Tom Cruise Details 'Brutal' 'Mission: Impossible' Stunt That Nearly Broke His Back

At 63, Tom Cruise is still determined to outdo himself with jaw-dropping stunts, but the actor admits one of his most dangerous moments in "Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning" nearly left him with a devastating injury.

Tom Cruise pushed the limits of on-screen action once again during the filming of "Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning," recalling that one of the movie's most extreme stunts came frighteningly close to causing serious harm.

Speaking in the bonus features of the film's digital release, Cruise reflected on the sequence that required him to cling to the outside of a biplane while it was in motion.

"Oh, this almost broke my back," he said as the footage rolled. Director Christopher McQuarrie, who was seated beside him, responded, "You're talking about a lot of pain here."

The production faced additional challenges when bad weather forced the team to repeat the scene in Africa on two separate occasions. "It was so demanding," Cruise explained. "And once you shot it for real, there was no way to fake it," McQuarrie added.

McQuarrie, directing from a helicopter, commended the pilot and the camera operators who managed to capture the tense sequence under such difficult circumstances.

Cruise described another shot in which he gripped a belt attached to the side of the aircraft as his legs dangled in the open air. He remembered it as "brutal" to shoot, saying the experience was "so punishing on this wing." He stressed that the scene was entirely authentic: "all real."

The intensity of the stunt increased when the plane's engine briefly cut out, slamming Cruise's body into the side of the aircraft. "That was a hard one," he admitted, adding that the moment was not scripted but happened spontaneously during filming.

According to McQuarrie, another striking element — Cruise driving a knife into the side of the plane — was something the actor himself had suggested. "This was really fun," the director said.

Even behind the camera, the toll on Cruise was obvious. "This separated the joints in Tom's fingers from the force," McQuarrie explained. "By the time we finished the sequence, your hands were absolutely swollen. It was so painful to watch."

Despite the risks, Cruise made clear that the pain and physical toll were part of his commitment to delivering authentic action on screen. His determination to perform the stunts himself, even when the consequences were severe, underscores why the "Mission: Impossible" franchise has become synonymous with pushing the boundaries of movie spectacle.