Henry Cavill reveals the stunt he begged Tom Cruise to let him do for 'Mission: Impossible Fallout'

Cavill teams up with Tom Cruise in the franchise's latest installment.

July 24, 2018, 10:10 AM

Henry Cavill did nearly every stunt himself for "Mission: Impossible - Fallout" alongside Tom Cruise, but it was one "off the cuff" move that has already captivated audiences.

"I got to do all my own stuff apart from one -- the halo jump," Cavill revealed on "Good Morning America," saying that it was "heartbreaking" since that particular move was number one on his bucket list.

PHOTO: Henry Cavill appears on Good Morning America to promote his new movie, 'Mission Impossible', July 24, 2018.
Henry Cavill appears on Good Morning America to promote his new movie, 'Mission Impossible', July 24, 2018.
ABC

"[The] jump out of the back of a [Boeing] C-17 at dusk was my idea of magic and I was praying they'd let me do it, begging Tom. And Tom eventually said to me, 'Look Henry, I understand what you're saying. I would love, love, love for you to do it but if you do, the chances are that you will kill me and everyone else in the process,'" Cavill said.

Cruise, who is known for performing all his own stunts, trained for hundreds of hours to successfully complete the jump.

"I think [it was] 106 jumps just to shoot that sequence," Cavill said.

But Cavill ended up with a signature move of his own by the end of filming that has already gone viral and turned into a popular animated GIF.

PHOTO: This image released by Paramount Pictures shows, Henry Cavill, from left, Tom Cruise and Rebecca Ferguson in a scene from "Mission: Impossible - Fallout."
This image released by Paramount Pictures shows, Henry Cavill, from left, Tom Cruise and Rebecca Ferguson in a scene from "Mission: Impossible - Fallout."
Chiabella James/Paramount Pictures and Skydance via AP

The 35-year-old appears to "reload" his arms in a fight scene but said the arm gesture was "really off the top of my head."

"It just felt right at the time and I got kind of shy afterward and didn't do it for the next take and then Christopher McQuarrie [the director] came up to me and said to do the thing again," Cavill said. "He showed me the monitor, and I said, 'OK, cool.' And we stuck with it and it became a thing."

The move has gone viral and is now a popular GIF.

https://giphy.com/gifs/3ohs4tKADK8HEYD4I0

After demonstrating the move in slow motion for the "Good Morning America" audience, Cavill offered some practical life advice.

PHOTO: Henry Cavill talked to “GMA” about “Mission: Impossible Fallout” and the one stunt he begged Tom Cruise to let him do.
Henry Cavill talked to “GMA” about “Mission: Impossible Fallout” and the one stunt he begged Tom Cruise to let him do.
GMA

"A friend of mine sent me this text a long time ago and it stuck with me ever since. It's 50 points and it's advice from an 80-year-old and I try and read through these 50 points every day," Cavill said. "Especially on bad days it really helps, because it does bring things into perspective a lot."

Here are a few of the points that Cavill read aloud:
- Sing in the shower
- Choose your life's mate carefully -- this one decision will come 90 percent of all your happiness or misery
- Never deprive someone of hope, it might be all that they have
- Never waste an opportunity to tell someone you love them
- Remember that 80 percent of the success in any job is based on your ability to deal with people
- Don't expect life to be fair

"It's important to bring things back into perspective," he said. "To look through the eyes of an 80-year-old person who's lived life and said, 'By the way, these are the secrets.' It's worth listening to."