When it comes to pushing the boundaries of cinematic spectacle, Tom Cruise is in 20,000 leagues of his own. Whether he’s free-falling from 25,000 feet, scaling the world’s tallest buildings, or clinging to the side of an aircraft mid-takeoff, Cruise has built a reputation for outdoing himself with every Mission: Impossible installment. And just when you thought Dead Reckoning had him at his limit, Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning is proving that the actor is still willing to go bigger, bolder, and, in this case, deeper.
A newly released behind-the-scenes video showcases Cruise preparing for what may be his most harrowing stunt yet, and many people’s worst nightmares too — a subaquatic set piece set in the wreckage of the Sevastopol submarine, first seen in Dead Reckoning. Filmed in an 8.5-million-litre water tank, the scene plunges Ethan Hunt into an intense underwater struggle where everything goes wrong fast. And because this is Tom Cruise, he’s not just holding his breath obviously, oh no. Because that would be too easy. No, he’s navigating a rotating, debris-filled structure in real-time, while wearing a specially-designed illuminated diving suit to ensure the audience can see that, yes, it’s really him in the thick of the chaos, lest we think less of him.
Tom Cruise Risked Hypoxia for Our Entertainment
While audiences are used to seeing Cruise defy gravity, this particular sequence came with an entirely new set of risks, one of which was hypoxia — a dangerous condition caused by a lack of oxygen in body tissues. Due to the nature of his suit, Cruise could only endure 10 minutes at a time before the carbon dioxide buildup in his system began affecting his muscles, as he told Empire.
“I’m breathing in my own carbon dioxide. It builds up in the body and affects the muscles. You have to overcome all of that while you’re doing it, and be present.”
So he had to maintain full control of his body, while performing intricate underwater choreography, and staying in character? Just another day for Tom Cruise, then.
Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning is set to hit cinemas, including an IMAX release, on May 23, 2025. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates on Mission: Impossible, and be sure to check out Cruise almost dying yet again in the video above.
via Collider