When “Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning — Part I” hits theaters next weekend, action movie lovers will get yet another chance to see Tom Cruise risk life and limb for their entertainment. The actor’s commitment to practical stunts reached new heights when he drove a motorcycle off a cliff for the latest film, and he’s made it clear that he has no plans to dial back the danger any time soon.
While Cruise has always insisted that his risk-taking is rooted in his passion for keeping theatrical cinema alive, there’s no denying that the man loves adrenaline — and it appears his thrill-seeking behavior has rubbed off on some of his co-stars.
In a new interview with the New York Times, “Dead Reckoning” star Pom Klementieff said that Cruise helped her get in touch with her inner daredevil. The “Top Gun” star gave her skydiving lessons as a gift when Christopher McQuarrie’s film wrapped production in 2021, and the experience paved the way for Klementieff to discover a new passion.
“I’ve jumped 104 times since October 2021, when Tom Cruise gifted me skydiving lessons as a wrap gift,” Klementieff said. “I love the rush, I love the precision, I love how sharp it makes me. When I jump off a hot-air balloon very early in the morning and the sun is rising and it smells like mist — it’s magical.”
While Cruise is famously willing to put his own body on the line for the sake of his movies, he was more cautious when it came to keeping his co-stars safe. In another recent interview, Klementieff recalled that she begged Cruise to kick her in the stomach during a key action sequence in “Dead Reckoning, but Cruise refused to risk injuring her.
“I kept telling him to just kick me here,” Klementieff said. “I was squeezing abs. [I said], ‘You can just go for it.’ He was like ‘No, no, no, no, no.’ I was like, ‘But it’s going to help me!’ But he wouldn’t do it.“
“Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning — Part I” is set to open in theaters Friday, July 15.
