The highly anticipated Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, the eighth and final instalment of the Mission: Impossible franchise, is all set to hit cinemas this year. As excitement for the movie builds, Tom Cruise—famous for performing stunts himself—has given fans a glimpse into the extreme challenges he faced while filming.
In a recent interview with Empire, Cruise revealed that he lost consciousness at times while filming a particularly dangerous stunt due to a lack of oxygen at high altitudes. The sequence involved the actor hanging upside down from an aircraft. “When you stick your face out [of an airplane], going over 120 to 130 miles an hour, you’re not getting oxygen. So I had to train myself how to breathe. There were times I would pass out physically; I was unable to get back into the cockpit,” Cruise said.
Here’s a snippet of the stunt shared by Cruise on his Instagram profile:
Why hanging upside down can be dangerous
Dr Basavaraj S Kumbar, consultant, internal medicine, Aster Whitefield Hospital, Bengaluru, said that remaining upside down for extended periods can be extremely dangerous. “It can lead to unconsciousness due to increased blood pressure in the head and decreased blood flow to essential organs. Symptoms such as dizziness and disorientation may begin within minutes,” Dr Kumbar said.
In more severe cases, he warned, a person could lose consciousness within five to ten minutes. “If the inversion lasts for more than 30 minutes, it could even become fatal due to blood pooling in the brain and reduced oxygen supply to the heart,” he said.
The impact shooting such physically stressful scenes
According to Dr Basavraj, shooting upside-down scenes is extremely physically demanding on the body. “The elevated blood pressure in the head may result in headaches, dizziness and eye strain. In such cases, the heart has to work harder to circulate blood, which may lead to discomfort or fatigue,” he said.
Actors performing such stunts may also experience muscle strain, particularly in the core and neck, as they attempt to control their posture. “Without proper breaks and support, prolonged upside-down positioning could lead to nausea, disorientation, and, in severe cases, fainting,” Dr Basavraj said.