Tom Cruise reveals developing stuntman skills at early age: 'I jumped off the roof'

Actor Tom Cruise became the centre of attraction at the Cannes Film Festival on Wednesday during his entry with fighter jets zooming over the venue. Moreover, he won a long-standing ovation from the audience at the screening of his film, Top Gun: Maverick. The Mission: Impossible star got emotional and was left teary-eyed after witnessing an amazing response to his action film at the premiere. He was also honoured with the prestigious Palme d’Or award at the event. Overwhelmed with the love extended by his fans, the actor went down memory lane and recalled how he has been a stunt pro since childhood. 

Tom Cruise reflects on being a stunt pro since childhood

During a panel discussion at Cannes Film Festival 2022, as per People, Tom Cruise recalled performing stunts since childhood. The 59-year-old even shared an instance of how he had a doll that would eject a parachute which made him feel that he too wanted to do the same. Narrating the anecdote further, Cruise revealed how he would take the sheets off his bed, tie a rope and climbed up to the eave to go up to the roof and jump thereafter.

"I think I was about 4½ years old, and I had this doll, and you throw it up in the air and a parachute comes down. I played with this thing, and I'd throw it off a tree, and I was like, 'I really want to do this.' I remember taking the sheets off my bed, and I would tie a rope ... and I climbed up to the eave, and I got up to the roof. I looked and my mother was in the kitchen — she had four kids — and I jumped off the roof," he explained.

He stated further how he terribly regretted his decision and quipped that he saw 'stars in the daytime' for the first time. He added that he didn't know how it happened but he did figure out later that his face went past his feet as his buttocks hit the ground. He added, "This is not gonna work. This is terrible. I'm gonna die.' And I hit the ground so hard. Luckily, it was wet. I don't know how it happened, but I figured out after that my face went past my feet as my a** hit the ground. And I saw stars in the daytime for the first time, and I remember looking up, going, 'This is very interesting."

Moreover, he even reflected on how his stuntman skills improved over time and said, "Now, here I am on a movie set ... but I was the kid who would climb to the rafters or climb the tallest tree. I wanted that, I wanted to do that, and how do I develop these skills and make it part of the story and character?"

Directed by Joseph Kosinski, Top Gun: Maverick is written by Peter Craig, Justin Marks and Eric Warren. Jerry Bruckheimer, who produced the first movie with the late American film producer, Don Simpson, also produced the upcoming film with Cruise and Skydance CEO David Ellison.