Tom Cruise had two conditions for his participation in the Olympic Games closing ceremony: that he got to do everything himself in the epic secret stunt, and that he took part for free.
Page Six reports that Casey Wasserman, president and chairman of the 2028 Games in Los Angeles, revealed the extent of Cruise’s involvement during a CNBC x Boardroom: Game Plan panel in Santa Monica.
The newspaper quotes Wasserman describing Cruise’s effort in the stunt, which saw him descend from the roof in Paris’s Stade France, before receiving the Olympic flag from Simon Biles and LA mayor Karen Bass, riding off on on a motorbike and eventually to LA, where he transformed the Hollywood sign with the five Olympic rings.
Wasserman said of Cruise: “He finished filming Mission: Impossible at 6pm in London, got right on a plane. He landed in LA at 4am and filmed the scene where he pulls onto a military plane.”
Wasserman said that “every step of the way, (Cruise) got more involved and more engaged,” and ultimately did the pre-taped stunt for free.
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 … 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, (Cruise) goes, ‘I’m in. But I’m only doing it if I get to do everything.’”
The Olympics closing ceremony offered a mixture of French culture and LA atmosphere, culminating in a performance from Dr Dre and Snoop Dogg on Long Beach. The Games move to Los Angeles for 2028.
