Sean Penn Says Tom Cruise Has Raised The Bar For The Stunt Industry In Hollywood

What's your favorite Tom Cruise stunt from the Mission: Impossible series? While running up the Burj Khalifa and jumping off cliffs and helicopters are the most visually impressive, mine has to be the CIA break-in scene from the first film. It is taut, tense and more emotional considering it was the first so we didn't know what was to come.

In a recent podcast with Louis Theroux, Oscar-winner Sean Penn gave unexpected praise to action star Tom Cruise, calling him “probably the best stuntman in the movie world.”

While discussing peers he respects, Penn bypassed usual names like Daniel Day-Lewis and instead highlighted Cruise’s unmatched commitment to filmmaking. “He is a guy who pursues excellence on a very high level,” said Penn, calling him both a great actor and a highly skilled craftsman.

Penn defended Cruise’s blockbuster-heavy resume, noting that the quality and intensity of those films demand someone extraordinary at the center. “He’s the common link between too many of them for it not to be him. It’s no accident.”

Going even further, Penn praised Cruise’s daring feats, saying, “He’s probably advanced the whole thing.” The veteran actor credited Cruise’s experience and the fact that filmmakers create sequences specifically tailored to his unique capabilities—scenes no other stunt performer has ever attempted.

When Theroux joked about “apologies to all the stuntmen,” Penn responded that he believes real stunt professionals admire Cruise’s dedication, noting that his work helps grow the genre and creates more jobs for the stunt community.

Coincidentally, Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning director Christopher McQuarrie recently shared details of Cruise’s latest feat—piloting a biplane solo at 10,000 feet while performing, operating the camera, and lighting the shot with the sun’s position. “No one on Earth can do that,” McQuarrie said.

It seems Sean Penn wholeheartedly agrees.

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Source: Deadline

Photo Credit: Paramount/20th Century Fox