33. He Earned His Stripes

The Mission: Impossible series was life-changing in more ways than one. In one scene, where Cruise’s character blows up an aquarium in order to escape a risky situation, the director wasn’t satisfied with Cruise’s stunt double—so Cruise stepped in and performed the stunt himself, even though there was a huge danger that he’d drown.

From then on, Cruise was hooked, and began to perform most of his own stunts—culminating in some truly impressive, terrifying, and occasionally disastrous feats.

34. They Did A 180

After starring in a string of back-to-back hit films, Cruise made a decision that went against everything he’d done in his career. He accepted a role in the wildly controversial Stanley Kubrick film Eyes Wide Shut, opposite his wife Nicole. Kubrick told them they could appear as the leads, but they couldn’t even so much sign up for another movie until it was completed.

Regardless, they jumped at the chance to work with the acclaimed director. They had no idea what they were getting into.