LOS ANGELES • Filming the latest Mission: Impossible movie was no cruise for Tom Cruise, who had to do more than 100 jumps to nail an action scene.
On Sunday, Cruise, 55, posted a video on Twitter detailing the risky "Halo jump" stunt.
Halo - high altitude, low open - is used by the military to penetrate enemy-held territory, with soldiers jumping from a plane at a height of 7,620m and triggering the parachute's release only at an altitude of under 610m.
The video shows Cruise prepping for the scene with demanding rehearsals in a specially designed wind tunnel.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, a further complication came from the need for perfect lighting to film the scene.
There were only three minutes a day suited for the task.
Cruise had to leap out from a plane going at about 260kmh and aim to land at a specific spot while plunging to the ground at about 320kmh.
No wonder, then, that it took "over 100 jumps to get the scene", said Mission: Impossible - Fallout director Christopher McQuarrie in the video.
Cruise also broke his ankle in another action sequence while filming the movie that is set to be released on July 27.