Tom Cruise has become a Guinness World Record titleholder for a fiery “Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning” stunt.
In the stunt, Cruise jumps out of a helicopter and deploys a parachute, then lights it on fire. The parachute was pre-soaked in fuel and lit ablaze, the Guinness World Records said in a news release. Cruise had to jump from at least 7,500 feet, the organization said. The flaming parachute could only burn for about three seconds before Cruise had to cut it away and deploy a backup chute. And sometimes, he was doing it while holding a 50-pound camera rig.
Cruise conducted the stunt not once, not twice — but 16 times, the Guinness World Records said, making him the record holder for “most burning parachute jumps by an individual.” Cruise was awarded the title on June 4.
“Tom doesn’t just play action heroes — he is an action hero!” said Craig Glenday, editor-in-chief of Guinness World Records. “A large part of his success can be chalked up to his absolute focus on authenticity and pushing the boundaries of what a leading man can do. It’s an honour to be able to recognize his utter fearlessness with this new Guinness World Records title.”
It’s far from the first incredible stunt Cruise has performed in the “Mission: Impossible” franchise. Previous movies have featured him hanging from the side of a plane, riding a motorcycle off a cliff and climbing the world’s tallest building. He is a licensed skydiver and has been a licensed pilot for over 30 years. In “Top Gun: Maverick,” Cruise also performed a number of aerial stunts.
“The audience can tell when something’s been cheated, so it’s important to be doing it all for-real,” Wade Eastwood, a stunt coordinator on “Mission: Impossible – Fallout,” told Guinness World Records.
This is Cruise’s second Guinness World Record. He holds a box office title for actor with the most consecutive $100-million-grossing movies. He has 11 movies that qualify, starting with 2012’s “Jack Reader” and ending with “Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning.”