Tom Cruise is opening up in a rare interview.
The 62-year-old Mission: Impossible star spoke out in an interview with People about the making of the hit franchise.
“I will learn a skill, and I know eventually I’m going to use it in a movie,” Tom said.
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During the discussion, Tom said he learned to dance “because I’m interested in that art form. The teachers understand how to move a body, what the shape does and the emotion it can create in others.”
He added that he is “constantly training” in a variety of skills, “whether it’s the piano or having more time to dance. Or parachuting or flying airplanes or helicopters. The wonderful thing is you’re never there. It can always be better.”
Tom also talked about his skills with piano.
“I wouldn’t say ‘play.’ I enjoy hitting the keys… I find it relaxing.”
In The Final Reckoning, out May 23, Ethan Hunt hangs from and crawls along the wings of a ’40s-era biplane.
“I remember seeing old footage of wing-walking,” he recalled.
“Those aircraft were only traveling at, I don’t know, 40, 50 miles an hour. This aircraft is up to over 120 miles an hour. Going out there, I was realizing that it takes your breath away.”
As for how he prepares for the stunts, he said: “I actually eat a massive breakfast.”
“The amount of energy it takes — I train so hard for that wing-walking. I’ll eat, like, sausage and almost a dozen eggs and bacon and toast and coffee and fluids. Oh, I’m eating! Picture: It’s cold up there. We’re at high altitude. My body is burning a lot.”
He also said his late mother saw footage and said: “Oh, honey, I’m so glad you didn’t fill me in on that one beforehand.”
In another stunt, the team used a massive water tank to film a submarine interior that could tilt and rotate 360 degrees, tumbling him around. To be able to feature his unobstructed, Tom breathed his own carbon dioxide.
“You’re not going to feel as connected with the character if I went with a regular mask and a thing in my mouth to breathe,” he said.
“Luckily when you’re flying jets you train for hypoxia and for carbon dioxide buildup. You start to be able to perceive your body and how it’s reacting so that I knew when to stop.”
Of the long-running series and his career, Tom said he “always” has moments of awe and gratitude.
“I love making movies. It’s not what I do. It’s who I am.” For the full interview, head to People.com.
Watch the trailer for the action-packed eighth and possibly final installment!
