Henry Cavill and Tom Cruise in Mission: Impossible - Fallout make one of the greatest tandems in action film history. The Impossible Mission Force senior field agent, Ethan Hunt, couldn't have gotten a better partner than Superman. Of course, at 6'1", the Man of Steel's intimidating stature made everyone in the cast look smaller, especially the main star himself who's only 5'9". But special effects did an impeccable job hiding that height difference.
Ultimately, it was Cavill's costume-breaking, brawny physique plus a bushy mustache — that cost Warner Bros. $25 million to CGI out for Justice League — that made him the perfect choice for the role of CIA Agent August Walker. This brute force of a character was a perfect contrast to Hunt and the IMF's traditional espionage. With that dynamic playing out well on screen, it makes you wonder how close the actors are in real life. Here's what we know about their relationship.
Tom Cruise Inspired Henry Cavill To Do His Own Stunts
According to Cavill, it was Cruise who pushed him to do most of his own stunts in Netflix's The Witcher. "For me, when it comes to stunts, I’ve always enjoyed doing the physical stuff," he told Patrick Stewart during Variety's Actors on Actors. "Working with Tom Cruise really helped — or maybe, in the eyes of the producers, made worse my enjoyment for stunts. I really want to do them now, and I think it’s an essential piece to the character." The Batman v Superman star was telling the Star Trek actor about his preparations for his role as Geralt of Rivia.
He also did most of his stunts in Fallout except for one — the insane HALO jump. Cruise apparently refused to let him do it. "This is one of the saddest tales of the movie for me," Cavill said. "The day came and I was begging Tom: 'I'm wearing a parachute, I've got some wind tunnel (training), surely I can just jump?' And he said, 'Henry, I know exactly how you feel. I get it, you've done every single stunt in the movie so far, but this one I can't let you do. It needs specific training.'"
The Top Gun star jumped out of a C-17 military transport plane 106 times to get the three takes needed for the scene. Then he famously caused production to pause filming after breaking his ankle during a building jump stunt. The doctors said that he might never walk again, but that just wouldn't do. We're talking about an actor who loves running so much, Rotten Tomatoes has an official compilation of all the running he's ever done in his films.
So six weeks after his injury, Cruise was literally up and running again. He was able to continue doing his crazy stunts, saving the production from almost missing its target release date. No wonder Cavill was dared to perform his own stunts for The Witcher.
The Actors Admire Each Other Very Much
If you search "Henry Cavill and Tom Cruise" on YouTube, you'll find videos of the actors fanboying over each other. For instance, Cavill has raved a lot about Cruise's unbelievable recovery from his ankle injury. "He concentrates really hard and he heals. He's a superhuman, that man," The Enola Holmes actor said in an interview. "He just keeps on going and going and going. He's a machine. I have a lot of respect for the man. I really, really do. He's tough and I'm impressed."
Like most of the film's fans, Cruise also gushed about Cavill's iconic arm reload in Fallout. "When he did this, I was like, 'That's just awesome,'" he said during an interview with the cast. "Reloading his biceps — that was awesome!" Cruise even cheered Cavill to do the stunt at the event.
The Risky Business actor certainly treasures Cavill's involvement in the Mission Impossible series. "It was so much fun bringing him in. That bathroom fight is brutal. He's also tough, and you have to be... It was a very difficult fight to do. Bone-bruising, brutal, and fun. The guy is just awesome," he said about their action-packed bathroom brawl in Fallout. Cruise also described Cavill as "a great actor, a great athlete, very charismatic."
They Troll Each Other On Instagram
Perhaps their most adorable friendship moment was when Cavill welcomed Cruise on Instagram with some subtle trolling. After Cruise posted his first pictures, The Man from U.N.C.L.E. star uploaded a stunt parody with the caption: "I see your death-defying stunt Mr. Cruise and I raise you one trained stunt Akita! Welcome to Instagram my friend!"
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