When it comes to actors who throw themselves into insane stunt work, few names get tossed around with as much admiration as Tom Cruise. And it turns out, Florence Pugh is right there in the fan club, and she’s taking some serious inspiration from the Mission: Impossible star for her upcoming Marvel film Thunderbolts*.
During a recent chat with the Associated Press at the London premiere of Thunderbolts, Pugh opened up about her decision to perform a major practical stunt in the film. And yes, she gave full credit to Cruise for pushing her toward it. She said:
“No one can top Tom Cruise, but what has he done? He has inspired me 100%. I don’t know if anyone will ever be as brilliant as he is, and his respect for the stunt world is something that has educated so many people.”
It’s one thing to admire Tom Cruise’s wild commitment to doing his own stunts, but it’s another to actually strap in and take the leap, and that’s exactly what Pugh did.
In Thunderbolts*, directed by Jake Schreier, she’ll be showing off her own fearless side with a stunt that has her jumping off of the seond highest skyscrapper in the world.
Of course, Pugh isn’t pretending she’s ready to hop into a helicopter or hang off the side of a jet anytime soon. When asked if she had Cruise-level aspirations, she laughed it off and said:
“Why wouldn’t I want to do a stunt that there are plenty of professionals making sure that it’s as safe as possible for me to do? I jumped off it, and I’m grateful that I did.
“Will I be flying helicopters and planes like he does? No, I’m not as good as that. But I’m grateful I was allowed to do this one.”
Pugh’s respect for the stunt world echoes Cruise’s own philosophy, and it’s pretty awesome to see new-generation stars embracing that same mindset.
Maybe one day we’ll see Florence Pugh and Tom Cruise team-up for a big action movie one day where they are both doing their own stunts.
