Tom Cruise’s Joints in His Fingers ‘Separated From Force’ During Plane Stunt in ‘Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning’: ‘Hands Were Absolutely Swollen’

Tom Cruise is known for suffering for his art, but just how much is revealed in a bonus feature as part of the digital release of “Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning.” The A-list actor and his director Christopher McQuarrie reveal during the movie’s climactic plane sequence that the joints in Cruise’s fingers separated from the sheer force the actor had to battle while dangling off the side of a biplane and holding onto the strap of a seat belt.

“Oh, this almost broke my back,” Cruise says in the commentary as the scene plays out (via Entertainment Weekly) as McQuarrie adds: “You’re talking about a lot of pain here.”

“Now watch this: The thing we haven’t talked about, holding on to this belt,” McQuarrie points out as Cruise is seen in the film holding onto a seatbelt strap as the biplane flips upside down. Cruise notes, “Oh God, that was brutal.”

“This separated the joints in Tom’s fingers from the force, so by the time we finished this sequence, your hands were absolutely swollen — oh my God, it was so painful to watch,” McQuarrie added.

“Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning” opened in theaters in May after a splashy premiere at the Cannes Film Festival. The movie, touted as Cruise’s final outing in his long-running action franchise, opened to $200 million globally, marking the franchise’s biggest start.

“This weekend was one for the history books!” Cruise reacted at the time. “Congratulations and thank you to every filmmaker, every artist, every crew member and every single person who works at the studios. To every theater and every employee who helps bring these stories to audiences, thank you. To everyone that works at Paramount Pictures and Skydance, thank you for your many years of partnership and unwavering support. And most of all, THANK YOU to audiences everywhere for whom we all serve and for whom we all LOVE to entertain. Sincerely, Tom.”

“Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning” has since earned $596 million at the worldwide box office. Despite being touted as the last “Mission: Impossible” movie, Cruise would not go on the record confirming whether or not his tenure as Ethan Hunt is actually over or not.

“I’d rather just people see it and enjoy and we’ve had an amazing time doing it and it’s been a lot of fun and I just want you all to enjoy it,” the actor said when asked about his future with the franchise. “Enjoy this and know everything is the culmination has come to this moment right now.”

“Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning” is now available to watch from home via PVOD platforms and arrives on 4k Ultra HD, DVD and Blu-ray on Oct. 14.