Tom Cruise ‘Pushed for Higher-Risk Olympics Stunt Despite Pleas From Loved Ones to Slow Down’ — Daredevil ‘Wanted to Plummet Faster’

Tom Cruise reportedly wanted looser safety protocols for his epic performance at the Paris Olympics closing ceremony despite pleas from his inner circle to pump the brakes on dangerous stunts, RadarOnline.com can reveal.

The 62-year-old daredevil leapt from the 140-foot roof of the Stade de France and rappelled into the stadium for a symbolic handover of the Olympic flag to Los Angeles, where the 2028 Games will take place.

He took off on a motorcycle with the flag in tow, and prerecorded footage then showed him zipping through the streets of Paris before taking off on an LA-bound plane and skydiving down to the Hollywood sign.

While the stunt went off without a hitch, the 18-month-long planning process was apparently not all smooth sailing. Cruise reportedly clashed with producers behind the scenes over the logistics.

An insider told the Daily Mail: "He argued with producers over his safety rope which was clearly visible and he felt it did not make the jump believable enough and he did not plummet as fast as he wanted."

But now that he's in his 60s, his loved ones are growing increasingly worried about the risk-taker being seriously injured or even killed if he doesn't slow down.

The source said: "It's one thing when he's shooting a movie, but now this Olympics stunt — it's incredibly worrying."

"His close circle strongly advised him against the jump and have told him he really needs to stop throwing himself into so many death-defying stunts."

Cruise has faced the consequences of stunts-gone-wrong in the past, like when he broke his ankle filming 2018's Mission: Impossible - Fallout. The actor missed a landing as he jumped between high-rise buildings and slammed his foot into a wall, bending it backwards. He recounted the ordeal on The Graham Norton Show, saying: "I knew instantly it was broken."

Yet he remains undeterred by concerns for his well-being, according to a source who suggested the actor viewed himself as invincible due to his legendary status as "one of the biggest action movie stars of all time."

"Tom knows the risks involved and he doesn't care. He refuses to pull back. He truly believes he is larger than life.

"Part of it is his Napoleon complex and also the fact that he is pretty much a demigod in his religion. But he's not 25 anymore – not even 35 or 45."

The Top Gun star, known for doing his own stunts, insisted on executing the routine himself, according to the source, who claimed he "helped to create this stunt and said that he needed to do something that has never been done before".

We reached out to Cruise's rep to verify these claims and have not heard back.

A recent article by The Guardian also said Cruise was rumored to have approached the International Olympic Committee after coming up with the idea for the routine. He reportedly drew from his experience carrying the Olympic torch in a ceremonial relay from LA to Athens in 2004.

The actor was also a regular at this year's games, attending several events after filming Mission Impossible: 8 in Paris and London earlier this year.

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