My big break: Tom Cruise on the snapped ankle that halted M:I6 filming, and Top Gun sequel
Action star suffered the fracture slamming into a concrete wall – footage Mission:Impossible 6’s director swears will be in the film – but the 55-year-old finished the take before spending six weeks in rehab
If the infamous “hobbling” scene in Rob Reiner’s Misery made you hide behind the sofa, then prepare to wince hard at Mission: Impossible – Fallout – as Tom Cruise shatters his ankle for real.
The injury has threatened or ended the careers of sports legends like Diego Maradona, Yao Ming and Derek Jeter, but 55-year-old Cruise calmly finished the take and was back on set within six weeks.
“I’ve broken bones before in my life, but it was hard,” says the Top Gun icon. “It was very difficult, because they were concerned I wasn’t going to be able to run for nine months at least and I’m in the middle. I’ve got a release date and responsibilities – I didn’t want to stop filming.”
We caught up with Cruise at the annual CinemaCon industry gathering in Las Vegas, where he was promoting the sixth film in the lucrative spy franchise ahead of its July 27 release.
Mission: Impossible – Fallout was forced to halt production in London last year after Cruise slammed awkwardly into a concrete wall as he leapt between buildings while attached to cables.