“It’s what they call mental stamina”: One $791M Movie Stunt Was So ‘Uncomfortable’ Even Henry Cavill Had to Convince His Own Body to Keep Doing It
The climactic battle scene between Henry Cavill and Tom Cruise in the sixth installment of the Mission: Impossible franchise was nothing short of an edge-of-the-seat experience. One of the action sequences in the climax, involving a helicopter, became so challenging that the Justice League actor’s body didn’t want him to go through with it. However, Cavill shared that his mental strength played an important role in helping him complete the scene.
Henry Cavill in Mission: Impossible – Fallout
Henry Cavill as Augustus Walker in Mission: Impossible – Fallout Cavill played Augustus Walker, the lead villain to Cruise’s Ethan Hunt in Mission: Impossible – Fallout. The Man of Steel actor was perhaps one of the few villains who could match Cruise’s level of commitment to the action sequences in the movie.
Henry Cavill in Mission: Impossible – Fallout
Henry Cavill in the Mission: Impossible 6 helicopter scene
Fans were on cloud nine when their favorite Superman actor, Henry Cavill, was cast alongside Tom Cruise in the Mission: Impossible franchise. Of all the things in the $791 million-grossing movie, Cavill’s facial hair interestingly became a source of controversy. Nevertheless, the Stardust actor delivered an exceptional performance, and fans were saddened that the villain was killed off in the climactic scene.
Although cast as a ruthless and cunning villain, Cavill exuded the dynamic of a leading man. During one action sequence involving a helicopter, the Enola Holmes actor found himself filming in freezing temperatures in New Zealand. In Cavill’s own words, completing the scene required mental stamina. Cavill told The Hollywood Reporter:
“It’s what they call mental stamina — because what you believe is your physical boundary is actually just a mental boundary. It was extraordinarily uncomfortable; my body did not want to keep getting back in the helicopter, but I just kept doing it.”
Cavill was supposed to receive instructions from the director, Christopher McQuarrie, but the zero-degree wind blasting in his face made it almost impossible, even with an earpiece. The Witcher actor had to largely improvise his scenes with the helicopter sequence and thus had to repeatedly fly the helicopter in the spine-chilling weather. He revealed that his source of inspiration for this scene came from his childhood ambition to become an elite soldier.
Henry Cavill, Tom Cruise, and Rebecca Ferguson in Mission: Impossible – Fallout
Henry Cavill, Tom Cruise, and Rebecca Ferguson in the Mission: Impossible 6 bathroom brawl scene
Christopher McQuarrie revealed that he possibly couldn’t have found a more dedicated actor than Henry Cavill to play Agent Walker. He even mentioned how some of the script had to be adapted to accommodate Cavill’s skills in action sequences and his dry humor. In the famous bathroom brawl scene in the film, another famous actor was originally set to play the villain Lark. However, the actor dropped out because he couldn’t keep pace with Cruise and Cavill.
Regarding Cavill’s helicopter stunt in freezing temperatures, McQuarrie revealed that the Batman v. Superman actor never complained about the grueling stunt scene. McQuarrie told The Hollywood Reporter:
“It was an extreme form of physical punishment. We would get back to base camp and his face was literally frozen and he couldn’t make facial expressions. I don’t know another actor who would do that — not only do it, but do it with full commitment and never complain.”
The Mission: Impossible writer-cum-director also hinted at the possible return of Henry Cavill to the franchise. Even though the character met a fatal end by falling off a cliff, anything can happen in the Mission: Impossible world. If it happens, fans of Cavill will be elated after the disappointment of his exit from two fan-favorite roles.
