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How Did Tom Cruise React to His Wildest Mission: Impossible Stunts? Simon Pegg Reveals Truth
From dangling off the Burj Khalifa with a grin to clinging to a plane mid-takeoff, Simon Pegg shares the adrenaline-fueled moments that either had Tom Cruise smiling or shaking.
As the Mission: Impossible franchise gears up for its potential swan song with The Final Reckoning on May 23, longtime co-star Simon Pegg is looking back at some of Tom Cruise’s most jaw-dropping stunts—and how the action legend reacted to them in real time. In a new interview with PEOPLE, Pegg reveals the nerve-wracking behind-the-scenes reality of watching Cruise risk life and limb for the perfect shot.
Since 2006’s Mission: Impossible III, Simon Pegg has stood beside Cruise—on screen as Benji Dunn and off screen as an often awe-struck witness to the actor’s daredevil feats. One of Pegg’s most vivid memories? The unforgettable scene in 2011’s Ghost Protocol, where Cruise scales the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, the world’s tallest building. As Pegg peered out of a window, he spotted Cruise “just hanging there, smiling, this big s--- eating grin on his face, like, ‘I'm having the best time.’”
But not every stunt brought smiles. Pegg recalls Cruise’s rare moment of visible anxiety before shooting Rogue Nation’s hair-raising plane scene—where Cruise clings to a military aircraft as it takes off. “That was the first time I’d seen him nervous,” Pegg admits. “There were a lot of variables involved … a lot of things that could have gone wrong.” Even Cruise himself later admitted second thoughts as the plane taxied down the runway: “Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea.”
The biggest "breath-hold" moment for Pegg came during 2023’s Dead Reckoning Part One, when Cruise drove a motorcycle off a cliff and parachuted mid-air. Pegg and the cast watched together, waiting tensely to hear “good canopy” over the radio—a sign Cruise’s parachute had opened safely.
Yet through it all, Cruise’s dedication has never wavered. “He literally will risk his life for the audience,” Pegg says, adding that he’s often told Cruise, “You’re absolutely nuts.” Still, the mutual respect between actor and stuntman runs deep, and Pegg admits it’s “fun to play the guy who is almost like a member of the audience … going, ‘This is crazy.’”
With Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning set to hit theaters this May, fans can expect more high-octane stunts and nail-biting action—along with a few of those signature Tom Cruise grins. Whether smiling from a skyscraper or bracing against jet-fueled winds, Cruise’s thrill-seeking legacy is one Pegg (and the rest of us) won’t soon forget.
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