Kaylah Walton
On the remarkable evening of August 11, during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games‘ closing ceremony over the Seine River, Tom Cruise delivered an unforgettable moment. In a playful homage to his iconic role as Ethan Hawke in the Mission Impossible series, he filmed a thrilling scene leaping from a military plane to pass the Olympic torch to Los Angeles, the host city for the 2028 Olympic Games.
Following this spectacular act, Casey Wasserman, the president of Los Angeles 2028, expressed his admiration for Cruise’s enthusiastic participation in the ceremony during a panel discussion at the CNBC x Boardroom: Game Plan event at the Fairmont Miramar hotel in Santa Monica, California. He noted that the actor participated for the sheer joy of it, without any payment.
“He wrapped filming Mission Impossible by 18:00 London time, boarded a flight, and arrived in Los Angeles at 04:00 hours to film the scene involving a military plane,” Wasserman explained. He also remarked on Cruise’s deep involvement in the planning stages, emphasizing that the star was committed to doing the stunt himself, without duplicates.
Wasserman added, “Initially, we thought it would be too complicated; we could only use footage of the Hollywood sign, perhaps with a stunt double.” However, Cruise had one requirement: he wanted complete creative freedom and insisted on performing his stunts personally: “Five minutes into the meeting, [Cruise] said, ‘I’m in. But I want to do everything myself.’”
Tom Cruise’s Landmark Appearance at the Olympics
During his stunning performance, Cruise jumped from the Stade de France landing on the field, where he received the Olympic flag from Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and Olympian Simone Biles. He then sped through the streets of Paris on a motorcycle before taking to the skies near the Eiffel Tower.
While in the air, he dramatically waved the flag and parachuted near the iconic Hollywood sign, where he added the five vibrant Olympic rings to the display.
Afterward, he shared on X, “Thank you, Paris! Now I’m off to LA.”
Despite the incredible effort behind his participation in the ceremony, Cruise has not publicly discussed the specifics of the planning or the challenges he faced during the stunts.
