You have to be at least a little bit unhinged to do the things that Tom Cruise does, especially because he doesn’t have to.
There are literally an army of professional stunt people who make their livings risking their lives for the sake of an action sequence, whereas Cruise is an insanely wealthy A-list superstar under no obligations to jump out of planes, rappel down buildings, engage in high speed car chases, or in the case of Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One, ride a motorcycle off a cliff and parachute to safety.
Of course, Cruise has been facing accusations that he’s the teensiest bit manic for quite some time, which was exacerbated by the infamous couch-jumping incident on Oprah, but Simon Pegg defended him while simultaneously praising his adherence to safety and dedication to his craft in an interview with ScreenRant.
“Every time we get to the end of a film, I’m always asked, “How can you top this?” And I always reply, “I have no idea.” And then we always do. The fact is Tom and McQ just get their heads together, and Tom suggests something he’s always wanted to do, usually. And then they figure it out.
Tom trains for it; he researches it. He works so hard on doing the stunt, making it as safe as it possibly can be. He’s not reckless in any way. It’s a misnomer to call him crazy because he’s not. He’s very sane when it comes to this kind of stuff. They just ratchet it up again and again. It’s fascinating to watch and truly awe-inspiring that they actually manage to do it. And they will do it again. It is quite extraordinary.”
This is the same Tom Cruise who landed a helicopter in Pegg’s back garden so they could watch movies together, so their bromance isn’t exactly adhering to standard practices. Whether you think he’s crazy or not, you can’t fault the longtime Ethan Hunt for his mindset and desire to entertain the masses by any means necessary.