Tom Cruise had two conditions for performing Paris Olympics closing ceremony stunt
Olympics chair Wasserman was told: ‘It’s never happening’
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Kelly Rissman
US News Reporter
Tom Cruise agreed to do his divisive stunt at the competition’s 2024 closing ceremony in Paris – but only on two conditions.
Marking the handover from Paris to Los Angeles – where the 2028 games will be hosted – the 62-year-old Mission: Impossible actor dramatically abseiled off the Stade de France roof, landed in a crowd of fans before hopping on a motorbike and riding out of the stadium while holding the Olympic flag.
The Top Gun actor, who is notorious for performing all of his own stunts, was then shown on a pre-recorded film travelling through Paris and driving the bike on to a plane. He then parachuted down to the crowd and landed at the Hollywood sign in LA.
Casey Wasserman, president and chairman of the LA28 games, explained the story behind the stunt at a CNBC x Boardroom: Game Plan Panel in Santa Monica, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
“The best part of the story is we pitched on a Zoom, and the original idea was a person in the stadium as a stunt double,” he said.
“We’re like, ‘Well, there’s no way we’re getting this. We’re going to get four hours of filming time. We’ll do the thing [in LA} with the Hollywood sign, he’ll hand the thing off and he’s done.
“Maybe we’ll get the other stuff and the rest will be just a stunt double.’ About five minutes into the presentation [Tom Cruise] goes, ‘I’m in. But I’m only doing it if I get to do everything.’”
In addition to the first condition of him performing his own stunts, Cruise also insisted on doing the performance for free.
TV producer Ben Winston was pivotal in organising the event and recommended either Cruise’s involvement or a “David Blaine kind of thing” with Olympic rings appearing out of the ocean.
Wasserman explained that Winston rang him after the Zoom call.
“He says, ‘Don’t get too excited. He loves doing this stuff, but when his team realises how many shooting days it’s going to be and rehearsals, this is never happening.
“I’m telling you I got it, but it’s never happening.’ Sure enough, every step of the way, he got more involved and more engaged.”
Cruise did end up performing the stunt, however, he appeared to have set his own bar too high as some fans thought it was predictable.
“Happy Olympics Closing Ceremony or as it’s better known Tom Cruise Is Gonna Do a Crazy Stunt Day,” wrote one viewer on X/Twitter.
Another called the stunt “totally unsurprising,” adding: “I can imagine Tom Cruise doing [something] like this on a casual Tuesday”.
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