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Tom Cruise just performed his most dangerous stunt yet – riding a motorcycle off a cliff and BASE jumping

By Caitlin O'Kane

December 21, 2022 / 10:00 AM EST / CBS News

Tom Cruise has performed another daring stunt for the "Mission: Impossible" film series. 

He called this one the most dangerous thing he's ever attempted. Shot in Norway, the stunt required Cruise to ride a motorcycle off a cliff and BASE jump — something he said he's wanted to do since he was a kid. 

Cruise, 60, is currently working on the two-part "Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning" film. He's known for performing his own stunts, but this one took years to plan, he said in a video shared on Twitter. 

So excited to share what we’ve been working on. #MissionImpossible pic.twitter.com/rIyiLzQdMG — Tom Cruise (@TomCruise) December 19, 2022

In the video, writer and director Christopher McQuarrie said Cruise put together a "master plan" using experts to help execute the stunt.

He had a year of sky diving training, during which he was doing 30 jumps a day – more than 500 skydives, said Wade Eastwood, the film's stunt coordinator. He also had motocross training, doing over 13,000 motocross jumps. Once he got those skills down, the production team created 3D models to try and predict how Cruise would fly through the air during the stunt so they could film it.

Then, it came time for Cruise to execute the stunt — driving a motorcycle up a long ramp, which lead to a cliff, launching off of it and BASE jumping to the bottom. Cruise first jumped out of a helicopter over the cliff to practice, before attempting the full stunt for the cameras.

"The only things you have to avoid while doing a stunt like this are serious injury or death," BASE jumping coach Miles Daisher said. "You're riding a motorcycle, which is pretty dangerous, on top of a ramp that's elevated off the ground, so if you fall off the ramp, that's pretty bad. You're falling, so if you don't get a clean exit from the bike and you get tangled up with it, or if you don't open your parachute, you're not going to make it."

The behind-the-scenes video show Cruise not only execute the stunt once, but six times in one day. 

"Pretty much the biggest stunt in cinematic history," said BASE jumping coach John DeVore. Viewers can see the final product when part one of the film premieres July 2023. The "Mission: Impossible" series is from Paramount Pictures. (Paramount is also the parent company of CBS.)

Cruise has performed countless hair-raising stunts, including jumping off of scaffolding while filming "Mission: Impossible 6" in —  a stunt that left him injured and limping. 

Cruise has been in Europe filming the seventh and eight "Mission: Impossible" films for several years. The seventh movie was scheduled to premiere in November 2021, but the COVD-19 pandemic shut down production and was pushed to May 27, 2022,  according to Variety . The date was pushed several time after that, and the film will now premier next year. 

While shooting in the U.K. last year, Cruise, who was traveling by helicopter, needed a place to land,  BBC News reports.  He ended up landing in a family's backyard, and then let their kids go for a ride in the helicopter, making headlines.

Caitlin O'Kane is a New York City journalist who works on the CBS News social media team as a senior manager of content and production. She writes about a variety of topics and produces "The Uplift," CBS News' streaming show that focuses on good news.

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Watch Tom Cruise Break Down His ‘Most Dangerous’ Stunt Ever for New ‘Mission: Impossible’

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Tom Cruise is proving that no mission is too impossible.

The “Mission: Impossible: Dead Reckoning – Part I” star shared a behind-the-scenes video of his stuntwork on the first installment of his farewell to character Ethan Hunt.

“So excited to share what we’ve been working on,” Cruise tweeted.

“Dead Reckoning” is the first half of the conclusion to the 1996 film franchise. Cruise has played undercover CIA agent Ethan Hunt for close to 30 years, with “Mission: Impossible 7” arriving in theaters July 14, 2023, soon followed by “Mission: Impossible 8” out June 28, 2024.

The stunt video shows Cruise training to achieve the  most dangerous stunt of his career, with him riding a motorcycle off a cliff. “This is far and away the most dangerous thing we’ve ever attempted,” Cruise says in the video filmed while in Norway for production in 2020.

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“It all comes down to one thing: the audience,” Cruise adds.

The “Eyes Wide Shut” alum trained in motocross and base jumping for months leading up to the filmed stunt.

“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 previously told Empire magazine about the jaw-dropping feat. “If I do, that’s not going to end well.”

Of course, that’s not the only cutting-edge stunt Cruise masters for “Mission: Impossible.” A first look at the film during Paramount Pictures’ showcase at CinemaCon earlier this year captured Cruise holding onto a plane while flying over South Africa. Cruise also recently thanked fans for their support in a video of himself jumping out of a plane .

“The ‘MI’ series really does represent the pinnacle of filmmaking excellence,” Paramount president Brian Robbins said earlier this year at CinemaCon. “And we have no doubt that this new picture will set the bar even higher.”

Robbins continued, “After five release dates and a whole bunch of rumors where this movie would end up, we are finally ready to bring this phenomenal movie to where it always belonged, and that is your theaters.”

Director Christopher McQuarrie helms the upcoming film, which will exclusively have a theatrical release due in part to Cruise’s urging. Production for “Dead Reckoning Part I” was repeatedly halted by the COVID-19 pandemic but eventually wrapped in September 2021. The budget reportedly ballooned upwards of $290 million during production, with additional funds allocated to finish post-production on the action epic.

So excited to share what we’ve been working on. #MissionImpossible pic.twitter.com/rIyiLzQdMG — Tom Cruise (@TomCruise) December 19, 2022

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Tom Cruise shows off latest daredevil 'Mission: Impossible' stunt

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Watch Tom Cruise complete ‘biggest stunt in cinema history’ with death-defying jump

Tom Cruise is soaring to new heights.

The legendary actor appears in a new video from the making of the upcoming “Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One” that gives fans an “extended behind the scenes look at the biggest stunt in cinema history ,” according to Paramount Pictures’ description of the clip on YouTube.

The video, which runs more than nine minutes long, opens with a breathtaking overhead view of a mountain in Hellesylt, Norway, with Cruise explaining that he will ride a motorcycle off of a cliff that turns into a base jump.

“I’ve wanted to do it since I was a little kid,” he says.

Director Christopher McQuarrie says Cruise helped facilitate the stunt by getting together a team of experts in various fields to make sure it goes off without a hitch.

There are clips of Cruise skydiving and riding a motorcycle on a motorcross track built specifically for the stunt, while viewers learn how different models were constructed to properly gauge the angle Cruise would be diving off the bike. There was even a GPS chip to keep track of all of his jumps and gather a wide range of data, including how the wind would affect each jump.

“I have to get so good at this that there’s just no way that I miss my marks,” he says.

“You train and drill every little aspect over and over and over and over again,” he adds while we see clips of him diving and riding his motorcycle.

And Cruise apparently did just that, performing more than 500 dives and 13,000 jumps on the motorcycle.

Around the 7-minute mark, Cruise takes off on the motorcycle, driving off a ramp and then pulling a parachute to the ground below in a mind-blowing effort.

“This is far and away the most dangerous thing we’ve ever attempted,” McQuarrie says.

You can see for yourself how the stunt looks on the big screen when “Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One” opens in theaters July 2023.

Drew Weisholtz is a reporter for TODAY Digital, focusing on pop culture, nostalgia and trending stories. He has seen every episode of “Saved by the Bell” at least 50 times, longs to perfect the crane kick from “The Karate Kid” and performs stand-up comedy, while also cheering on the New York Yankees and New York Giants. A graduate of Rutgers University, he is the married father of two kids who believe he is ridiculous.

Watch Tom Cruise Rehearse and Perform the 'Biggest Stunt in Cinema History'

Here's how the movie star prepared for his most ambitious action sequence yet in 'Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning.'

A mini-documentary released on YouTube by Paramount Pictures follows the months of preparation that went into planning and executing a heart-stopping chase scene in Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One , in which Cruise's character, secret agent Ethan Hunt, rides a motorcycle off the edge of a cliff and goes into a base jump, free-falling towards the earth before pulling his parachute cord.

"There's a lot going into this stunt," says director Christopher McQuarrie. "So Tom put together this master plan to coordinate all of these experts in each of the particular disciplines involved, to make this whole thing happen.

Prior to the shoot in Hellesylt, Norway in 2020, Cruise undertook a year of training to master motocross, base jumping and advanced skydiving, including working on his strength and stability to ensure he can control his own position mid-air, and manoeuver the parachute canopy in the right way.

"You train and drill every little aspect over and over and over and over again," says Cruise.

When the prep for the shoot was at its most intense, Cruise was doing 30 jumps per day, and he racked up more than 500 skydives and 13,000 motocross jumps over the course of rehearsal. Throughout this entire process, Cruise also wore a GPS chip so that they were able to track his speed and location in three-dimensional space at every stage of the stunt, which then enabled them to plan exactly where the drone cameras needed to be for the shoot.

"The key is me hitting certain speeds and being consistent with that," says Cruise. "There's no speedometer, so I do it by sound and feel of the bike. And then as I depart the bike, I'm using the wind that's hitting me, I'm pumping my chest, that will give me lift."

On the day of the shoot, all conditions have to be perfect for Cruise to pull off the staggering feat, and things are tense behind the camera as the actor shoots off the edge of the precipice and plummets into the valley below... a total of six times.

"We've been working on this for years," says Cruise. "I've wanted to do it since I was a little kid."

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Tom Cruise did that motorcycle stunt in ‘Mission: Impossible’ on Day 1 — here’s why

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More than half a year before the release of the upcoming movie “Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part One,” Paramount Pictures made sure audiences got to see Tom Cruise once again risking his life.

Cruise’s mind-blowing stunts have become a signature of “ Mission: Impossible ” films, each one seemingly topping the next. The key stunt in the franchise’s seventh installment involves Cruise driving a motorcycle off the edge of a cliff, dismounting and parachuting into a Norwegian valley. With the drop of its behind-the-scenes footage in December , the studio billed it as “the biggest stunt in cinema history.”

Though the moment has already been watched on YouTube more than 13 million times, and 30 million more times in the film’s trailers, it’s among the film’s most anticipated scenes. After all, we still don’t know how the stunt fits within the plot — What could be so dire that agent Ethan Hunt must jump off a cliff?

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While answers won’t come until the movie’s theatrical release July 12, we now know that the risky stunt was the first thing Cruise did on Day 1 of filming, which began in 2020. And it was all about risk assessment.

In a recent interview with “Entertainment Tonight,” Cruise said they started with the scene, in part, to allow the cast and crew to see whether he would be able to star in the $290-million film. After all, he could either get injured or die — or both.

“Well, we know we’re either going to continue with the film or not,” Cruise said, letting out a laugh. “Let’s know Day 1, what is gonna happen: Do we all continue, or is it a major re-run?”

Cruise added that he wanted to make sure his mind was clear enough to focus solely on the stunt.

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Aug. 4, 2020

“You have to be razor sharp for something like that; I don’t want to drop that and shoot other things and have my mind somewhere else,” Cruise said. “You don’t want to be waking up in the middle of the night, ‘It’s still, I still, I still,’ and it has that effect.”

Cruise is no stranger to aerial stunts with a high probability of death. The “Top Gun” actor said preparing for the recent stunt “was years of planning,” a culmination of all the training he’s done with motorcycles, cars and aerobatics.

In the franchise’s last film, “Mission: Impossible — Fallout” (2018), Cruise jumped into a helicopter in midflight , taking the controls to chase another helicopter. In the same movie, he parachuted from a Boeing C-17 Globemaster III from 25,000 feet, close to five miles up, becoming “the first actor” to do so in a major motion picture, according to Paramount (most skydiving attempts occur at 10,000 feet).

In 2011 for “ Ghost Protocol ,” the “Jerry McGuire” actor climbed along the exposed walls of the world’s largest building, the Burj Khalifa of Dubai. And in 2015 for “Rogue Nation,” Cruise hung off the side of an Airbus A400M Atlas as it was taking off, a stunt that veteran stunt coordinator and frequent Cruise collaborator Wade Eastwood called “a stressful experience.”

The recent motorcycle stunt, which Cruise had apparently repeated six times, was no exception. Though the film’s computer-generated images make Cruise appear to be jumping off the rocky surface of the cliff, the scene required a large ramp to be built.

While Cruise is seen atop the motorcycle in the behind-the-scenes video, accelerating off the ramp, a helicopter and drone fly overhead to gather footage. The film’s crew, including director Christopher McQuarrie, are huddled in a nearby tent, faces glued to a set of monitors. After he abandons the bike and hangs in the open air, Cruise releases his parachute and the crew erupts in cheers.

“The only thing you have to avoid when doing a stunt like this are serious injury or death,” Eastwood, who has managed stunts for the last three “Mission Impossible” films, said in the BTS video. “You’re falling. If you don’t get a clean exit from the bike and you get tangled up with it, if you don’t open your parachute, you’re not gonna make it.”

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See Tom run. See Tom jump.

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The scene wasn’t the only stressful one to shoot: Cruise said he also worried about a car chase that involved him handcuffed to a small car, steering with one hand while drifting along the cobblestone streets of Rome, with his co-star Hayley Atwell in the passenger seat.

“It’s plenty of challenges,” Cruise said with a wide grin, laughing once again.

“Dead Reckoning” had its world premiere Sunday at the Auditorium Conciliazione in Rome with Cruise and other cast members, including Atwell and Vanessa Kirby , in attendance. “Part Two” is expected to be released in June 2024. Filming wrapped in September for what has been rumored to be Cruise’s final appearance in the “Mission: Impossible” franchise.

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New 'Mission: Impossible' Video Captures Tom Cruise Attempting a Death-Defying Stunt

"The only things you have to avoid in a stunt like this is serious injuries or death," a coach for the stunt tells the camera.

The stunt is one of the more dangerous tricks the Mission: Impossible team has conducted. 

Next year's seventh installment of the Mission: Impossible series brings some stealthy stunts to the big screen. A new behind-the-scenes look for Mission: Impossible -- Dead Reckoning Part One shows Tom Cruise riding a motorcycle off a cliff and immediately diving into a BASE jump. "This is far and away the most dangerous thing we've ever attempted," Cruise says in the video released Monday. 

The stunt is years in the making. Cruise practiced over 500 skydives and 13,000 motor cross jumps to finesse the trick for the seventh installment of the spy thriller. The team conducted the stunt in Norway in 2020.

So excited to share what we’ve been working on. #MissionImpossible pic.twitter.com/rIyiLzQdMG — Tom Cruise (@TomCruise) December 19, 2022

The actor coordinated a "master plan" with experts in the various disciplines involved, like motorcycling and BASE jumping, according to the movie's writer and director, Christopher McQuarrie. 

"The only things you have to avoid in a stunt like this is serious injuries or death," Miles Daisher, Mission: Impossible's BASE jumping coach, tells the camera. 

Mission: Impossible -- Dead Reckoning Part One is set to premiere in theaters on July 14, 2023, and stars Cruise as special agent Ethan Hunt, Ving Rhames as Agent Luther Stickell and Simon Pegg as technician Benji Dunn. 

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Tom Cruise’s New Way to Nearly Kill Himself: Speed Flying

It’s “one of the most dangerous sports in the world,” according to the “Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One” star.

Helen Holmes

Culture Reporter

Noted thrill-seeker Tom Cruise has been teasing his insane stunts in Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One since last year, when he thanked fans for seeing Top Gun: Maverick in theaters by jumping out of a plane .

With Dead Reckoning Part One ’s July 12 release quickly approaching, Cruise just deployed a new stunt video that might be his wildest yet. “It takes a true team effort to perform and film one of the most dangerous sports in the world—speed flying,” the actor tweeted on Thursday alongside the heart-pounding vid.

The clip opens with footage of Cruise spiraling downward through the air, affixed to a parachute, dangerously close to rocky mountain terrain.

“It’s a very beautiful and delicate sport,” Cruise says of speed flying. “We’re gonna do spirals, and we’re landing at an incredibly high speed, over 80 kilometers an hour.”

The scene was filmed, as Dead Reckoning director Christopher McQuarrie explains, via cameras affixed to people parachuting alongside Cruise.

The footage of Cruise running headlong off a cliff, attached only to that aforementioned parachute, is both cinematically stunning and harrowing, but not quite as harrowing as the motorcycle stunt he teased last year. In that already-iconic video, Cruise and the rest of the Mission: Impossible team explained the effort that went into filming the actor safely (we guess?!) driving a motorcycle off a cliff.

Cruise, by the way, shot the death-defying motorcycle stunt on the very first day of filming Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning.

“I was training and I was ready,” Cruise told Entertainment Tonight . “You have to be razor sharp when you’re doing something like that. It was very important as we were prepping the film that it was actually the first thing. I don’t want to drop that and go shoot other things and have my mind somewhere else. Everyone was prepped. Let’s just get it done.”

Spoken like the true savior of cinema .

Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast  here .

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Henry Cavill Was “Gutted” Over 1 Scene in Tom Cruise’s ‘Mission: Impossible – Fallout’ That He Decided to Rectify His Past Mistake During Filming

H enry Cavill has starred in multiple action films in his career and has even performed many of his own stunts. The actor starred in two action comedies this year alone, featuring in Matthew Vaughn’s Argylle and Guy Ritchie’s The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare , which saw him return to his action hero persona.

The Superman star also featured in Mission: Impossible – Fallout in 2018, which saw trade blows with Tom Cruise. The latter, who is known for performing dangerous stunts on his own reportedly inspired Cavill to do so on the sets of the film. However, he had to go through one obstacle before he was allowed to perform one iconic stunt that the Cruise-led franchise is known for.

Henry Cavill Was Gutted Over Not Being Able To Do A Motorcycle Stunt For Mission: Impossible – Fallout

While Henry Cavill’s appearance in Mission: Impossible – Fallout will be associated with his mustache issues in Joss Whedon’s Justice League and the controversies surrounding the film, the film actually sees Cavill in one of his best action roles. The actor plays the role of a CIA assassin who tags along with Tom Cruise’s Ethan Hunt on his mission.

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Cavill’s August Walker has many iconic scenes in the film, including the fan-favorite fistfight in the bathroom. However, Tom Cruise’s motorcycle riding and sprints were far more popular due to Cruise’s commitment to the stunts. The Top Gun star is known for performing his own stunts and challenges himself with each new Mission: Impossible film.

Henry Cavill was reportedly also equally excited to perform some of his own stunts and even mentioned that he was up for anything that did not involve hurting someone else. However, when the time came for his own motorcycle stunt, Cavill was reportedly not allowed to risk it as he did not have a license and had never ridden one before. Cavill mentioned on Jimmy Kimmel Live ,

“I was kicking myself at this point because about two or three years ago I had not taken my license because…I got excited by motorbikes and yeah I wanted my license and then I thought, ‘I am 30 plus and I don’t want to be stupid’…I didn’t realize I was going to use it for work ever and I had an opportunity…After that, I was so gutted by my failure that I went and got a license during shooting.”

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Cavill mentioned that the stunt coordinators built a special rig for him to perform the stunt. The actor also went on to describe the process of getting a license in the UK on the talk show.

Tom Cruise Broke His Ankle And Returned To Film In Six Weeks While Shooting Mission: Impossible 6

Tom Cruise has performed a wide variety of dangerous stunts in his films and the Mission: Impossible franchise has been the perfect ground for him to experiment with newer feats. The actor recently performed a death-defying jump with a motorcycle off a cliff in the latest Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part 1 .

However, the actor showed a great level of commitment when he suffered an injury while filming Mission: Impossible – Fallout . While performing a sprint, Cruise was required to jump from one building to another during which he hurt his ankle. According to Deadline , the production of the film was shut down until the actor recovered from his injury.

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Henry Cavill mentioned that Cruise was reportedly advised by his doctors that he would not be able to perform any stunts for six months and that he might never be able to run again. However, that did not deter the Magnolia star. Cavill said on Jimmy Kimmel Live ,

“He was told immediately afterward by doctors who said, ‘You won’t be able to use it or put weight on it properly until like six months from now…and you may never run again.’ Six weeks later he was running again. Sprinting.”

Tom Cruise also reportedly finished the take before opening up about the injury. The shot where he is seen to be breaking his foot while sprinting is reportedly in the film.

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The Mummy Director Debunks Rumors About Tom Cruise & Brad Pitt, Brendan Fraser Stunt

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The re-release of Brendan Fraser ’s 1999 classic The Mummy opened in April in honor of the film’s 25th anniversary. According to Box Office Mojo , the action-adventure movie grossed over $1 million across 1,200 theaters in North America. Now that audiences are getting back into The Mummy spirit, its director Stephen Sommers has already debunked early casting rumors surrounding Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt as well as a dangerous B r endan Fraser stunt.

During Brendan Fraser’s career resurgence with The Whale , rumors about The Mummy’s production from its 1999 release resurfaced. As Sommers looked back on the film with The Daily Beast , he debunked a casting rumor that said Cruise and Pitt were first considered for the lead role of Rick O’Connell before Fraser.

“I read somewhere recently that we originally went to Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt [for the role of Rick O’Connell] — but no. My editor read the first draft and right away said, ‘Your lead guy is Brendan Fraser,'” Sommers recalls. “We needed a guy who could throw a punch, take a punch, had a wink in his eye and a sense of humor, and there weren’t a lot of actors at that point who did that. Brendan can make fun of himself and goes all out. He was the only one considered from the get-go. [Universal] weren’t looking for a star; the title was the star.”

Before The Mummy, Brendan Fraser starred in George of the Jungle . Grossing an impressive $174.4 million at the box office, Fraser absolutely had the star power to pull off the lead role.

Tom Cruise did end up making his way to The Mummy franchise in the 2017 remake. Despite aiming to launch Universal ‘s Dark Universe , its poor box office and negative reviews led to that universe’s cancellation.

What About the Rumor Surrounding Brendan Fraser’s Mummy Stunt?

There was another rumor that Brendan Fraser almost died during The Mummy when a hanging scene went wrong. Stephen Sommers claimed the dangers surrounding that scary moment weren’t as bad as headlines made it out to be.

“Brendan put the rope around his neck and got too into it,” said Sommers. “He’s a very eager guy and was like ‘tighten it up . . . make it tight around the neck.’”

Shockingly enough, Brendan Fraser’s carotid arteries cut off during that scene which made The Whale actor go unconscious. Sommers assured The Daily Beast that everyone made sure to stay with him to see he was okay. When Fraser woke up, the American film director said the lead actor had no recollection of what happened.

Another wild rumor existed that The Mummy cast had kidnapping insurance taken out on them while shooting in Morocco.

“My sister sent me an article that said ‘Stephen Sommers took out some sort of insurance on all the actors and never told them.’ No,” said Sommers. “Studios probably take out insurance in case someone dies halfway through but I certainly wouldn’t be the one to take out insurance on any of my actors. We were very well protected in Morocco.”

Luckily, no amount of rumors stopped production and The Mummy went on to become a blockbuster classic you can relive theaters now.

The post The Mummy Director Debunks Rumors About Tom Cruise & Brad Pitt, Brendan Fraser Stunt appeared first on ComingSoon.net - Movie Trailers, TV & Streaming News, and More .

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These stunt performers want a shot at the Oscars. The Fall Guy wants to help

Star ryan gosling has said the movie is a 'giant campaign to get stunts an oscar'.

The Fall Guy campaigns to get stunts an Oscar

Social sharing.

Explosions. Death-defying falls. Swords, guns, car crashes and balls of fire. 

For some, those are terrifying possibilities of a day gone very wrong. But for the new film The Fall Guy , and the stunt performers it seeks to celebrate, it's just another day at the office.

The new film, starring Ryan Gosling and helmed by stuntman-turned-director David Leitch, ostensibly tells the story of stuntman-turned-investigator Colt Seavers. But at its heart,  The Fall Guy is actually about showcasing the indispensable contribution of Hollywood's stunt performers, and — as Gosling recently said  at an L.A. red carpet event  for the film: "This movie is just a giant campaign to get stunts an Oscar."

While there's been a long-running campaign to do just that, getting the contributions of those workers acknowledged at film's biggest night has been an uphill battle with seemingly no end in sight.

CBC News talked to three stunt performers from around the country about why it matters to have their work recognized and what it means that The Fall Guy is trying so hard to accomplish it. 

• Ryan Gosling's good graces ground The Fall Guy's meta-movie shenanigans

Angelica Lisk-Hann

As the first Black female stunt co-ordinator in Canada, Toronto's Angelica Lisk-Hann has seen firsthand how much the industry has changed. 

"It's funny. I remember when I first started performing stunts, the term was 'Meat Puppet,' " she said, of what stunt performers were often called. " 'Yeah, here's some money for the rental of your body for the day,' type of situation."

Canada's first Black female stunt co-ordinator is fighting for the field's recognition

Things have improved since the early days of her career, and that's partly because of Lisk-Hann herself. After learning that the Canadian Screen Awards did not have a stunt category, she started a campaign to include one.

After seeing the category added to the 2020 ceremony, Lisk-Hann took home the very first stunt trophy for her work on the Canadian drama series  Mary Kills People . Now, she says, the goal is to get the same recognition for stunt performers at the Academy Awards.

Other awarding bodies have made moves to celebrate stunts, including the Screen Actors Guild, the Taurus World Stunt Awards and the Vulture Stunt Awards. But the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the organizing body for the Oscars, has been hesitant to do the same, and Lisk-Hann finds that confusing.

"It is 'Arts and Sciences,' right?" she said, noting that in  The Fall Guy , there's a classic stunt known as a cannon roll that features a performer doing eight and a half revolutions in a car crash. "The old record was seven. Do you think that took some science?"

Lisk-Hann believes some of that hesitancy is because there's a resistance to acknowledging that A-list actors onscreen aren't always performing the astounding feats that audiences witness. 

But the reality, she explains, is that nearly every iconic character is built equally by their primary actor and their stunt performer. She points to Leonardo DiCaprio's Oscar for best actor in The Revenant — and the well-known scene in which his character, played by a stunt performer, is attacked by a bear.

• Action movies rule the box office. So why isn't there an Oscar for stunt people?
• Video This London, Ont., teen is gearing up to train with Jackie Chan's stunt team in China this summer

Each of those performances was equally important to building the character, Lisk-Hann says, but only one took home a trophy.

"Without Leo, there's no award," she said. "Without the stunter, there's no award."

Lauro Chartrand-DelValle

Vancouver's Lauro Chartrand-DelValle always knew he wanted to be in movies — just not as a standard actor. 

When he was just eight years old, he went to see a Chuck Norris movie with his mother and told her that was what he wanted to do when he grew up. 

"And she said, 'What, be like Chuck Norris?' And I said 'No, like the guy he's kicking through the wall.'"

Stunt performer Lauro Chartrand-DelValle was almost 'scraped off the pavement'

After his first stunt role on the TV series  MacGyver  in 1991, he moved on to stepping in for stars like Antonio Banderas, and appearing in films including  The Cabin in the Woods , Rumble in the Bronx,   2012 ,  Deadpool and the new series Shogun .

Despite the head-on motorcycle collisions, 70-foot free falls and fights Chartrand-DelValle has performed, he says the primary intent of his work as a stunt actor is to be forgotten.

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"I remember when I first started, my mom was always so excited: 'Oh, can't wait to see you in this movie,' " he recalled, adding that he would tell her she probably wouldn't see him. "If you see me, I didn't do my job properly."

In the earlier days of film, Chartrand-DelValle says stunt performers rarely asked for or received any credit, and for stunt performers to appear in the credits at all was rare. 

While he says the work alone used to be enough, there's a growing trend for stunt performers to share in the accolades and earn an acknowledgement of their importance in a story's creation. 

"When you're not invited to the party, that always hurts a little bit," he said. And when a movie that does well is celebrated for its action scenes, he says he can't help but wonder, "Who provided that action?"

But Chartrand-DelValle says The Fall Guy  is a step in the right direction. 

"Everybody's really proud and excited that it may bring the recognition that stunt people deserve."

Jean Frenette

Montreal stunt performer and co-ordinator Jean Frenette has a special interest in the success of The Fall Guy .

A longtime stuntman with credits stretching back four decades, Frenette not only worked alongside David Leitch in Deadpool 2 and 300 , the two are close friends.

Stuntman Jean Frenette has a 'dream job'

Because of that, he says he knows firsthand how hard Leitch and his team have pushed to showcase the importance of stunt work. 

"Not saying that it is the most important thing, but it's a collaborative effort," he said. "So everybody's putting in the effort to make it a success."

• Canada's first Indigenous stunt school, Stunt Nations, opens in Alberta

Frenette says part of the reason The Fall Guy  is focusing on that work is because of how much audiences already appreciate the work stunt performers do.

"People are not stupid nowadays. They can tell if there's been a cheat or some visual effects little trick happening at some point to replace the real guy," he said.

"When you see Tom Cruise or the other guys doing the real thing — at some point you need a stunt double, but still it's a human being doing it, [and] it makes a big difference."

The Fall Guy is a goofy, over-the-top love letter to stunt performers

When it comes to the stunt performers themselves, he says the reason they continue to pursue it despite the danger and lack of recognition is because of a love for the craft.

"When you're a kid … you just play," he said. "Now we're doing the same thing. We're grown-ups and we're kind of doing the same thing."

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jackson Weaver is a senior writer for CBC Entertainment News. You can reach him at [email protected], or follow him on Twitter at @jacksonwweaver

With files from Eli Glasner and Teghan Beaudette

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‘the mummy’ at 25: director on the enduring hit, brendan fraser’s mishap and the tom cruise reboot.

Stephen Sommers tells The Hollywood Reporter about casting rumors (Stallone as Rick?), Fraser's hanging accident and feeling "insulted" about how 2017's Cruise-led revival was handled.

By Ryan Gajewski

Ryan Gajewski

Senior Entertainment Reporter

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The Mummy director is unwrapping his memories of the popular action film that starred Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz as it hits its 25th anniversary.

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Why hollywood can't finish a janis joplin biopic, universal pictures taps vanity fair's britt hennemuth.

In a conversation with The Hollywood Reporter , director Stephen Sommers recalls Fraser’s health scare during a stunt mishap, the effort to cast James Earl Jones, the Super Bowl spot that changed the movie’s fate, why he skipped the third movie and his feelings about the Tom Cruise -led reboot, released in 2017.

How does it feel to hit 25 years of The Mummy ?

It’s so funny how it just never went away. It’s always on TV somewhere. And I know, especially because the residual checks are great. I hate to say it, but somehow it’s endeared itself to a lot of people.

How did you get involved with the film?

When I was 8 years old, I first saw the Boris Karloff Mummy movie [from 1932], and I loved it. Universal had been trying to remake the Karloff movie for nine years when I got on, and it was going to be a low-budget horror movie set in modern-day. I had my agents call the producers Jim Jacks and Sean Daniel, and they were so sick of The Mummy that they didn’t even hear my pitch and just brought me straight into Universal. When we left, Sean — who’s the good cop of the pair — turned to me and said, “Steve, I thought you did a very good job.” He patted me on the shoulder, and I think they thought they’d never see me again. But I got home about an hour later, and an agent called me up and said, “The studio wants to go for it.”

Did you have any actors in mind while you were writing it?

On the Amazon rental version of the movie, there is a trivia pop-up claiming that Sylvester Stallone was initially offered the role.

You’ve got to be kidding. ( Laughs .) In the ’90s, Stallone was a huge star. Before I got on it, the studio was trying to do it for $15 million. I guarantee you, no one went out to Stallone. He was never mentioned to me.

Does anything else stand out from the casting process?

When I wrote the character of Ardeth Bay, I was trying to get James Earl Jones or Roscoe Lee Browne. He was written as a 70-year-old Black man, but I’m always up for changing things. After James and Roscoe were busy with other projects, they brought in this 23-year-old Israeli guy, Oded Fehr, and he was fantastic.

How did your team deal with the heat?

It was pretty harsh, but it’s a dry heat. We would always get hit by sandstorms, but they’re not hurricanes or anything like that. The ADs would run around and give everybody earplugs and goggles. You couldn’t see six inches in front of your face, but it would only last maybe 10 minutes.

I believe Brendan has talked about taking B12 shots in the butt during the shoot.

Love the B12 shots. Brendan really put his body out there. On the second one, when he is running from all the pygmy mummies, I could see Brendan limping.

Brendan has talked about doing some of his own stunts, during which he endured some bumps and scrapes.

Did you have a sense while you were making the film that it would be such a hit?

We had no idea. I remember around Christmastime in the editing room, going, “For 40 years, people have been making fun of The Mummy .” I suddenly had a panic attack. I’m thinking, “I love mummies and ancient Egypt, but maybe no one else will.” And then the 30-second Super Bowl spot came out. It went from nobody having any interest in seeing a Mummy movie to everybody like, “Holy shit. That was really cool.”

What do you remember about the opening weekend?

I didn’t want to get too excited and was thinking, “If it could maybe open to $20 million, that would be huge.” A producer friend of mine said, “If it does $15 million, you should be over the moon.” At 6:30 on Saturday morning, my phone rings in the kitchen, and no one calls you at 6:30 in the morning on a Saturday to tell you bad news. It was [then Universal president] Ron Meyer: “Steve, are you sitting down? The movie’s going to open to $45 million.” That was a big high. That night, a whole bunch of the actors, some of the crew and myself, we all met for steaks at Dan Tana’s.

You went on to direct 2001’s The Mummy Returns . Did you consider directing the third movie that came out in 2008?

Were you consulted for the Tom Cruise film?

No. Actually, I was kind of insulted because the writers and director [Alex Kurtzman] of that Tom Cruise one, no one ever contacted me. I contact people if I was going to take over somebody’s thing. The third one, which Rob [Cohen] directed, it’s kind of my baby. I didn’t want to step on his toes, so I helped produce it. But I had nothing to do with the Tom Cruise one. They never contacted me or called me. I was doing other things, and it’s not like I sat crying. I just think it’s common courtesy.

Brendan has mentioned that he would be game to reprise his role. Has there been any talk of that?

Not that I know. All the people at Universal are new after I left. I don’t really know them, and they haven’t got a hold of me, so I don’t know what’s in their heads. At the same time, it would have to be something really special. Of course, I would work with all of those actors again.

With The Mummy Returns , you helped make The Rock a star.

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More from The Hollywood Reporter

Box office: ‘kingdom of the planet of the apes’ shows heat with $56.5m u.s. opening, $129m globally, susan backlinie, the first victim of the shark in ‘jaws,’ dies at 77 , roger corman, giant of independent filmmaking, dies at 98, john krasinski on getting bradley cooper, george clooney, ryan reynolds to join ‘if’: “most yeses of my career”, ‘star wars’: sigourney weaver in talks to join ‘the mandalorian & grogu’, ’28 years later’ set for 2025 release date from sony.

Suri Cruise Allegedly Changed Her Name As She Wants To Cut All Ties With Tom Cruise

The teen appears to be going by her mother's middle name, despite reports saying Tom wants contact with Suri now that she's 18.

• Suri distancing herself from Tom Cruise's name could be a way to set herself apart in the show business world.
• Despite long-standing estrangement, Tom reportedly agreed to financially support Suri's future endeavors post-18th birthday.
• Suri may pursue fashion studies in New York, according to sources, showing independence from parental influence.

There have been reports that Tom Cruise hopes to make contact with his youngest child , daughter Suri , as she turns 18 this year. But a new revelation makes it clear the teen wants nothing to do with her famous dad, even in name.

The casting sheet for her performance in Head Over Heels in New York has gone viral, as it shows that Suri doesn’t seem to be using her father’s last name . The document refers to her as Suri Noelle, which is her mom’s maiden name.

'Mission Impossible': The Cast Ranked From Richest To Poorest

Why suri likely isn’t using tom’s last name.

While this could be a sign Suri wants to distance herself from her father, it could also be her way of setting herself apart from her famous parents, given that she apparently wants to get into show business.

Last year, she seemed to be following in her parent’s footsteps when she made her acting debut in her high school play, an adaption of “The Addams Family: A New Musical” as Morticia Addams. Suri’s bio for the play mentioned many teachers and students, but she didn’t acknowledge either of her parents.

Suri's decision not to mention Tom doesn't come as a surprise. Allegedly, the pair have been estranged for almost a decade, shortly following Tom’s divorce from Katie in 2012. Despite not contesting Katie's plea for full custody during their split, Tom agreed to provide child support.

Tom Will Reportedly Financially Support Suri In Adulthood

According to reports, he was paying $33,000 monthly to support Suri , though this would’ve legally come to an end last month when she turned 18. However, one report says Tom previously agreed to cover Suri’s college and medical expenses beyond her 18th birthday.

“[He’ll cover] medical, dental, insurance, education, college and other extracurricular costs,” a source said. “[He’ll cover] medical, dental, insurance, education, college and other extracurricular costs.”

While there’s speculation Suri may pursue acting, considering her recent roles and her parents' success in the industry, sources cited by Daily Mail in March say she has an interest in studying fashion in New York. Since Holmes and Cruise divorced, Suri has been residing with her mother in the city. Top of Form

Other sources say Suri isn’t interested in Tom’s help establishing herself in adulthood, financially or career-wise from the sounds of it.

Tom Cruise Has A Strict Rule Regarding His Look During Public Events

“Katie’s very clear that Suri doesn’t need Tom’s money to be happy or afford the life they’re accustomed to,” an insider said last month. “Katie’s made plenty of her own money and she can take care of her daughter and send her to whatever college she wants.”

In addition to Suri, Tom has two older children, Connor and Isabella, from his marriage to Nicole Kidman (he even gave a rare update about them as a new photo made its way online of the actor and his oldest kids).

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Culture Gabfest

Ryan gosling falls for emily blunt.

This week, the hosts discuss The Fall Guy , Jane Schoenbrun’s I Saw the TV Glow , and the nationwide student protests with New York Times opinion columnist Lydia Polgreen.

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Episode Notes

On this week’s show, the hosts begin by diving head-first into The Fall Guy , director David Leitch’s love letter to stunts and stunt people. It’s a rom-com starring action set pieces, in which stuntman Colt Seavers (Ryan Gosling) falls for his director and ex-flame, Jody (Emily Blunt). The film is very telling about the work that goes into making an action flick… but does The Fall Guy ever achieve liftoff? Then, they debate I Saw the TV Glow , Jane Schoenbrun’s impressive second feature that chronicles the friendship between Owen and Maddy, and their fascination with the fictional show The Pink Opaque . I Saw the TV Glow obsesses over what’s real and not real–and is said to be an allegory for being trans–in a way that’s brave and admirable, but often depressing to watch. Finally, the panel is joined by Lydia Polgreen, Opinion columnist for The New York Times and co-host of the Matter of Opinion podcast, to discuss her reporting on the student protests unfolding in New York City. A few of the media mentioned: “ Columbia, Free Speech and the Coddling of the American Right ” and “ The Student-Led Protests Aren’t Perfect. That Doesn’t Mean They’re Not Right. ” by Polgreen; “ The Takeover ,” an on-the-ground report by the staff of the Columbia Daily Spectator for New York Magazine; the Columbia Revolt documentary .

In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, the panel discusses the question that’s been roiling TikTok: For women, would you rather be alone in the woods with a man or a bear?

Email us at [email protected] .

Endorsements:

Dana: “Kindness,” a poem by Naomi Shihab Nye, which she read on the On Being podcast. You can explore more of Shihab Nye’s poetry here .

Julia: (1) A congratulations to former Los Angeles Times film critic Justin Chang for his Pulitzer Prize. (2) The Work of Art: How Something Comes From Nothing by Adam Moss.

Stephen: Saxophonist Frank Morgan, specifically, his album Listen to the Dawn . And you can listen to Steve’s playlist for Julia here .

Podcast production by Jared Downing. Production assistance by Kat Hong.

About the Show

New York Times critic Dwight Garner says, “The Slate Culture Gabfest is one of the highlights of my week.” The award-winning Culturefest features Slate culture critics Stephen Metcalf, Dana Stevens, and Julia Turner debating the week in culture, from highbrow to pop.

Dana Stevens is Slate’s movie critic.

Julia Turner , former editor in chief of Slate, is a deputy managing editor at the Los Angeles Times and a regular on Slate’s Culture Gabfest podcast .

Stephen Metcalf is Slate’s critic at large. He is working on a book about the 1980s.