and stunt work. Cruise had a 'MasterClass Conversation' at the Cannes Film Festival before the 'Top Gun: Maverick' premiere, where he discussed his continued dedication to performing his own stunts.

According to the actor's brief and confident comment provided to The Hollywood Reporter, performing his own stunts is just an inherent aspect of who he is. When asked why he continues to risk his life, Cruise responded, "No one asked Gene Kelly, ‘Why do you dance? Why do you do your own dancing?'"

Cruise's death-defying stunts in 'MI 7'

As MEAWW reported earlier, Cruise will once again pull off death-defying exploits in 'Mission Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One', the seventh entry in the "Mission Impossible" series, which will be released in 2023. The world will once more be in danger, and its most esteemed spy, Ethan Hunt, has to rely upon all of his abilities to thwart the wicked forces.

Tom Cruise has consistently improved his ability to pull off feats for his movies, boasting of the apparently unattainable. He has never shied away from a challenge, whether it is hanging on a thread at the top of the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, holding his breath underwater for 6 minutes, or the bizarre boldness to dangle from the door of a cargo plane. His co-star Vanessa Kirby, who plays the White Widow in the most recent chapter, was impressed by his dedication. "He was just so calm. He had no fear. He just found it exhilarating," she gushed.