Tom Cruise breathed in his own carbon dioxide when shooting ‘Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning’ stunt
It’s no secret that Tom Cruise likes to do his own stunts, but the actor has recently revealed that he put himself in an incredibly dangerous position for a scene in the upcoming Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning.
The Mission: Impossible franchise has seen Cruise attempt many stunts that most actors wouldn’t dare, from a terrifying motorcycle jump off a cliff to climbing the world’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa.
Yet, for The Final Reckoning, out in theatres on May 23rd, the actor can be seen going down to the wreckage of a submarine, only to get stuck, leading him to put on a special suit and helmet.
While his character has to work hard to save himself, Cruise had to be incredibly careful while filming the scene due to the life-threatening conditions he had willingly put himself in.
Talking to Empire, the actor revealed, “I’m breathing in my own carbon dioxide. It builds up in the body and affects the muscles.” The mask he wears during the scene can only be kept on for 10 minutes at a time before oxygen becomes finite. “You have to overcome all of that while you’re doing it, and be present,” Cruise added.
The scene was filmed in a tank filled with 8.5 million litres of water. Director Christopher McQuarrie shared with the publication, “He’s in a rotating structure filled with debris, and you had to find a way to make that environment look as chaotic and unhinged as humanly possible, but in a way that you could repeat, and that Tom could navigate, and survive.”
Acting as the eighth instalment in the Mission: Impossible franchise, the film is a sequel to Dead Reckoning Part One. Despite its title, there is no confirmation that this will be the last movie in the series.
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