Tom Cruise performing his own stunts in movies became a lively topic during a recent episode of “Literally! With Rob Lowe,” as Rob Lowe and Ralph Macchio looked back on their experiences filming “The Outsiders.” Their conversation reignited debate over whether Cruise’s daredevil moments are always real, or if there’s more Hollywood magic involved than people realize.
Recalling Tom Cruise’s Early Dedication to Stunts
During their discussion, Rob Lowe and Ralph Macchio reminisced about acting alongside Tom Cruise in Francis Ford Coppola’s adaptation of S.E. Hinton’s “The Outsiders” over four decades ago. The 1980s hit film, which starred a host of notable young actors, marked an early phase when Cruise began to showcase a talent and boldness not just in acting but in doing physically demanding scenes himself.
Lowe remembered how Coppola put the cast through tough physical training, pushing everyone to learn gymnastics for their roles. He highlighted this unique process by saying,
“Whenever I see Tom do these amazing, insane stunts,”
and further reflected,
“I look back at when Francis made us, for whatever reason, practice to be gymnasts. Do you remember this?”
—Rob Lowe, Actor
Macchio admitted that his character, Johnny Cade, avoided the brunt of this challenge due to not being in the action-heavy sequences, saving him from strenuous preparation. Lowe acknowledged,
“There was never any pressure on you to do a backflip,”
—Rob Lowe, Actor while Macchio reminded him,
“Well, I wasn’t in the rumble. I was in the hospital,”
—Ralph Macchio, Actor
The Iconic Backflip: Early Signs of Cruise’s Stunt Tradition
The conversation turned to one particular memory from the film—a scene where Cruise’s character famously does an unscripted backflip off a car simply for effect. Lowe recalled how demanding it was for them to master stunts for the movie, saying,
“But there was a lot of pressure on us to learn backflips and do all this s— and I don’t know if you’ve ever learned a standing backflip. It’s hard, it’s scary as s— . Tom was the only one who did it. And if you watch the movie, the movie’s playing but then the movie just stops and there’s a shot of Tom doing a backflip for no reason and then the movie continues.”
—Rob Lowe, Actor
This unscripted moment is often cited as an early glimpse of Cruise’s determination to tackle challenging action scenes himself. Lowe added,
“That’s where it started for him,”
and further insisted,
“One hundred percent that’s where it started.”
—Rob Lowe, Actor
Macchio echoed this sentiment regarding Cruise’s motivation, stating,
“He was quite driven from day one. I mean, that gentleman had a plan, he really did. Very distinctly, it was happening there. He has the backflip and he comes up, grabbing the back of his head, because I’m not so sure he stuck the landing, but the car, it was out of frame.”
—Ralph Macchio, Actor
Weighing the Truth: Stunts or Movie Magic?
The discussion shifted to whether all of Cruise’s stunts have truly been performed by him. Lowe raised the idea of movie tricks such as the “Texas switch,” where filmmakers cleverly substitute a stuntperson through camera angles and blocking. After Macchio jokingly suggested the possibility, Lowe challenged,
“Let’s start a rumor right now that Tom Cruise actually doesn’t do his own stunts and we have the evidence, and the evidence is The Outsiders.”
—Rob Lowe, Actor
However, Macchio quickly distanced himself from this claim, citing present-day footage of Cruise’s extraordinary feats.
“It’s kind of tough with the current footage that is playing on your feed right now of him not wearing a parachute,”
—Ralph Macchio, Actor alluding to Cruise’s recent stunt work, especially a sequence from
“Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning”
where Cruise performs a parachute jump under hazardous conditions.
The visceral intensity of these modern stunts was not lost on Lowe, who responded,
“The burning parachute, it makes my stomach hurt.”
Macchio, impressed by Cruise’s commitment, summarized, “It’s incredible,” confirming the duo’s respect for Cruise’s relentless approach to performing stunts himself.
The Larger Impact: Tom Cruise’s Stunt Legacy
The exchange between Lowe and Macchio sheds light on the enduring discussions surrounding Tom Cruise performing his own stunts in movies, a topic that fascinates both audiences and industry insiders. Their personal reflections highlight how Cruise’s drive emerged early in his career and has come to define his work, inspiring both admiration and curiosity about the true extent of his hands-on involvement.
As stories surface and old footage is revisited, the question of stunt authenticity continues to captivate fans. Whether by taking physical risks for the sake of thrilling cinema or by fueling debates about what’s real and what’s Hollywood sleight of hand, Cruise’s legacy as a daring actor persists—cemented not just by his roles, but by the remarkable stories told by those who witnessed his evolution firsthand.
