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Tom Cruise will do whatever it takes for the perfect stunt – even if it means nearly breaking his back in the process.
In bonus content from the digital release of “Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning,” Cruise and director Christopher McQuarrie detailed one of the film’s most harrowing sequences: a high-flying biplane battle between the actor’s character, Ethan Hunt, and Gabriel, portrayed by Esai Morales.
The scene showed Ethan leaping from one plane onto another, as he clung to the wing midair.
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This image shows Tom Cruise in a still from the film “Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning.” (Paramount Pictures via AP)
But the thrilling action scene came at a serious cost – one that nearly left Cruise seriously injured.
“Oh, this almost broke my back,” Cruise revealed in the commentary, per Entertainment Weekly.
The actor, known for performing his own stunts, is thrown into a wild midair fight that tested his body to the limit.
“You’re talking about a lot of pain here,” McQuarrie chimed in.
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Tom Cruise nearly broke his back performing a dangerous biplane stunt sequence in “Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning.” (Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images)
Cruise’s character was seen in the video clip grabbing a seat belt, holding on for dear life, as the plane flipped upside down.
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“Now watch this, the thing we haven’t talked about, holding on to this belt,” McQuarrie described, while Cruise said, “Oh God, that was brutal.”
The director continued to explain, “This separated the joints in Tom’s fingers from the force, so by the time we finished this sequence, your hands were absolutely swollen – oh my God, it was so painful to watch.”
During the intense scene, Cruise’s character was forced to crash into the side of the aircraft. As he remembered the pain, the Hollywood actor said, “Oh, that was brutal. That hit, that was a hard one.”
McQuarrie joked, “And you improvised that, thank you very much. I appreciate that. You were like, ‘I think we’re gonna need that,’ and I was like, ‘I didn’t ask you to do that.’”
From left, Greg Tarzan Davis, Angela Bassett, Hayley Atwell, Tom Cruise, Christopher McQuarrie and Simon Pegg attend the Global Premiere Red Carpet in support of “Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning.” (Tim P. Whitby/Getty Images for Paramount Pictures)
Cruise’s comments come after he vowed to continue working on action films for the rest of his career.
In May, Cruise revealed to The Hollywood Reporter that he does not see himself ever taking a step back from starring in action movies.
He previously told the outlet that he wanted to keep making “Mission: Impossible” movies until he is in his 80s, like how Harrison Ford continued making “Indiana Jones” movies at the same age.
“I actually said I’m going to make movies into my 80s; actually, I’m going to make them into my 100s,” the 62-year-old said at the “Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning” premiere at the time.
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Cruise first appeared on-screen as Hunt in 1996, reprising the role in seven additional films. (AP Images)
“I will never stop. I will never stop doing action, I will never stop doing drama, comedy films – I’m excited.”
The latest film is pegged as the final installment in the “Mission: Impossible” franchise, with Cruise confirming this will be his last time portraying the fictional IMF agent Hunt.
“It’s the final! It’s not called ‘final’ for nothing,” said Cruise.
Cruise first appeared on-screen as Hunt in 1996, reprising the role in seven additional films, with “Final Reckoning” being the last one.
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Fox News Digital’s Lori Bashian contributed to this report.
