Tom Cruise: I was doing everything I could to hang on to the plane

Tom Cruise has spoken about the terrifying stunt he undertook for the latest Mission Impossible film in which he dangled from an aircraft holding on by his fingertips. The actor is known for attempting his own stunts - but explained how clutching the side of an Airbus A400M at 185mph was not quite what he was expecting. Speaking at the UK premiere of Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation at the London Imax, he said it took every ounce of his strength to complete. “I was doing each and everything to hang on. You can see it in the shot, I am hanging on,” he said.

I didn’t realise that when we were going down the runway it was hard to keep my feet on the steps.

Tom Cruise

The stunt scene, which was filmed at RAF Wittering in Lincolnshire, took several rewrites before it was approved by Airbus. Cruise wore a harness under his suit for safety but if he had lost his grip, he would have fallen several feet before it saved him. After refusing to wear protective goggles, Cruise was given special contact lenses to put over his eyes.

We wanted it to be a love letter to London. It’s a celebration of the city.

Tom Cruise

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