is tom cruise scared of heights

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Tom Cruise: I am not afraid of heights — I'm afraid of falling

Tom Cruise is light-hearted at a press conference in Dubai presenting MI4

The Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol press conference was always going to be anything but boring.

Launching the fourth instalment in the MI franchise, the star and producer Tom Cruise made his first appearance in Dubai since filming here last year, joined by British funny man Simon Pegg, American beauty Paula Patton, India's Anil Kapoor, director Brad Bird and producer Bryan Burk on the 124th floor of Dubai's Burj Khalifa. Only this time on the inside.

With talk of life-long friendships and magnificent locations, topped off by much laughter courtesy of Pegg, the feeling was more of a chat between friends than an official event. Love for Bird came gushing from all on the panel.

For example: "We were working six-day weeks," said Burk. "What, you got a day off?" Cruise shot across, to great applause. "How did you manage that?"

Shooting a look back at the star, Burk continued: "After a lot of training, it dawned on me I could potentially be the producer responsible for killing Tom Cruise. In order to shoot we had to break a lot of windows. We told them we were going to remove the windows and they were like, ‘What, you're going to remove windows?' and we were like, ‘Yip, you put 'em in so we can take 'em out.' Everyone was really supportive. It all went so well. That's one of my best Dubai moments."

"I remember the first night we got here," interjected Cruise as Patton and Pegg nodded in agreement. "Because we went snowboarding, to a water park, and then snowboarding again. All in one day," he added.

"I remember because I realised I may have to call Paramount and say, the good news is he survived the building; the bad news is he broke his leg snowboarding," quipped Burk.

Cruise is in the UAE, along with his co-stars, director, producers and writers, for the world premiere of Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol, which enjoyed its first screening to the world last night as the opening night gala of the eighth Dubai International Film Festival. The team then move on to Moscow, where the film screens tonight.

"Being out here in the desert, I landed and I knew we wouldn't have much time, so we made the most of it. His Highness [Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai] threw us an amazing party. All of us together we had so much fun shooting this movie, being out at these magnificent locations. There's a great joy in making these incredible movies. My last night I went out to the desert and spent the evening riding camels as the sun was setting — so magical."

‘Memorable moments'

According to Bird, Cruise worked tirelessly for the entire shoot, meaning he did not sleep for anything up to 48 hours at a time.

Life for Simon Pegg was slightly different as he dryly explained. "Well, I was here for about four weeks and I did two days' shooting, so I had a great time," he said to an eruption of laughter from the room, including the panel. "I went indoor sky diving, go karting, waterpark, shopping... A lot of shopping. One of my most memorable moments was one day while [Cruise] was filming, seeing all these people working tirelessly to keep him alive — and seeing him just gleefully running from side to side of the building. I think it was one of the only times in my adult life when I thought, ‘Thank God I'm not Tom Cruise.'"

Cruise shocked the world for six weeks last autumn during filming as he performed stunt after crazy stunt on some of Dubai's most famous landmarks, including the outside of the world's tallest building, Burj Khalifa.

Incredible stunt sequences feature throughout the movie, including the now iconic scene of Cruise running around the upper levels of the world's tallest tower.

"The first time I did it, I actually got to do it with pads and a helmet. I trained for months and then came the moment of running along the building. When I saw the first designs from Brad I knew it would be amazing. I thought it would be very challenging for an audience as well as me. That's why I wanted to do it. There was a moment when I slammed into the building. I didn't quite make it around because I had to figure out actually how to fly. The shot he wanted was so elegant it took a while to figure out how not to come head first into the building," said Cruise.

Director Bird interrupted: "Tom was messing around with stuntmen and I was having another conversation with someone else. The sun was going down and I kind of forgot he was out there," said Bird as Cruise looked on laughing. "Suddenly we saw this body and heard this "woooooooooo" as Tom flew past the window. We saw this body arching around and then he went out of view and we just heard ‘bump, bump'. We were like, ‘Oh my God.' Then we heard laughter, this small ‘he he he' from down below. That was the first time I realised it was going to be a really long shoot," said Bird.

Bird managed a few minutes of talk time along with Tom's co-stars Paula Patton, Simon Pegg and Anil Kapoor, but it was a humble Cruise the press wanted answers from.

"It's beautiful," said Cruise when asked his view on Dubai. "I was looking at the city as it was being built. I was looking at photographs as it was going up. I was on a layover once — refuelling here — and every time I've been I've wanted to film here. It's a very cinematic city. The way it's set up, it's incredibly modern, an extraordinary accomplishment."

Other key scenes were filmed at the Dubai International Financial Centre, in Satwa and at the Jumeirah Zabeel Saray hotel on the Palm, which stood in for a palatial Mumbai mansion, while a four-storey mock-up of the Burj Khalifa was also used for filming in the International Media Production Zone.

"When you're making a film, you really need the help of the community in order to accomplish what you're trying to accomplish. That also allows you to celebrate the location."

So is there anything Cruise isn't scared of?

"I am not afraid of heights — I'm afraid of falling," he quipped. "There was just one thing that I had in my mind, I hope I don't fall."

Nerve-wracking

Not surprisingly, while Cruise may be able to handle his terrifying, death-defying stunts — many of which he performs himself in full — his actress wife Katie Holmes, and daughter Suri don't fare quite as well. Is his penchant for stunts an issue at home?

"You'll have to ask my wife," replied Cruise before Bird spilled the beans.

"Katie and Suri came in when we were filming Tom falling from the building. They were there for two takes and then Katie was like, ‘OK, we're done — we're going shopping now. See you back at the hotel later, dear.'

"And I don't blame her one bit," he continued. "It is too upsetting. It really is nerve-wracking to watch."

Respectful of his family's privacy, Cruise is renowned for remaining tight-lipped when it comes to his personal life but couldn't help but interject: "Kate knows I hike and I climb. I ride motorcycles and fly planes. She's just like, ‘Go do your work,' and she's so supportive and helpful. For me, I couldn't do what I do without her."

While the final results are worth it, according to Cruise, getting an insurance policy isn't always as easy.

"One of the stuntmen had a five-hour meeting with them [the insurance company] and they wanted us to wear parachutes. So we hired another [company]," he laughed. "We tell them, ‘This is what we're going to do.' And then we delay sending the footage to the film company for as long as possible so nobody is alarmed too early. By then we're like, ‘Well, we had to do it, to finish the movie.'

"But it's actually harder to get insurance to climb and fly planes than it was to jump from this building."

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• Ask a Cruise Question

Will I cope with the heights?

By Terrified Of Heights , July 15, 2013 in Ask a Cruise Question

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Terrified Of Heights

I'm looking at booking my first cruise (with Princess, probably) but I can't bring myself to do it at the moment as I'm terrified of heights and I'm not sure I'll be able to cope.

The following things, in particular, are worrying me:

1. Boarding. Are the boarding tunnels between the port and the ship always enclosed? Can you see out? Do you enter very high on the ship? I've seen photos of some but I imagine they are different at each port. I'm looking at a Carribean cruise leaving from Port Lauderdale.

2. Will I be able to avoid the glass lifts completely? There's no way I can use those.

3. What are the internal stairs like to move between decks? I've looked at pictures and those in the piazza / atrium are a no-go, but what about other stair cases? Are they completely enclosed or can you see out? Do the flights Of stairs go over each other so that you can see the ones above you?

I hope I can get some answers so I can make an informed decision. I'll be upset if it's not for me but Would be awful to spend the whole week like a nervous wreck!

(pictures welcome!)

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Welcome to Cruise Critic!

I'm scared of heights but I don't think to the extent you are. I have never had a problem with heights on a ship. Each one is going to be a little different so there are no guarantees.

Most ships have boarding from one of the lower decks (1,2,or3 although some ships name the decks instead of numbering). On most you can see out as you go up the ramp.

Some ships do not even have glass elevators (and I don't think any ship has only glass ones) so it should be fairly easy to take enclosed ones.

Most of the staircases are interior ones (you cannot see to the outside of the ship). There are some exterior stairs from one of the upper decks (such as where pools are located) to another but there is no reason you need use them.

Kinkacruiser

Welcome to CC. I hope you find someone who can reassure you about this. I overcame my some of my height fears travelling a few times in a cable car. That said, I do not intentionally go to the top floor of skyscrapers :o

If you do book, it's a good idea to take a friend with you for reassurance and yes, you can avoid many of those situations you mentioned on a ship.

If you are anxious now then don't book until you are feeling more positive.

Have you considered a river cruise? There are few heights there to worry about, but they are more expensive.

All the best...

I have some issues with heights especially with stairs which might be funny if you knew where I live and where I grew up.....on high places.

I've found out that some of my fears are based on the fact that due to age and injuries I am more than a little unsteady on my feet. Thus my fear factors on open stairs and in glass elevators.

It doesn't mean that I enjoy them or do them just for fun. I avoid both as much as possible.

There are plenty of options on cruise ships for getting from one level to another.

Make your first cruise (if you decide to do so) a short one of 3 or 4 days and book your room in the middle of the ship. Not too high or too low.

Good luck with your issues. I do understand.

ronandannette

Are you claustrophobic also? If not I would recommend an inside cabin...very snug and secure feeling. You'll want to avoid a balcony cabin of any kind as the distance above the water and looking down on the decks below will likely make you uncomfortable. Depending on the ship there may also be a double-deck dining room; the maitre'd can help you with a new table assignment if you end up close to the rail. The main showroom will likely have balcony seating but you are free to choose the main floor level instead as long as you get there early. Other than than I can't think of any more potential issues but I am regretful for you as getting up high and looking out at the expansive ocean vistas is one of the marvels of cruising.

Cruisin' Chick

Hi all   I'm looking at booking my first cruise (with Princess, probably) but I can't bring myself to do it at the moment as I'm terrified of heights and I'm not sure I'll be able to cope.   The following things, in particular, are worrying me:   1. Boarding. Are the boarding tunnels between the port and the ship always enclosed? Can you see out? Do you enter very high on the ship? I've seen photos of some but I imagine they are different at each port. I'm looking at a Carribean cruise leaving from Port Lauderdale.   2. Will I be able to avoid the glass lifts completely? There's no way I can use those.   3. What are the internal stairs like to move between decks? I've looked at pictures and those in the piazza / atrium are a no-go, but what about other stair cases? Are they completely enclosed or can you see out? Do the flights Of stairs go over each other so that you can see the ones above you?   I hope I can get some answers so I can make an informed decision. I'll be upset if it's not for me but Would be awful to spend the whole week like a nervous wreck!   Thank you   (pictures welcome!)

I would never go ziplining or bungee jumping as heights do bother me, even though glass elevators don't bother me. But then most of the buildings where I live (Los Angeles area) are not that high up due to earthquakes. I have a thing about going on planes so leaving from the Port of Los Angeles is best for me (even though if we decide to do one of the cruises on our dream list, all of those will involve long plane trips).

You didn't mention which ship, just the cruiseline. That may be helpful. I'm currently looking through the photos I took on my last two cruises (both were on the Golden Princess), but I'm not sure I would have any photos that would be descriptive to your question.

I'm not bothered by claustrophobia so insides aren't a problem for me. If that may be a concern, consider an oceanview. We had one on our 2010/11 cruise and we really liked it (it was considered an obstrucive oceanview, but still had a great view, but you can look on the deck plan for your cruise, and go for one of those).

This is a photo of the grand atrium (deck 5 midships) showing the staircases. But next to the atrium there are elevators that will take you up at least a few decks (and some aren't glass). The problem is that you may have to take one elevator, walk a bit and then take another elevator. I don't mind stairs as long as I'm careful -- great exercise for me.

Another challenge may be to go on the sun deck (the one above where the pools are), but you probably can avoid that easily. Some people go up there to play on the courts on the sports deck or to get to more seating for sunning or watching movies.

Here is a photo of the gangplank at one of the ports on my last cruise. As you can see it is open but it is very short and not up high.

oncruisecontrol

Here is a photo of the gangplank at one of the ports on my last cruise. As you can see it is open but it is very short and not up high.  

Yes, this is how it will be when the OP disembarks the ship from deck one or deck zero while in a port of call. But when embarking the ship initially, there may be a glass enclosed "jet way" that is 2 or 3 stories above the ground. This is because on the first day of the cruise, passengers usually board the ship in the lobby and the lobby is usually a few decks higher than deck one or zero.

You should go to a therapist and get desynthisized to heights...it's totally doable. You will drive you traveling companions nuts! Not to mention, yourself! Get treated and get over your irrational fear.

No you do not need to use glass elevators. Lots of other elevator and stair options.

My wife had a fear of heights and was able to overcome it after her first cruise. When she got on the ship and saw for herself what the cruising experience offered, she gradually relaxed. By the end of our first seven day cruise, she was talking about booking our next cruise.

Cruising is a wonderful way to see the world. My wife took a lot of pictures during our cruises. You are welcome to view them all at the links below.

Nebr.cruiser

I'd just like to add that most of the interior stairs are not completely enclosed--you can see up or down a flight or two if you glance that way.

I sincerely hope that you can get some help for this problem--it must make life very difficult.

Wow, so many replies! Thanks, everyone.

It sounds like I could make my way around the ship using alternative routes but I think you're right, I need to solve the problem at its root. It does make things rather difficult sometimes. Thank goodness I'm not claustrophobic too!

I was looking at Royal Princess, Crown Princess or Ruby Princess.

Thanks again for your help. I think this time around the holiday money is going on some kind of therapy. Then maybe I'll be able to fully appreciate all the ship has to offer when I do eventually go for it.

I hear you! I don't like heights either. The Grand Canyon was not my favorite trip :-) Years ago, when we were at Disney World, I climbed the Swiss Family Robinson's Treehouse all the way to the top. Came down scooting on my rear end. Same with Diamond Head in Honolulu, however, my knees got weak about half way up. All of this is to say that I think you'll do fine on a cruise. I have no problems at all. I love the balcony and look forward to the glass elevators. Weird, I know. And, yes, I do think that on Princess out of Ft. Lauderdale that the boarding ramp is fully enclosed.

Lots of talk about stairs, that is fine. But ships are full of overlooks to the interior of the ship, not to mention the little thing called the deck. I don't want to stoke your misgivings, but if you are unable to walk on deck and look out (down) to the water, I don't think you can get much value from a cruise based on taking the interior stairs to/from cabin and dining room all week.

Gold Mine Gal

My SIL is afraid of heights even escalators are a challenge. We booked an obstructed balcony and she did fine because she had the lifeboat in front of her when she was out there. She loved it.

We did have an incident once when we disembarked as the gang plank was Lobby level and you could see down through the slats. She freaked. We got a wheelchair and she was able to close her eyes and be taken down without further incident.

She loved her first cruise so much we are going again this September.:)

:o Gosh, if your fear of heights is that extreme, maybe cruising isn't for you.

No reason to do something for FUN when it won't be for you!

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10 Movies That'll Make You Afraid Of Heights

Movie fans who are already scared of heights will soon be joined by anyone who watches some of these acrophobic films featuring death-defying scenes.

There are a number of movies that excel in creating a physical reaction in viewers, whether it's through nail-biting tension or action-packed excitement. However, the movies that touch on our fears are often the ones we remember the most, especially when examining the incredibly common acrophobia, which is a fear of heights.

RELATED: The 7 Best Natural Disaster Movies

Fans have enjoyed movies that have challenged these fears for years, ranging from the Hitchcock area of psychological horror to biopics of intense high-wire acts that both terrify and impress. And if some fans are lucky enough to not suffer from this sometimes debilitating fear, these movies have scenes that will make almost any viewer scared of heights.

10 Vertigo & High Anxiety

Runtimes: 2h 9m, and 1h 34m.

Legendary director Alfred Hitchcock directed quite a few classic films that explored humanity's fear of heights in various ways, including 1958's Vertigo . Jimmy Stewart played a private investigator with acrophobia that triggered extreme vertigo, which put him in a few dangerous situations when he investigated a case.

That case and his extreme acrophobia led to him being institutionalized before he attempted to overcome his fear. Comedic legend Mel Brooks directed and starred in 1977's High Anxiety , which parodied a number of Alfred Hitchcock movies but managed to still elicit some of the same emotions of fear amidst the humor.

9 Stephen King's Cat's Eye

Runtime: 1h 34m.

1985's Cat's Eye was an anthology film that adapted a few short stories from Stephen King that included "The Ledge" from his Night Shift collection. Robert Hays starred as a man forced into a deadly wager with a casino crime boss who makes him walk on a building's ledge on a windy night for his life.

The crime boss and stilted lover, and an incessant pigeon try his best to distract him along the tense and dangerous walk across the ledge, which is a short but sweet shot of adrenaline for even those who aren't afraid of heights.

8 Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol

Runtime: 2h 13m.

Tom Cruise is known for his jaw-dropping stunts and action-packed movies, though one that would especially cause a newfound fear of heights in anyone, appeared in 2011's Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol . The fourth film in the Mission: Impossible franchise followed disavowed IMF agent Ethan Hawke and his team as they attempted to stop a potentially global nuclear threat.

RELATED: 10 Dangerous Movie Stunts That Almost Went Badly

He was forced to scale the Burj Khalifa skyscraper in Dubai in a heart-stopping stunt that was performed on location to increase the tension. Cruise has pushed the limit with his intense stunts for years, but Ghost Protocol 's gut-churning free solo climb of Burj Khalifa will always rank near the top.

7 Saboteur & North By Northwest

Runtimes: 1h 49m, and 2h 16m.

Both 1942's Saboteur and 1959's North by Northwest featured intense finales set atop American monuments that had theater-goers on the edge of their seats due to the high-altitude horror. A framed man tracks down the real man responsible in Saboteur when he uncovers a plot to terrorist plot, and their final scene takes place on the torch of the Statue of Liberty.

In North by Northwest , a case of mistaken identity turns a man into an unwitting agent who has a final showdown on top of Mount Rushmore. He is forced to climb down the face of the monument alongside the real agent in a series of tense moments that ultimately lead to romance, but are no less terrifying to anyone with an aversion to heights.

6 Skyscraper

Runtime: 1h 43m.

Dwayne Johnson starred in 2018's Skyscraper as a former Marine turned security consultant who is manipulated and framed for a terrorist attack on the new "eighth wonder of the world." The Pearl was an advanced skyscraper with a highly-advanced simulation dome at the top of the building that allowed for stunning views of the world below.

The family man is forced to go to extreme lengths to return to The Pearl after the attack endangers his family in residence. He first uses a crane to jump across a huge gap at an elevated height before entering into numerous high-altitude confrontations with the terrorists to rescue his family.

5 Cliffhanger

Runtime: 1h 53m.

1993's Cliffhanger starred Sylvester Stallone as Gabe Walker , a former emergency rescue worker who finds himself held captive on the mountain by a team of armed international thieves looking for lost bundles of cash from a failed airborne heist.

While his fight to stop the terrorists and free his captive friend features a few tense high-altitude moments that are sure to keep audiences on the edge of their seats, it was the movie's shockingly intense opening rescue attempt on a high rescue line that could lead to a fear of heights in viewers.

Runtime: 2h 12m

Bruce Willis starred as New York cop John McClane for the first time in 1988's Die Hard when he tried to stop a well-trained team of thieves posing as terrorists during their takeover of a skyscraper still under construction. The team took an entire Christmas party hostage in order to help them break into the vault, though McClane intervened at every step.

RELATED: 10 Action Movies That Aren't Afraid To Get Emotional

While McClane's terrifying escape off the roof of Nakatomi Plaza is more than enough to instill a fear of heights, it's his heart-wrenching trip down the building's elevator shift that really puts fans on the edge of their seats during the action-packed thriller. Alan Rickman's Hans Grube also experienced a deadly fall from the roof that has become an iconic cinematic shot

3 Furious 7

Runtime: 2h 20m.

The fast-driving heist team turned international government agents returned for another mission in 2015's Furious 7 , which featured an impressive advancement of car-related stunts that have become a staple of the Fast and Furious franchise. Furious 7 featured two unforgettable scenes that could trigger a fear of heights which wowed fans and set new limits for action movies.

The team is forced to steal a valuable computer program from a suite in the Etihad Towers, and their only escape was to drive a car out of the high-level suite and into one of the nearby buildings before repeating the move. The crew also air-dropped themselves in vehicles from an airplane onto a mountain roadway with varying degrees of success to further terrify and excite fans.

Runtime: 2h 3m

Joesph Gordon-Levitt starred as real-world high-wire artist Philippe Petit in 2015's The Walk , who was inspired to walk on a tightrope wired across the twin towers of the World Trade Center after he saw a magazine article about the still-in-construction buildings.

The movie takes viewers up to the top of the skyscrapers for every step of Petit's journey alongside his team to sneak into the building and stretch a wire across the towers in secret to pulling off the heart-stopping high-wire performance. 2008's documentary Man on Wire chronicles Petit's real-world death-defying stunt that will also serve to raise the pulse of viewers.

1 Free Solo

Runtime: 1h 40m.

Characters like Ethan Hunt and Gabe Walker make extreme rock climbing seem easy on the big screen. However, 2018's Academy Award-winning documentary Free Solo followed climber Alex Honnold as he showed them all how it's really done when he attempted the first free solo climb of Yosemite's El Capitan.

Honnold's climb of the 3, 200 ft rock formation was filmed in breathtaking detail by a team of professional climbers and cameramen, which captured the terror and excitement that comes from solo free climbing a cliff face without a rope. The documentary is sure to stoke anyone's fear of heights, but also incite their sense of adventure.

NEXT: 10 Scariest Horror Movies That'll Make You Feel Trapped

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‘Fall’ director Scott Mann talks about the fear of heights and the biblical proportion of elements that plagued shooting at 2000-ft including a swarm of flying ants

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In the new thriller “Fall” opening in theaters this weekend, best friends Becky (Grace Caroline Currey) and Hunter (Virginia Gardner) decide to conquer their fear of heights after a tragic mountain climbing incident a year earlier that grounded the two adventurers. They decide to climb 2,000 ft up to the top of the B67 TV tower — the fourth highest structure in the U.S. — while documenting the experience on social media. Once at the top they get stranded putting their survival skills to the test in the film that costars Jeffery Dean Morgan.

Watching the “Fall” trailer for the first time in a theater gave me anxiety from the start. We all have a fear of heights to some extent, and I thought I had conquered mine by pressing up against the glass of the World Trade Center in the 90s. Writer-director Scott Mann (“Heist”) reminded me I had not.

The nerve-wracking thriller which caused me to look away several times began as a short film idea for Mann and his writing partner Jonathan Frank. The two decided to expand their idea to a feature playing off everyone’s fear of heights. Moviegoers had already witnessed Tom Cruise being, well, Tom Cruise, scaling the Burj Khalifa Tower in Dubai for Brad Bird’s “Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol” and we can’t forget about Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin’s incredible Alex Honnold documentary “Free Solo” which pushed my anxiety up to an all-time high. So where do you go next? “Fall” is the logical next step. It’s frightening, beautifully shot, and should be experienced on the biggest screen possible. I dare you not to look away.

I spoke with Scott Mann via Zoom about the film. The British-born, L.A.-based filmmaker was energetic, enthusiastic, and I felt, somewhat relieved that he, the cast and crew, came out of the experience for the most part unscathed.

Do you have a fear of heights? I absolutely do! [laughs] I’ve gotten better with it over the years. I’m probably my best with it now given what we had to shoot for this. I think it’s a fear a lot of people have. Human fear. Jonathan, the screenwriter, and I were doing another film and working on a stadium rooftop when we thought this is a great shock. The bad guy is gravity, essentially, and the fear of falling is the concept that we decided to go for.

What kind of advice would you give a moviegoer who is afraid of heights? Don’t climb a 2000-ft tower. [laughter ensues]. To be honest, the film is about overcoming fears so I would say to anyone, I dare you to go into the biggest theater possible to get the most immersive experience available because the reward at the end is that it may help you overcome your fear of heights. In a similar way, it’s Becky’s journey in the film so I would encourage it.

It’s rated PG-13 so the potential for a few youngsters accompanying their parents is a reality . I should throw out a word of warning. I had a similar thought with my children when I took them to a screening, and they were very excited to see the movie. They spent half the movie hiding and petrified so I think I psychologically damaged my children, but at the end, they were buzzing about it. It’s like strapping into a theme park ride. You go through it but at the end of the ride you feel great about yourself, so I think whatever fear it takes you through, the reward on the other side is of equal size.

When “Jaws” came out the studio issued a disclaimer that read “may be too intense for younger children.” “Fall” should come with a disclaimer that reads, “may be too intense for everyone”. [Laughs] I like it. I would be proud to have such a statement attached to the film.

When you and Jonathan were writing “Fall” you watched several films for inspiration. Was the Alex Honnold documentary “Free Solo” on the list? That movie gave me so much anxiety. That was probably the single most inspirational piece. I remember hearing a radio clip of “Free Solo” and being terrified by just listening to it on the radio. Watching the documentary and studying it from a filmmaker’s perspective really pulls you into the personal power of it. It’s not on observation it’s a point of view and that with a variety of YouTube and Instagram influencer clips that did similar things, really put you into it in a way that cinema typically hadn’t. The only cinematic sequence that really came close was the Dubai scene in “Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol”.

Yes, that was also nerve-wracking. What we tried to do with “Fall” is put you in the character’s perspective while drawing inspiration from those films and shooting it for real. It was important to capture it for real.

Let’s talk about the monster in the film, the very real 2000-ft B67 TV Tower which is almost twice as tall as the Eiffel Tower. I know part of it was CGI, but how did you recreate the experience for the film? Did you build a smaller-scale version of the tower? Yes. The same guys that built the B67 tower came in and rebuilt sections of it for the film. The key though was filming at the actual height. We did a lot of scouting and came across a location in the middle of the Mojave Desert, essentially a 2000-ft cliff in the Shadow Mountains where we built our tower so we could film the girls at the actual height of the TV tower. Because we are at the top of a mountain, the elements were similar, and we could capture some great shots from the height.

Were you prepared for the elements that you get when you’re 2000-ft up in the air? Not at all. The elements really surprised us. How brutal they were. We had a biblical list of issues to contend with including the expected snakes and heat that come with shooting in the desert, but then we had hurricane-force winds on the first day of the shoot that blew part of the set down. Then we had storms, lightning, and termites. The storms knocked out a nest that the insects had built in a tube and so when the girls went up to film, they were greeted by this big cloud of flying ants that covered the tower and the set. We couldn’t film for hours because there was literally a cloud of these flying ants. Every element was thrown at us. It was just a battle to film. But I think those endeavors, how hard it was to film, captured something quite special.

The cinematography is quite spectacular. It was cinematographer MacGregor who encouraged us to film it for real and be flexible enough to work around the elements to get the film in the can. We also had a great team that helped us with this engineering technical endeavor and achievement, just to be able to film in those conditions.

Were the film’s female leads Grace Caroline Curre and Ginny Gardner afraid of heights and how did you prepare them for their roles? I tried to weed out anyone in the casting process that was genuinely super afraid of heights because they were going to be on a 100-ft tower on a mountain, so it was still very high. I had to make sure they were comfortable enough to do it and honest about their feelings when it came to the shooting environment. We had a great team in charge of the safety rigging, the same group in charge of the Dubai sequence in “Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol” and they made sure the girls were safe. So, I had to figure out their honest feelings about the height and then walk it through with them step by step.

How did it turn out? The first tower climb we all did together. I remember we got to the very top, I was first, and Grace was second, and when she got up there, she started crying, the view and the height can be quite intimidating, but it was a relief as she was overcoming the fear of getting up there. Day by day the girls were excellent. Being up there the whole day really was a challenge. When it came down to it the shoot involved filming around the girl’s bladders. How long we could film before they needed to go to the bathroom? We shot the whole movie around their bladder schedules grabbing bits here and there.

There are quite a few horror elements in “Fall”, apart from just the anxiety and tension caused by the heights, so did you have to take steps to avoid getting an R-rating, keeping the film a PG-13? Funny you say that, yes. The actual problem we had was the improvisation by the actors, Ginny and Grace swearing a lot, there was an awful lot of F-bombs. The language was actually pushing it to the R-rating and the way we got around that was with new technology that was able to redo the dialogue without having to go back up the mountain and reshoot the scenes.

It’s not noticeable, the performances are natural and realistic, so you pulled it off. Now if I had been up on that mountain, you would have witnessed more f-bombs than the movie “Casino” (which btw is 422). [laughs] Yes that’s the challenge taking out the f-bombs which you naturally want to say in that situation.

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by Joe Friar, Fort Worth Report August 13, 2022

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Watch CBS News

Tom Cruise's fear while filming on world's tallest building: "Falling"

December 7, 2011 / 12:30 PM EST / CBS/AP

(CBS/AP) While Tom Cruise is a big action-movie star who does his own stunts, it doesn't mean he is completely fearless when it comes to doing scenes on the tallest building in the world.

When the actor was asked about his biggest fear during scenes outside the half-mile high Burj Khalifa, Cruise was quick with an answer: "Falling."

Pictures: Holiday Films 2011

Cruise is in Dubai for the world premier of "Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol" at the city's annual film festival.

Falling wasn't Cruise's only fear, he said filmmakers had to monitor temperatures of the building surface so he wouldn't get burned.

He spent months training on a four-story structure to practice his moves on the Burj. Most of the shots on the actual building were done in the shade to protect Cruise from high temperatures, as the facade heated up in sunlight.

In addition to dealing with the heat of the building, cross winds were a factor too.

"I had to figure out, actually, how to fly," he told reporters on the 124th floor observation area of the Burj Khalifa, which rises dozens of stories higher. " I had to figure out how to use my feet as a rudder...The first couple of times I was slamming into the building."

He acknowledged while his wife, Katie Holmes, is supportive and accustomed to watching him taking risks on stunts, it didn't make it any easier to watch.

Director Brad Bird said Holmes watched Cruise do a couple of takes on the side of the Burj before dealing: "OK, we're done."

"When you see it and he's out there, it's nerve-racking," Bird said.

Cruise was joined in Dubai with co-stars Paula Patton, Simon Pegg and Anil Kappor.

The film, which is the fourth installment in the "Mission" series, has been shown at selected "fan screenings" around the world, but Dubai marks the general audience premier.

More from CBS News

'Mission' tests new recruit Rebecca Ferguson

Rebecca Ferguson's first day of work on Mission: Impossible — Rogue Nation was pretty standard — you know, rappelling 100 feet from the roof of the Vienna Opera House with her legs wrapped around Tom Cruise.

"And it really just escalated from there," says the 31-year-old Swedish actress, who joins the fifth installment of the adrenaline-fueled Mission franchise as lethal agent Ilsa Faust. "They didn't tell me a lot about what I'd be doing. But knowing it was a Mission movie, I pretty much knew what would be expected."

This kind of action should have been a problem for someone with a perfectly normal fear of heights and extreme-speed car chases. In Rogue Nation (opening July 31), Ferguson took on underwater stunts and a solo 120-foot free fall — a shot she had to do 10 times.

"That's immensely scary, especially if you're scared of heights," says Ferguson. "But Tom Cruise is like walking cognitive therapy. I had vertigo, I had claustrophobia. I don't really anymore. You put yourself in these situations where you just do it. I realized I had this bit of me where I could push myself over the edge."

Sometimes literally.

Ferguson appeared as strong single mother Ergenia in 2014's Hercules , but required Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson to do her killing. She holds her own in Rogue Nation, even calling her martial arts-proficient character "a female Ethan Hunt," after Cruise's lead spy character in the $2 billion-grossing franchise.

Producer Cruise and director Christopher McQuarrie were hooked after watching how she carried herself in a non-action audition tape. Ferguson's charisma burst through.

"She leapt off the screen," says Cruise. "We got lucky. She's amazing."

Before filming began, Ferguson trained for four weeks, six days a week, learning everything from martial arts to firearms. She took quickly to guns, especially a custom-built rifle she had to assemble herself.

"They had to rip it out of my hand at the end — I just loved it," says Ferguson. "There's a crazy empowerment to holding a gun like that, which I question morally, since I always called myself a pacifist."

She also gradually worked her way up in height for rappelling, from 10 feet to 20 and onward, until she was ready for the big-time opera house.

She's now as dangerous as she looks in a killer ballgown during a scene in which Faust's martial art skills are on full display. Ferguson had stunt help with the most lethal kicks, "but I did quite a lot myself," she says.

Her fluid dress and four-inch stilettos were designed to allow maximum mobility as she ran along with Cruise.

"But running on those was nearly worse than jumping off the Vienna Opera House roof," Ferguson says.

She was so into the Mission zone that it was only after filming ended that she was able to contemplate what had taken place.

"I'm actually just realizing where I have been and what I have been through in the last months," says Ferguson, laughing. "I'm going through some post-shock."

Tom Cruise Scales World's Tallest Building For 'Mission: Impossible' Sequel

Tom Cruise is many things. Afraid of heights is not one of them.

The 48-year-old actor has long insisted on performing his own stunts for his high-octane action movies, famously scaling the face of a mountain in Sydney, Australia, for the opening sequence of "Mission: Impossible II." But that dangerous stunt has nothing on Cruise's latest feat in "Mission: Impossible Ghost Protocol," the fourth entry in the espionage series. In round four, Cruise is trading in a mountain for the tallest skyscraper in the world.

Photos have surfaced of Cruise hanging on the side of the Burj Khalifa skyscraper in Dubai, which stands as the world's tallest building at 2,717 feet. Cruise, reprising his famous role as super-spy extraordinaire Ethan Hunt, filmed his scenes along with another unidentified actor, reportedly leaping over the man during a chase sequence that involves a helicopter hovering a mere ten feet from Burj Khalifa.

Cruise's deadly stunt was surprising, to say the least -- one can only imagine what onlookers must have been thinking watching the actor run along the top of the impossibly tall building -- but it's not as if he didn't warn anybody about it. At a press conference last week, Cruise informed attendees that he would be "spending many days [and] many hours on the side of this building. I can't give details, but I will be up there."

The actor's spokeswoman added: "Tom has been preparing for the stunt for some time. He believes if he performs the stunts himself, the audience believes more in his character."

Well, if nothing else, Cruise's latest stunt just proves that no mission is truly impossible.

Check out everything we've got on

href="/movies/movie/448785/moviemain.jhtml">"Mission: Impossible Ghost Protocol."

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‘Mission: Impossible’ star Tom Cruise defies age with dangerous stunts: experts

Cruise, 61, stars in 'mission: impossible - dead reckoning,' the 7th movie of franchise.

Tom Cruise takes on speed flying for 'Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One'

Go behind the scenes with Tom Cruise as he performs one of the "most dangerous sports in the world" for "Mission: Impossible." (Paramount Pictures / Skydance)

Tom Cruise has proven to be one of the most daring actors in Hollywood.

Throughout his career, Cruise has starred in many action movies, most notably the "Mission: Impossible" and "Top Gun" franchises. While most stars opt to have stunt doubles perform the more dangerous scenes in their films, Cruise likes to perform them himself.

"Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning," the seventh installment of the franchise, promises to feature one of his most dangerous stunts to date, and at 61 years old, Cruise shows no sign of stopping.

TOM CRUISE PERFORMS 'MOST DANGEROUS STUNT' HE'S EVER ATTEMPTED IN BEHIND-THE-SCENES CLIP FROM 'M:I 7'

Tom Cruise at premiere for "Mission: Impossible" (Don Arnold/WireImage)

So how is he able to pull off such demanding stunts?

According to Christine Haas , entertainment PR expert and CEO of Haas Media, it's thanks to the consistent work he's put into the body over the years.

"Tom Cruise is notorious for his physical fitness and overall rigorous discipline," Haas explained to Fox News Digital. "After speaking with a director who worked very closely with Tom Cruise over the past decade, it was very apparent that he has a high level of energy and is consistently auditing his behavior and actions daily with the help of his Scientology team."

"This level of demand and drive allows him to defy age and perform physically demanding stunts, leading to the consistent development of a masterful personal brand."

But these stunts pose a serious risk. Doug Eldridge of Achilles PR explained to Fox News Digital that Keanu Reeves also did most of his stunts throughout the "John Wick" franchise, but Reeves and Cruise are really the only ones playing that dual role — of actor and stuntman — in Hollywood these days.  

Keanu Reeves is known to do his own dangerous stunts. (Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic)

"Insurance is a big factor in all of this," he explained. "Studios have to take out aggressive policies to cover actors, stunt sequences, set locations, etc. From their point of view, the idea of Cruise holding onto the wing of an airplane or jumping a cliff on a motorcycle has really become a one-off in Hollywood."

"Few (if any) actors have the desire or dedication to do it, and even fewer studios have the willingness to underwrite that type of effort. In a sense, this is almost a ‘grandfathered’ aspect of Old Hollywood — Cruise is the last and only one doing this type of stunt work; when he’s done, that niche and chapter will close with him."

Haas suggested, "I believe he is one of very few celebrities who can continue with these types of risks because of the intense physical and mental protocol he lives by ... without that consistent training, it would be far more dangerous. Like someone training for a marathon, he stays prepared instead of allowing his fitness level to regress and expose him to injuries."

Here is a look back at some of the actor's most death-defying stunts over the years.

Tom Cruise performed what's known as the HALO Jump, which consists of jumping out of a plane flying at 25,000 feet. (Paramount)

The sixth installment in the "Mission: Impossible" franchise, "Mission: Impossible - Fallout," featured a number of crazy stunts, including what is known as the HALO jump.

Usually conducted by military special forces, HALO stands for "high altitude, low opening." During the parachute jump, an individual jumps out of a plane at an extremely high altitude, usually 25,000 to 40,000 feet, and doesn't open their parachute until they're about 800 feet from the ground. According to the National Air and Space Museum, an average skydiver will only go up to 15,000 feet and deploy their parachute at 3,000 feet.

‘MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE’ STAR TOM CRUISE RULES HOLLYWOOD, WON'T BOW TO ‘WOKE IDEOLOGY': EXPERTS

Tom Cruise had to wear a special helmet, which also acted as an oxygen mask while doing the stunt. (The Chosunilbo JNS/Imazins via Getty Images)

One of the biggest concerns about the stunt was the possibility of losing oxygen when jumping from such a height. According to the Hollywood Reporter, a special helmet was made to allow Cruise to execute the stunt, which also acted as an oxygen mask and a windshield to protect his face.

"The aircraft is going between these C-17s between 160 and 200 miles an hour, so at that level of turbulence, we had to find a way to exit the aircraft," Cruise said in a behind-the-scenes feature. "Then it was, we only got one take a day. I spent the whole day training and at night we would get that one take, and if there was one mistake, that was it, the take was gone."

Cruise practiced the jump throughout the day at lower altitudes and only had one chance each day to get the stunt right. (Visual China Group via Getty Images/Visual China Group via Getty Images)

They ended up doing more than 100 takes to get the shot just right.

TOM CRUISE WANTS ‘MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE’ MOVIES TO KEEP GOING UNTIL HE'S 80, FOLLOW IN HARRISON FORD'S FOOTSTEPS

Business Insider reported that the stunt, which was being filmed in England, almost didn't happen because the Royal Air Force didn't think it was safe and insisted they do the jump from a lower altitude.

"Tom didn't want to fake it — he wanted to do it for real at 25,000 feet," stunt coordinator Allan Hewitt told the outlet. "But the producers said they weren't going to another country. It really looked like we were going to fake it with the RAF."

TOM CRUISE'S ‘MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE’ CO-STARS REVEAL WHAT HE'S REALLY LIKE BEHIND THE SCENES

They were eventually able to film the stunt how they wanted after production was halted due to Cruise injuring himself, causing them to miss the window of opportunity the RAF had set aside to film with them. They ended up filming the stunt in Abu Dhabi to get the scene how they wanted it.

Cruise consistently pushes the limits as he performs dangerous stunts. (Cheriss May/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

"If Tom didn't break his ankle, we would have ended up faking it, which nobody wanted," Hewitt said.

Broken Bones

Tom Cruise broke his ankle when he jumped from one building to another while filming "Mission: Impossible - Fallout." (Paramount)

Although it doesn't seem like his most dangerous stunt on this list, jumping from one building to another for "Mission Impossible - Fallout" left Cruise with a broken ankle.

The star's injury caused production on the movie to be delayed for a few months while he healed. In an interview on "The Graham Norton Show," Cruise revealed he went back to filming the movie before his leg had completely healed in order to finish the film in time to meet the release date.

According to the film's writer and director, Christopher McQuarrie, the stunt never involved Cruise successfully making the jump and landing on the roof of the second building.

"He was always supposed to slam into the side of the building. That’s what gives the stunt its energy," McQuarrie told Empire in August 2017. "On the fourth try, he hit the building at a slightly different angle, and he broke his ankle."

Cruise and the rest of the "Mission: Impossible - Fallout" cast watched footage of him breaking his ankle while they were on "The Graham Norton Show." (Han Myung-Gu/Getty Images for Paramount Pictures)

While on "The Graham Norton Show," Cruise and the rest of the "Mission: Impossible - Fallout" cast watched footage of the actor's accident , with Norton pointing out that Cruise continued acting and finished the scene even after the break.

"I didn't want to do it again," Cruise said. "I knew instantly it was broken, and I just run past camera. We got the shot, it's in the movie. That profile shot, both the shots are in the movie. … I just went, I said, ‘Sorry guys, it’s broken. Take me to the hospital, it's broken. That's a wrap.' The crew got on the phone and made their vacation arrangements."

Hanging off the Burj Khalifa

Tom Cruise scaled the tallest building in the world, the Burj Khalifa, as part of a stunt for "Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol." (Paramount)

One of the most dangerous stunts Cruise has ever pulled off in a "Mission: Impossible" movie came in the franchise's fourth installment, "Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol."

Cruise first climbs 200 feet up the side of the world's tallest building, the Burj Khalifa, and eventually ends up hanging out of one of the building's windows, all while 1,700 feet in the air.

At first, production was unsure if the owners of the Burj Khalifa would allow them to film on the building, so they built three floors of the exterior in a soundstage. According to the film's stunt coordinator, Gregg Smrz, the owner initially only allowed them to film on-site for one day. However, after a great first day of filming, he allowed them to come back, and the soundstage was only used once.

TOM CRUISE'S ‘MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE’ CO-STAR SAYS HE HAS ‘NO FEAR’

"That was probably the most nail-biting day of the show," Smrz told Yahoo News in 2021 about filming Cruise's fall from the building. "Somebody said, 'What if the cable breaks?' And I said, 'That's not an option.' We actually did the math, and there was enough time of free fall for him to text me on the way down and for me to receive it!"

Stunt coordinator, Gregg Smrz, was very nervous when filming the scene in which Cruise falls out of a window of the Burj Khalifa. (Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images for DIFF)

TOM CRUISE FEELS ‘PRESSURE’ OF PANDEMIC AMID FILMING 'MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE 7,’ REPORT SAYS: ‘A LOT AT STAKE’

Not only did Cruise complete the stunt without getting hurt, he also decided to take things a step further and pose for a picture sitting at the very top of the building. He was taken to the top with a helicopter and posed without being attached to any wires.

He discussed the picture during an appearance on "The Graham Norton Show" in 2014, revealing, "I didn't feel like I would fall. I wasn't thinking of falling that day. … I don't feel invulnerable, but I didn't feel necessarily vulnerable."

Hanging on for dear life

Tom Cruise attempted one of his most dangerous stunts when he agreed to hang off the side of a plane while it took off in "Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation." (Paramount)

The opening scene of "Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation" featured one of Cruise's most death-defying stunts.

In the scene, Cruise hangs on to the door of an Airbus 400 as it takes off and flies around for at least six to seven minutes at a minimum of 1,000 feet, and he continued to hang on as the plane landed and taxied on the runway.

Many measures were taken to ensure Cruise would be safe while performing the stunt, including providing the actor with specially made contact lenses to protect his eyes.

TOM CRUISE FILMING 'MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE 8' SCENES ON US AIRCRAFT CARRIER

"Tom was in a full body harness, and he’s cabled and wired to the plane through [its] door," cinematographer Robert Elswit told The Hollywood Reporter in 2015. "Inside the aircraft was an aluminum truss that was carefully bolted to the plane, which held the wires that went through the door, which held Tom."

Cruise clung to the side of an Airbus A400 for the opening scene of "Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation. (Urbanandsport/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

To successfully capture the stunt, a camera was mounted onto the plane and a helicopter flew next to the plane to capture shots of Cruise hanging onto the door. In an interview with "Entertainment Tonight," Cruise explained they did the stunt eight times in freezing temperatures.

Elswit called Cruise "the most obsessive artist" and said the actor probably wouldn't want the sequence to be in the movie if a stunt double was used. "I’m always stunned. What inside of him makes it possible for anybody to do that kind of s--- and not be scared s---less? He loves it," Elswit said.

"I couldn't sleep the night before, and I was just going through my mind, ‘Did we check everything?’ and then came the day. I was like, 'OK, this is really going to happen," Cruise said in a behind-the-scenes featurette of the film.

Cruise told "Entertainment Tonight" that the only thing he was thinking when he was getting ready for the stunt was "Holy s---."

Cruise admits to feeling fear when performing stunts for his movies but says he doesn't let that fear stop him. (Ilgan Sports/Multi-Bits via Getty Images)

"Going down that runway, I was thinking, ‘Holy s---!’" Cruise said. "It's not that you don't feel that fear, it's just it doesn't stop me from doing it. I kind of enjoy that feeling. … We went from the studio to the airport, and it was a foggy, rainy night, and we landed and this thing just looked like a beast. It was in the fog and it was lit. It was just sitting there, like, 'Yeah!'"

Free climbing

Tom Cruise refused to allow a stunt double to perform the stunt in his place, insisting he perform the stunt himself. (Paramount)

Cruise climbed the side of a rock for the dangerous opening scene of "Mission: Impossible 2."

Not only did he have to climb the boulder, he had to jump across a gap between two rocks, simulate a fall and then hang from a rock ledge before pulling himself up onto the rock.

Producers tried to convince the actor to perform the stunt on a sound stage, but Cruise was adamant about doing the scene in the deserts of Moab, Utah. The film's director, John Woo, told "Entertainment Weekly," "I tried to stop him and I couldn’t," admitting he "couldn’t even watch the monitor" while filming.

In a behind-the-scenes featurette for the film, Cruise explained he didn't blame Woo for being so nervous on the set, saying, "John was so nervous that I might plummet to my death."

Tom Cruise attends the premiere for the second installment of the "Mission: Impossible" franchise. (Antony Jones/UK Press via Getty Images)

"We had five cameras on the cliff, including a helicopter camera, a camera on a crane and cameramen hanging from safety cables, but we had focus problems, so we had to do it again and again," Woo told "Entertainment Weekly." "But Tom would say, ‘I’m OK, John, don’t worry, I want to do it one more time.'"

"The opening sequence just wouldn’t have been the same if he hadn’t done it himself," co-star John Polson told "Entertainment Weekly." "No amount of special effects can make you feel like that because you can tell that it’s really just him."

While everyone on the set was nervous, Cruise explained in a behind-the-scenes featurette that he was just excited to climb.

In a behind-the-scenes feature for the movie, Cruise said he's never been afraid of heights and had always wanted to climb. (Paul Drinkwater/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty Images)

"I've always wanted to climb, and I love climbing, and I'm always working … with the kids and with Nic (then-wife Nicole Kidman), so this gives me a good excuse. I get to climb with the world's greatest," Cruise said. "I've never had a problem with heights. As a kid, anytime I'd get to the edge, I'd want to jump off. I don't know what it is, it's subconscious. I don't want to kill myself, I want to fly."

Helicopter hanging

Tom Cruise climbed up a rope to the inside of a helicopter and then flew the vehicle while filming "Mission: Impossible - Fallout." (Paramount)

In yet another death-defying stunt, Cruise hangs from a rope attached to a flying helicopter in a scene for "Mission: Impossible - Fallout." 

The scene required Cruise to fly a helicopter, so he took the necessary 2,000 hours of in-flight training and got his pilot's license.

"I remember it was freezing, my hands were numb," Cruise said about climbing to the helicopter in a behind-the-scenes video. "I have to try to climb as fast as I can up that rope, and then it's a free-fall to the bag."

'TOP GUN: MAVERICK' STAR TOM CRUISE ARRIVES VIA HELICOPTER TO PREMIERE

While Cruise knew he was fully in control of the stunt, his co-stars watching from the ground were terrified.

"I actually thought he fell, and I heard myself scream," Rebecca Ferguson said in the Blu-ray interview, and Henry Cavill added, "There was an audible gasp from the crowd. That’s a huge drop."

Cruise's co-star, Rebecca Ferguson, thought Cruise actually fell when he performed the free-fall portion of the stunt. (Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images for Paramount Pictures)

In a behind-the-scenes clip detailing the stunt, producer Jake Myers explained that the most nerve-wracking part of filming the helicopter chase was the 360-degree barrel roll he needed to execute, saying it is so dangerous even most seasoned pilots won't try it.

"Flying a helicopter takes a lot of skill," aerial coordinator Marc Wolff explained in the feature. "To put someone like Tom in a situation like this is almost impossible to imagine."

Myers explained that when a helicopter chase is filmed, there typically aren't cameras pointed toward the pilot, but they wanted to make sure audiences knew Cruise was the one really piloting the aircraft, so they found a way to mount cameras on all sides of the helicopter to showcase Cruise's new talent.

While filming the seventh "Mission: Impossible" movie, Cruise landed his helicopter in the garden of a British family. (James Devaney/GC Images)

Since learning to pilot a helicopter for the movie, Cruise has flown many more times, and he has been known to land in some questionable places. When filming "Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part 1," the airport was closed and Cruise was forced to land his helicopter in the backyard of a British family. They weren't told who was in the helicopter, only that it was a "VIP who was running late."

"I thought it would be kind of cool for the kids to see the helicopter land in the garden," Alison Webb, the owner of the home, told the BBC. "He basically arrived and got out, and it was like, ‘Wow.’ He went straight over to the children for a chat, then came over and elbow-bumped us and said thank you very much. Then he said if the kids would like, they could go up in the helicopter."

Underwater mayhem

Tom Cruise had to learn to hold his breath for six minutes in order to film a scene in "Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation." (Paramount)

One of the most impressive stunts Cruise performed was for "Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation," when Cruise filmed a scene underwater, holding his breath for six minutes.

While it was possible to film the scene using CGI or take frequent breaks for Cruise to catch his breath, the actor insisted the stunt be as realistic as possible and trained himself to hold his breath for a record-breaking 6 and a half minutes.

Tom Cruise is never afraid to get dangerous. (JC Olivera)

"Normally in underwater sequences, people hold their breath for 10 seconds, 15 seconds max," Cruise said in a behind-the-scenes video. "So, I had to prove to everyone that it was actually safe and spend time with the safety guys and the safety officers to show them, look, not only is it safe, it’s better that I know how to hold my breath because I’m going to be very relaxed. No one’s going to have to rush in, no one’s going to have to panic."

The free-diving expert on the set, Kirk Krack, explained that he trained Cruise using a breath-hold specialization program that is used for the military. Crew members were both shocked and terrified while watching Cruise train, with one person saying in the video, "Tom’s very comfortable underwater, and he likes to challenge the crew by staying under longer than he should on a breath-hold, get us all worried."

Cruise had to convince producers it was safe for him to learn to hold his breath underwater for several minutes. (Yuriko Nakao/Getty Images for Paramount Pictures International)

Cruise spoke about the experience on "The Graham Norton Show" in 2016, saying it took a lot of practice to get past the pain of pushing his body to the limit, and he explained the agony he felt the first few times he tried it.

"You have these free divers that came in and trained me how to do it. It's not pleasant," Cruise said on the show. "You get to the moment where you train your system to, 'I'm controlling the breath.' I've got a low heart rate anyway, very low heart rate, which means my body's not using as much oxygen, but also we did stuff to bring the heart rate down even lower and certain breathing exercises."

Cruise held the record for the longest breath hold for an actor until recently, when Kate Winslet surpassed his time by holding her breath for 7 minutes and 14 seconds while training for "Avatar: The Way of Water."

Kate Winslet broke Tom Cruise's record for the longest breath hold, reaching 7 minutes and 14 seconds while training for "Avatar: The Way of Water." (Mike Marsland/WireImage)

"Poor Tom," the actress told USA Today. "I mean, I don't know Tom at all – I've never met him in my life – but I'm sure he's getting very fed up of hearing this story of how I broke his record. I loved it, though. ... I was amazed how good I was at it and how I just kept getting better."

The most dangerous stunt to date

Tom Cruise pulled off his most dangerous stunt to date when he drove a motorcycle off a cliff in "Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part 1." (Paramount)

In the new, seventh movie in the franchise, "Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One," Cruise performs what he is calling his most dangerous stunt so far.

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The stunt consists of Cruise riding a motorcycle off a long ramp placed at the edge of a cliff and then immediately engaging in a base jump. 

Tom Cruise is one of the very few performers comfortable enough to perform their own stunts. (Joseph Okpako/WireImage)

"This is far and away the most dangerous thing we’ve ever attempted. We've been wanting to do this for years," Cruise said in a behind-the-scenes look at the stunt. "Wanted to do it since I was a little kid. It all comes down to one thing: the audience."

According to the film's stunt coordinator, Wade Eastwood, Cruise put together a team of experts in a number of specialties, including BASE training and canopy training, as well as intense skydiving training and motocross training.

WATCH: TOM CRUISE TAKES ON SPEED FLYING FOR 'MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE - DEAD RECKONING PART ONE'

Cruise trained in a number of different specialties in order to properly execute the film's biggest stunt. (Mark Thompson/Getty Images)

"I had about six seconds once I departed the ramp to pull the chute, and I don’t want to get tangled in the bike," Cruise told Empire magazine in October 2021. "If I do, that’s not going to end well."

In order to get the stunt just right, Cruise practiced the base jump with 30 skydiving exercises a day, amounting to more than 500 dives, as well as 13,000 motocross jumps. Replicas of the final ramp were constructed in a field in England for Cruise to practice the stunt.

Cruise recently spoke with "Extra" at the New York City premiere of the film, saying that "a lot of training" went into making sure the stunt went right on the day.

"Years and years of all the motorcycle and all the parachutes, and then we just refined it and had to do it," Cruise said on the red carpet. "We didn’t know what was going to happen on that motorcycle when it went off. It was very interesting. It was exciting. … It’s something I’ve wanted to do for a long time. When I was a little kid, I used to build ramps and go off and have some terrible crashes on my bicycles, but it was a lot of fun doing that."

Cruise told "Extra" the stunt in the latest movie is something he has been preparing for since he was a kid. (Cedric Ribeiro/Getty Images for Paramount Pictures)

The future of Tom Cruise, action star

For decades now, Cruise has continued to push his body to the limits, doing things that most actors would never consider.

It's unclear how much stunt work Tom Cruise has left in him.

According to Haas, "Regarding how long Tom Cruise can continue performing these dangerous stunts, it's difficult for anyone to predict. Ultimately, the decision will depend on his personal judgment, the demands of the roles he chooses and the advice of his professional team."

"However, it has become part of his legacy brand, and it's clearly something that drives millions to the theaters. To say it's impressive is quite the understatement."

Tom Cruise could have years of action movies ahead of him. (Getty Images)

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Eldridge added, "Only Tom knows [how much longer he can keep going]. Fans love the fact that he doesn’t use a stunt double and seldom utilizes a green screen. That said, the only two ‘teams’ that are undefeated throughout history are Mother Nature and Father Time. Eventually, the latter will catch up with Cruise, but based on what we’re seeing in 2023, Tom still has a commanding lead."

" Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One " is out now.

Lori Bashian is an entertainment production assistant for Fox News Digital. 

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Top Gun: Maverick Star Admits To Throwing Up During Wild Plane Rides

While fans loved the storyline and romance of Top Gun , most moviegoers remembered the film for its high-flying, octane-filled jet stunts . Of course, the same is expected from the upcoming sequel. But it seems as if not everyone could handle the over-the-top stunts. This was the case for Top Gun : Maverick ’s Lewis Pullman. The Top Gun : Maverick star admitted to throwing up while performing wild plane rides for the film.

Usually, having a weak stomach plus a feat of heights doesn’t bode well for a film centered on high-flying plane stunts. This made Lewis Pullman’s decision to join Top Gun: Maverick somewhat questionable. But the power of Tom Cruise pulled the Catch-22 star i nto doing the much-delayed sequel . Pullman revealed how his weak stomach made flying jets hard to do.

Dude, I didn’t think [it was the movie for me] at first. But when you’re like getting a rundown of aviation from Tom Cruise, you can’t help but be excited about it. [He’s] the best, man. And everything you’ll see in the movie he did in real life. He was like a mentor… Dude I puked so much [in the plane]. I’ll be the first to admit it. Never on camera though. The real Top Gunners don’t puke.

You must applaud Lewis Pullman for sucking it up and participating in those high-flying stunts despite his fears. It was nice to know that Tom Cruise helped him overcome those fears to be part of Top Gun: Maverick . Given Cruise’s off-screen personality , Pullman’s words fell right in line with others’ stories about his mentorship . At least Pullman was honest about his fears even after filming a blockbuster film. But there was more to Pullman’s weak stomach on the set.

Having a weak stomach didn’t stop him from participating in the action. Lewis Pullman revealed to TMZ that he had a special aid to help him out at his sickest. He spoke about having a throw-up bag while performing stunts in the sequel. The Top Gun: Maverick star gave some details about what the bag does.

A little plastic bag… a little boot with this weird powder that mixes it all [together].

At least Lewis Pullman had something to aid him during the turbulent experience. The bag seemed to be the perfect solution to his stomach issues. The fact that there’s a bag specifically for that purpose, speaks to how offers the issue comes up. Overall, Pullman was willing to do whatever to be a part of a future blockbuster.

Despite his fear of heights, Lewis Pullman had the backing of Tom Cruise to help him through the experience. Hopefully, that mentorship translates to the big screen . Moviegoers won’t have to wait much longer when Top Gun: Maverick arrives in theaters on Nov. 19 .

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Here's How Tall Tom Cruise Really Is

In 2011, Tom Cruise was embroiled in a casting controversy when it was revealed he'd be playing Jack Reacher (via Deadline ). Fans of the character, created by Lee Childs, were quick to point out that the former US Army major is described as standing at 6 foot 5 inches and about 250 pounds in the book, both of which Cruise isn't. The actor is pretty synonymous with his shorter height, with rumors often circulating that he wears heels or shoe lifts when starring opposite taller actors, per  BuzzFeed . 

But, as Childs noted at the time, "Reacher's size in the books is a metaphor for an unstoppable force, which Cruise portrays in his own way." The author also pointed out to BBC News that it's "completely impossible to literally transfer the page to screen," and that while people think someone "that looks more like Reacher is described in the books" should have been cast, there were none Childs was happy with.

Cruise also stated that he was "very sensitive" to the criticism of his height in an interview with Empire, adding that the author told him "the reason he wrote [Reacher] that size is because that was just one element to his character, and that opened the door to me playing him."

So exactly how tall is Tom Cruise, and why did it cause so much drama when he was cast as Jack Reacher?

It's rumoured that Tom Cruise uses heels to elevate his height

While Tom Cruise is often cited as standing at 5 foot 7 inches tall (via Your Next Shoes ), it's actually pretty hard to pinpoint the actor's height. As The Delite notes, there's "a lot of speculation" about his height, noting that there's even a Pinterest board that's collated the times Cruise as allegedly worn heeled boots or shoe lifts to elevate his height.

Sometimes, it seems that his co-stars have to wear flatter shoes to compensate for his height as Nicole Kidman noted speaking about her experience filming "Days of Thunder" with Cruise (via Your Next Shoes). "They had me in really flat shoes, but you could still see I was taller than him," Kidman explained, who happens to be 5 foot 10 inches (via The Sun ). "I'd prefer to be smaller, but I don't mind," she continued. "I like the fact that he's one of the most famous actors in the world and can work with anybody — but he doesn't mind working with an actress who's taller."

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Standing Tall in Hollywood: Tom Cruise’s Success Story at 5 Feet 7 Inches

American actor and producer Tom Cruise , standing at 5ft 7 ¾ (172.1 cm), is best known for being one of the highest-paying actors in the world , with an estimated net worth of $600 million .

Explore More About Tom Cruise:

Discover fun facts about tom cruise, the top gun star, the real height of tom cruise revealed, why tom cruise’s height is a hot topic.

• Tom Cruise and His Relationships with Taller Partners

Onscreen Heights: Tom Cruise Beside Brad Pitt

The ongoing debate over tom cruise’s height, katie holmes’ 33rd birthday celebration: style and venue details.

Starring in classic films such as Mission: Impossible, Top Gun , and Rain Man, this actor has undoubtedly gained much attention worldwide.

While Cruise has stood proud with his vast array of awards and recognition, including nominations for three Academy Awards, a British Academy Film Award, and three Golden Globe Awards, this well-known Hollywood star has still magnetized attention, focusing on his apparent lack of height.

There has been much discussion about how tall Tom Cruise actually is. Read on to learn more about this topic and delve into this intriguing discussion!

Despite being commonly listed as 5’7″, Tom Cruise is reported to stand at 5ft 7 ¾ (172.1 cm). Interestingly, in the 1980s, he was often cited as being 5’8” or even 5’9”.

Indeed, in 1988, Cruise stated that he stood at 5’9” and weighed 147 pounds. Many observed him to have an average height and build. However, his striking blue eyes and captivating grin distinguished him from others in the film world.

However, being sighted next to other actors, actresses, and romantic partners has helped uncover the extent to which this actor really is short in this industry.

Despite this, Cruise hasn’t allowed this factor to emasculate him, tackling his career head-on in various captivating and memorable roles.

Tom Cruise wears a US men’s shoe size 9. In the UK, his shoe size is 8.5, and in Europe, it would be approximately size 42.

With the average male height standing at around 5’9” , many often point out the difference in Cruise’s height to others around him, especially when he is surrounded by over 6-foot-tall bodyguards who appear to dwarf him.

While shorter than the average male, this physicality hasn’t held Cruise back in his career, where he has stolen the show across decades of filmmaking.

Cruise has shown that he can work with a wide range of people, even if there is a much taller actress.

Tom Cruise and His Relationships With Taller Partners

Having dated many women who are standing taller than average , Tom Cruise’s ex-wife, American-born Australian actress Nicole Kidman , is just one of these women.

Within the film industry herself, Kidman wore incredibly flat shoes while filming Days of Thunder , yet the height difference between herself and Cruise was still very distinguishable.

“They had me in really flat shoes, but you could still see I was taller than him. I’d prefer to be smaller, but I don’t mind. I like the fact that he’s one of the most famous actors in the world and can work with anybody – but he doesn’t mind working with an actress who’s taller,” Kidman said about filming the 1990 American sports action drama film.

After the couple’s divorce , Kidman soon joked that she could wear high heels again without the height drawing too much attention.

Cruise’s other ex-wife, Katie Holmes , is also taller than him at 5’9”, so it’s obvious that Cruise has had a history of getting used to his less-than-average height.

Cruise’s first official partner, Mimi Rogers, stands two inches taller than him at 5 feet 9 inches. Famous American singer Cher also took Cruise’s fancy, displaying this actor’s love for taller and older women.

Therefore, while many factors stand in the way of modern relationships, Cruise appears to put love first when it comes to coupling up.

Rumors abound that Tom Cruise enhanced his stature with shoe lifts or elevated boots during ‘Interview with the Vampire’ to appear taller alongside Brad Pitt .

During filming, Cruise stood on platforms next to Pitt in certain scenes. The production team always tried to devise innovative solutions to reduce the height difference between Cruise, who is 5’7”, and Pitt, who is 5’11”.

Therefore, they cleverly dug ditches for Pitt to stand in while acting in scenes opposite Cruise.

Considering the improvisations and techniques the team had to use to reduce the noticeable height differences between the two actors, it’s impressive that the film has held up so well over the years.

Therefore, while much discussion has been about one of the biggest celebrities in Hollywood’s less-than-average height, Tom Cruise doesn’t allow his co-workers and partners to diminish his overall performance and success.

As a Golden Globe award-winning actor, Tom Cruise’s success in Hollywood is undeniable. Despite his perceived lack of height, Cruise has consistently demonstrated a willingness to work alongside actors and actresses of various sizes.

This has showcased his versatility as an actor and helped him maintain his position as one of the most successful stars in the industry.

His dedication to his craft and astute fashion sense have allowed him to overcome any perceived physical limitations and carve a fortune in his acting career.

With heads constantly turning in Cruise’s direction, his radiating confidence and flashing smile have helped him draw attention for the right reasons.

On December 18, 2011, Katie Holmes, accompanied by her parents, husband Tom Cruise, and daughter Suri, celebrated her 33rd birthday at the upscale restaurant Buddakan in New York City.

Katie Holmes, whose birth name is Kate Noelle Holmes, was born on December 18, 1978, in Toledo, Ohio, U.S. She is of German, Irish, and English ethnicity.

Wearing an Aladdin-esque black jumpsuit with white lace sleeves, Katie Holmes seemingly wanted to match the restaurant’s modern Asian theme that night.

She completed her outfit with a pair of Rodarte for Opening Ceremony t-strap heels . They didn’t go with her outfit, but thankfully, they went with its black-and-white theme.

These pumps look jarring with those harem pants. But on their own and cropped as in the picture above, you can see that these T-strap pumps are quite stylish.

T-straps always have that retro vibe, but when made in black and white and finished off with a cap toe, they go back a few eras.

Black and white T-straps would look really interesting in an office wardrobe when worn with pencil skirts or tailored suits. They’d also look great paired with floral a-line dresses or one of those 40s-style dresses from the Miu Miu Fall 2011 collection .

With the stiletto heel and the pointy toe, these Manolo Blahnik t-strap pumps have a sexier vibe. But the perforations and the black and white colors keep things retro. There’s also a very subtle wingtip design right at the toe:

For something a bit more vintage, we love this design from Marc Jacobs.

How would you wear a pair of retro t-strap pumps?

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5ft 7 ¾ (172.1 cm).

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