As the Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning marks an end to the eighth and final segment of the Mission Impossible series, Tom Cruise finally departs as Ethan Hunt. Leaving a fan-favourite behind, the headliner of the franchise added yet another accolade to his name. Known for doing all his stunts on his own, he set a Guinness World Record for the title itle for “most burning parachute jumps by an individual.”
The three-time academy award winner leapt out of a helicopter 16 times while strapped to a parachute pre-soaked in fuel and lit ablaze, before cutting away the charred remnants of the first chute and safely deploying a backup. No other actor or stuntman has come close to that amount of death-defying drops in cinematic history.
Tom Cruise displays his daredevil performance captivating audiences with his risky stunts. Be it hanging from a plane several feet above the ground to riding motorcycles off cliff, he sets the record straight when it comes to committing to his craft.
Mission Impossible has become synonymous to Cruise’s name and offers a spectacle worth waiting for. Superfans eagerly await his sequel every year, not failing to miss Ethan Hunt come to life. The super-spy genre never gets old and becomes believable by Cruise.
Tom doesn’t just play action heroes – he is an action hero!” said Craig Glenday, Editor-in-Chief of Guinness World Records. “A large part of his success can be chalked up to his absolute focus on authenticity and pushing the boundaries of what a leading man can do. It’s an honour to be able to recognize his utter fearlessness with this new Guinness World Records title”.
Tom Cruise and his team are well-versed in executing spectacular aerial stunts, notably showcased in Mission: Impossible – Fallout (2018), where Cruise became the first actor to perform a HALO jump (High Altitude, Low Opening) on camera. To simulate a covert spy infiltration, the crew employed a real military maneuver: flying up to 25,000 feet before Cruise free-fell at 200 MPH to below 2,000 feet, only then deploying his parachute to mimic an undetected entry into hostile territory.