Tom Cruise’s Olympics Stunt Pay Was Surprisingly Low

Movie star Tom Cruise, who is known for doing his own over-the-top stunts, was apparently paid the very low fee of $0 for his epic stunt during the Olympics closing ceremony in July.

Casey Wasserman, the president of the committee that is bringing the Olympics to Los Angeles in 2028, revealed this during the CNBC x Boardroom: Game Plan event this week in Los Angeles. For anyone unaware, Cruise jumped off the Stade du France, glided down to the ground, strolled through a crowd of adoring fans, grabbed the Olympic flag, and then drove off into Paris on a motorcycle to an airplane taking him to Los Angeles.

Cruise then appeared in Hollywood (thanks to a little movie magic!) for a skydiving segment to complete the Olympic hand-off for the next host city. It was pretty epic.

As relayed by The Hollywood Reporter, Wasserman said when he originally pitched the idea to Cruise, he never thought the Mission: Impossible actor would be up for filming every piece of the multi-stage stunt. “About five minutes into the presentation [Tom Cruise] goes, ‘I’m in. But I’m only doing it if I get to do everything,'” he said.

Wasserman got some bad news when an associate called to inform him that while Cruise was enthusiastic about the idea during the pitch meeting, the actor might not be able to actually commit due to the number of rehearsals and extended planning required. But that wasn’t how it worked out in the end. “Sure enough, every step of the way, he got more involved and more engaged,” Wasserman said.

The 2028 Olympics take place in and around Los Angeles, beginning in July 2028. As for Cruise, the Oscar-nominated actor has a number of upcoming projects in the works, including Mission: Impossible 8 and a movie that he will film in space.