In honor of Throwback Thursday, we're taking a look at some of Tom Cruise's legendary action film roles from the past.
Tom Cruise is no stranger to starring in action movies. So in honor of Throwback Thursday, we're taking a look at some of his legendary roles from the past.
The 51-year-old is notoriously known for always doing his own stunts and for putting his all in every character that he plays, and it turns out he’s been doing it for nearly as long as he’s been acting.
Almost 30 years ago, Tom starred in his first action flick as Maverick in the box office hit, Top Gun. The role made him an instant superstar at only 24-years-old, and ET spoke to the actor back in 1986 about how he prepared for the role.
"I spent a lot of time in San Diego just sitting down with these fighter pilots, just talking with them and gathering all this information,” he said. “I worked on the script months prior to shooting. I spent many months studying and learning about the F-14 and the pilot to plane relationship, which when you're a great fighter pilot, you don't think about it, it's just a walk in the park."
And 10 years later Tom played another unforgettable character, super-spy Ethan Hunt, in Mission: Impossible. The part required intense stunt work including being launched out of an exploded fish tank.
"That was pretty nerve wracking that day. I just remember that tank exploding and glass flying everywhere, I was nervous,” he opened up about the experience. “There was only one take, you only got one shot at that, I didn't want to be there all night."
Now at 51-year-old, Tom isn't slowing down, he stars in the sci-fi thriller, Edge of Tomorrow in theaters on Friday.
Check out this video to see how this his role in this flick is different from his others.