Tom Cruise Risks It All: Hangs Upside Down From Flying Plane at 15,000 Feet Without Safety Harness — Mission: Impossible 8 Behind-the-Scenes Footage Leaves Fans Speechless and Fearing for His Life

“Is this man even human?” stunned fans ask.

Tom Cruise Surprises The Weeknd with Mission: Impossible Premiere Invite — And Reveals the Insane Story Behind His Latest Death-Defying Stunt

When The Weeknd appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, no one expected the biggest movie star in the world to be watching. But just days later, Tom Cruise himself invited the singer to the red carpet premiere of Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, turning a spontaneous compliment into a full-blown Hollywood crossover moment.

“I’m a huge Tom Cruise guy,” The Weeknd confessed on Fallon’s show last week. “He’s just — talented, man. Actor, musician, icon.” The pop star went on to credit Cruise for helping launch his chart-topping single Can’t Feel My Face after Cruise famously lip-synced the hit in a viral bit on the show. That moment, apparently, reached Tom Cruise too.

“I saw that,” Cruise told Fallon with a grin. “It was so nice. So talented, that guy. I had to meet him.”

And meet him he did. The two megastars crossed paths at the Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning premiere, and the internet exploded. The image of Cruise and The Weeknd on the red carpet was more than just a viral moment — it symbolized two titans of their industries finally meeting after years of mutual admiration.

But the reunion was only the beginning of the night’s spectacle.

As Fallon dove into his interview with Cruise, the action legend opened up about Final Reckoning, calling it the most intense, daring, and technically challenging Mission movie to date. Fallon, practically breathless, said, “It’s like five great movies crammed into one.”

And then came the story everyone’s talking about: the upside-down biplane stunt.

“I wanted to do a wing-walking aerial sequence,” Cruise said casually, like he was ordering coffee. But what followed was a jaw-dropping tale of aviation madness. Cruise explained how he trained for nearly two years — and studied the technique for decades — just to prepare for the moment he would be strapped to the wing of a biplane, flying upside down at speeds up to 145 miles per hour.

“I don’t know if you’ve ever stuck your hand out a car window going 60,” Cruise told Fallon. “Now multiply that. Then imagine hanging on to a wing. That’s the wind force I was dealing with.”

The star described how he trained his body to handle the overwhelming force, even figuring out how to breathe in the midst of deafening, high-speed air blasting against him. “The air particles coming off that propeller — they’re moving at the speed of sound,” he said. “When we flipped the plane upside down, the engine actually stalled. We had to figure out how to restart it… from mid-air.”

Fallon, like the audience, was floored. “Tom, that’s insane,” he muttered, barely able to believe what he was hearing.

And Cruise wasn’t done.

In addition to the biplane sequence, Final Reckoning features a staggering 20-minute underwater submarine sequence filmed in one of the largest water tanks in the world. Cruise explained the technical feats required, from building the set and lighting the shots underwater to swimming blind due to light reflection — all while wearing a suit that becomes 125 pounds heavier when soaked.

“It’s like a full-body workout every time I do a take,” Cruise laughed. “My gym is called ‘The Pain Cave.’ There’s a sign on it: ‘Only the motivated may enter.’”

But don’t think Cruise is slowing down. When Fallon asked if he had anything bigger planned next, Cruise grinned: “Oh, I do. I’ve got other stunts coming. Bigger ones.”

The show wrapped with Cruise surprising the entire audience by giving them all free IMAX tickets to see Final Reckoning. As Fallon put it: “That’s why he’s the best.”

Whether he’s dangling from planes or diving through flooded submarines, Tom Cruise is doing what no one else in Hollywood dares — and inviting everyone, including The Weeknd, along for the ride.

In Theaters Friday:
Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning opens in theaters and IMAX this Friday. Prepare to see Tom Cruise do the impossible… again.

Bonus Behind-the-Scenes Fact:
The behind-the-scenes footage Cruise shared on The Tonight Show wasn’t even from the movie. It was just the test shoot — a year and a half of planning and choreography with director Christopher McQuarrie to design the aerial ballet. “We just wanted to see what was possible,” Cruise said.

Turns out, anything is.

Rest in Peace, Sly Stone
Before ending the show, Fallon and The Roots took a moment to honor music legend Sly Stone, who passed away that day. Questlove, who directed the Hulu documentary Sly Lives!, praised the artist’s revolutionary musical style. “He invented the alphabet that all musicians write their books with,” Quest said.