Summary
- When films first began, actor safety was not a concern, but Harold Lloyd's accident changed everything in 1919.
- Tom Cruise's intense stunts come at a price - at least 3% of film budgets are spent on insurance to protect investors.
- Cruise's health rumors impact insurance costs; if a stunt is too risky, it's uninsurable, putting pressure on the studio.
When films were first created well over a century ago, filmmakers and producers did not think about the safety of actors on set. They wanted to get the shot so that the film could be cut and get out to audiences to make the studio a profit.
However, this all (literally) blew up in the faces of studio executives when silent film actor Harold Lloyd lit the fuse to what was supposed to be a fake bomb in 1919 for a film. The bomb was actually live and Lloyd ended up having half of his hand blown off and having his eyesight affected. While Lloyd would continue to go on and act, albeit with a prosthetic, this was a turning point in the film industry. Insurance was required so that investors could get their money back, versus having to wait months for a lead actor to return to set in the case of injuries that stopped the film in its tracks.
Tom Cruise is no stranger to getting insurance for his films, given the number of stunts he does for his films, specifically with the Mission: Impossible franchise. Because of this, a percentage of the cost of the film being made is spent on insurance so that if something happens to Cruise, investors are not out millions of dollars while Cruise recuperates.
The Real Reason Tom Cruise Hasn't Aged
He might be in his 60s, but Tom Cruise is showing no signs of slowing down, and he isn't aging either.
However, Tom Cruise's health is a major concern amid shocking insurance figures, and insurance companies are not willing to cover all of Cruise's stunts.In order to do the stunts himself with rumors swirling about botched plastic surgery or explanations about Cruise's saggy skin, both Cruise and the studio backing him, have to either find supplemental insurance or be willing to personally pay back investors in the event something goes terribly wrong.
Tom Cruise Has Massive Insurance Costs
Tom Cruise's films require at least 3% of the total cost of the production be paid in insurance in case stunts go awry
In order for Cruise to perform his own stunts in his films, the cost of insurance is astronomical. On average, the cost of insurance on a film is 3% of the total film budget. This covers if someone on set has an "accident, sickness, or death."
Given that Cruise is such an integral part of film franchises like Mission Impossible, it is likely that because he chooses to push his body to the limit to make every film as realistic as possible, that the insurance is even greater. After all, if something were to happen to Cruise, the film would literally shut down and likely never be completed.
Tom Cruise Pushes For ‘Top Gun 3’ After Nearly Losing His Life During 'Mission: Impossible' Stunt
Tom Cruise is ready to risk his life again for a Top Gun movie, but his schedule may be a hindrance.
If the standard insurance will not cover an actor of Cruise's caliber doing his own stunts, then the studio has to pay additional premiums to insure against any accident. But because Cruise brings in hundreds of millions with his films, no studio executive is going to shut him down when it comes to doing his own stunts. They are willing to pay millions to make millions by letting Cruise call the shots in his films.
Why Tom Cruise's Health Has Been A Concern And How That Affects His Insurance Costs
When insurance companies will not cover a stunt, the studio or Tom Cruise are on the hook for paying back investors if a stunt goes wrong
Over the last several years, Cruise's health has been called into question given that his appearance continues to change. First, there was the unexplained puffiness to Cruise's face, and in May 2024, there were questions about whether Cruise had plastic surgery given how his body showed signs of sagging while on vacation.
While health experts and trainers are quick to state the grueling workout routine that Cruise does weekly, which includes five days of cardio and three days of weight training, in conjunction with a healthy diet, there is no denying that Cruise's appearance has started to change.
The signs of change likely have a lot to do with the fact that Cruise is getting older. But in comparison with some of his contemporaries, Cruise has quite a bit more sagging to his body and none have had facial changes like Cruise has. If he is having plastic surgery that has caused the change to his face or the loose skin as a result of liposuction, then no one is telling.
What this means, however, is that if Cruise's health is being called into question at all, the insurance costs will only continue to rise on the movies he works on.
While Paramount Pictures has never commented on the insurance policies it has in place for Cruise and his work on the Mission: Impossible franchise, experts in the insurance field have weighed in on how Cruise is still allowed to do the stunts he does amid rumors of his health not being where it was several years ago.
What it all boils down to is the experience Cruise has earned over the course of his career and the training he has put himself through to be exceptionally qualified for the stunts he does.
From learning to fly helicopters and planes, race cars and motorcycles, and working with some of the best in the stunt industry, Cruise is not only one of the most successful leading men, but stuntpeople as well.
Tom Cruise Repeated A Risky Stunt Multiple Times For No Reason
Tom Cruise loves a good stunt. So much so, that he is willing to do it multiple times no matter how risky to get THE shot for a film.
If a stunt is deemed to be too dangerous or an insurance company believes that Cruise is in harm's way by attempting it, then the particular stunt may not be insured at all. According to The Hustle, it would then fall on Paramount or Cruise to pay investors back if something went awry.
Tom Cruise Has Yet To Report That He Is In Anything But Top Health
By all accounts, Tom Cruise is more than healthy enough to perform his stunts as well, if not better, than any stuntperson could
From all accounts, there is no reason to believe that Cruise is anything other than a healthy man in his 60s. But with rumors abounding that filming was halted on Mission: Impossible 8 in July 2023 due to Cruise's health, critics wondered if Cruise was still up to the task of playing Ethan Hunt in the capacity he had in the previous films.
As it turned out, Cruise and the rest of the cast did not film MI8, simply because of the SAG/AFTRA strike at that time. When that ended, filming began again with Cruise tackling his stunts like the pro that he is.
Cruise may like to push the envelope when it comes to his health and safety, but he would not do a stunt if it would put anyone else in danger or would result in a failed stunt attempt as a result of not being prepared.
To date, those who work with Cruise have not expressed any concern about Cruise's abilities on set. It's believed that Cruise is as healthy as he and his team claim and until something concrete surfaces, there are no health issues fans should be concerned about.
