The studio boss who gives movie superstar Tom Cruise free reign to perform his own death defying stunts says he ‘hopes for the best’ each time the ‘extraordinary’ actor goes to work.
CEO of Paramount Pictures Jim Gianopulos admits it’s impossible to prevent Cruise – a ‘force of nature’ – from defying the odds to make his blockbuster movies.
Gianopulos says the 56-year-old Mission Impossible star refuses offers to use stunt doubles or green screens to fake action scenes and does it ‘because he needs to’.
And the powerhouse studio executive admits that he tries not to think about the insurance premiums should anything go wrong.
Earlier this month it was reported Cruise put a halt to filming on the hugely anticipated Top Gun sequel so he can master piloting fighter jets to make the stunts in the new movie as realistic as possible.
Tom Cruise, 56, has free reign to perform his own death-defying stunts in films, CEO of Paramount Pictures Jim Gianopulos told DailyMailTV. Cruise reportedly put a halt to filming on the hugely anticipated Top Gun sequel (pictured) so he can master piloting fighter jets
Gianopulos says the 56-year-old Mission Impossible star refuses offers to use stunt doubles or green screens to fake action scenes and does it ‘because he needs to’. Pictured: Cruise filming a stunt in 2010
Asked about the stress of working with Cruise constantly risking his life with stunts, Gianopulos said: ‘I try and stay out of the insurance issue, but there is no stopping Cruise.
‘Tom is his own great force of nature. It was invented for Tom.
‘He does it, because he needs to. He feels the need to show practically how committed he is to the films, to the work, to doing it in a way that you can’t replicate.
‘We can do all kinds of green screen and effects, but there’s nothing like seeing Tom hanging from the top of the tallest building on the planet Earth, or driving a helicopter, which even the helicopter company was unsure the craft could do.
‘I mean the man is extraordinary.’
Gianopulos, 67, admitted that he ‘of course worries’ about Cruise’s well being, but insists that the three time Oscar nominee meticulously plans for his death-defying work.
‘Well you just hope for the best… but you know that he’s prepared. I can’t prepare the way he does. He prepares so meticulously, working so closely. He’s the first one on the set, he’s the last to leave, he’ll go through all the stunt coordinators.’
Gianopulos, 67, admitted that he ‘of course worries’ about Cruise’s (pictured on the set of Top Gun 2 on Monday) well being, but insists that the three time Oscar nominee meticulously plans for his death-defying work
Asked about the stress of working with Cruise constantly risking his life with stunts, Gianopulos (pictured) said: ‘I try and stay out of the insurance issue, but there is no stopping Cruise’
He added: ‘He does it all so meticulously. Look, he wants to live, but he is a perfectionist and so dedicated to his craft, so I’m very proud of his work.’
Gianopulos, who is Chairman of the Motion Picture Television Fund Board of Trustees, is excited that Cruise will again push the limits for Top Gun 2.
He said the actor is currently giving his cast mates on Top Gun: Maverick an insight into the thrill of flying jet fighters.
‘He’s in the middle of Top Gun now and he’s taking the cast, he’s showing them what Gs are and what it is to fly in some of these incredibly fast airplanes. So it’s going to be a very exciting ride so to speak.’
Recent photos showed Cruise riding his motorbike through San Diego 32-years after the original film, but the ageless star appears to look almost exactly the same as before.
Gianopulos smiled at how his friend has maintained his youthful looks: ‘I think it’s an incredible amount of training and I don’t think people really understand how much effort he puts into his training regimen, his health regimen.
Gianopulos smiled at how his friend has maintained his youthful looks: ‘I think it’s an incredible amount of training and I don’t think people really understand how much effort he puts into his training regimen, his health regimen.’ Pictured: Cruise in the first Top Gun movie in 1986
Recent photos showed Cruise riding his motorbike through San Diego 32-years after the original film, but the ageless star appears to look almost exactly the same as before
Gianopulos continued: ‘He takes really good care of himself, but he’s committed to it and he lives a good life, but he’s committed to working really hard to maintain his physical capabilities.’
He added that Cruise remains a Hollywood enigma.
‘There have been some many great talents, but Tom is a singular one. So yeah, we’re very proud to be in business with him and to be working with him and hopefully do many more movies with him. Right now he’s doing Top Gun, so that’s the next one.’
Gianopulos spoke as he attended the MPTF fundraiser MPTF (Motion Picture & Television Fund) hosted its seventh annual ‘Reel Stories, Real Lives’ event, a unique evening of powerful stories about industry members and their families who have benefited from MPTF’s services in recent years.
The evening, which drew around 500 industry leaders and celebrity guests, was hosted by Emmy Award-winning producer, writer, and actor Keegan-Michael Key.
MPTF supports the entertainment community in living and aging well, with dignity and purpose, and in helping each other in times of need.