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Inside Tom Cruise's death-defying Olympic stunt: How spectacular closing ceremony finale was 18 months in the making - with the star insisting on doing 'the whole thing' himself
Arguably one of the most exciting moments of Paris 2024, Tom Cruise's death-defying Olympic stunt to end the games' closing ceremony was more than 18 months in the making.
The Hollywood legend, 62, looked effortless as he leapt from the roof of the Stade de France, accepted the Olympic flag from LA mayor Karen Bass and boarded his motorbike - all before getting on a plane, parachuting off the aircraft and turning the double Os of the Hollywood sign into the iconic Olympic rings.
But behind the camera's fluid transitions which followed the Mission Impossible star from one unbelievable location to the next, was months of preparation and anxiety by the creators.
Cruise reportedly insisted on doing 'the whole thing' himself when asked to be the star of the closing ceremony by executive producer and creative director Ben Winston, of Fulwell 73 Productions.
The day before the major stunt, Winston told Vogue the masterpiece took more than a year to put together, and at times he feared they might never pull it off.
Actor Tom Cruise jumps from the roof of the Stade de France last night
Actor Tom Cruise performs during the closing ceremony
American Actor and Film Producer Tom Cruise carries the IOC Flag during the Closing Ceremony
American Actor and Film Producer Tom Cruise rides on a Motorbike
The Hollywood sign altered for the LA 2028 games
'We've been planning this for a year and a half, and we had this idea that it would be so beautiful if we could take the flag from the Paris stadium and make it travel all the way to Los Angeles and then go live and do something spectacular here,' he said.
Cruise's stunt was seamlessly followed by a live and secret Venice beach concert featuring major artists such as Billie Eilish and the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
'One of the things LA is best-known for is its beaches, so we thought, what if we could steal that flag, bring it to LA, and do a massive, amazing concept on the beach with all these amazing LA artists?', Winston told Vogue.
Revealing Cruise's dedication to the job, Winston told how the actor was filming Mission Impossible in London when he got on an 11-hour flight to LA, shot for the Olympic video and got straight back on the plane to the film set.
Cruise was strapped into a harness as he flung himself off a ledge in front of thousands of fans and Olympians for the grand finale last night.
He took up his position as Paris 2024 organiser Tony Estanguet thanked everyone for 'playing their part' in the Games and US R 'n' B star H.E.R. sang and played the Stars And Stripes, American national anthem on her guitar.
Once safely back on the ground, Cruise was handed the five-ringed Olympic flag by gymnast Simone Biles and the Mayor of LA which he loaded onto the back of a waiting motor-cycle.
Dressed in his trade-mark Top Gun black leather jacket, the action star then drove out of the arena standing up.
Then Californian natives Red Hot Chili Peppers (above), Billie Eilish and Snoop Dogg offered a taste of what is to come at the 2028 Los Angeles Games
Cruise shared a selfie from on top of the stadium before he did the death-defying stunt
Tom Cruise jumps from the roof of the Stade de France
The switch across the Atlantic kicked off with live performances from Red Hot Chili Peppers, Billie Eilish and Snoop Dogg on the beach.
It came after a wacky show of artist performances, including a composer playing on a piano suspended in the air, a 'golden voyager' accompanied by dozens of dancers and many acclaimed French musicians.
After the Olympic flag was passed between several US Olympians, it arrived at the famous beach where the Red Hot Chili Peppers were playing their hit Can't Stop.
The rock band then handed the stage to Eilish who delivered a sweet rendition of her new track Birds Of A Feather while dressed in an oversized T-shirt, shorts and baseball cap.
Snoop, who has popped up at various events across the Olympics, later entered the beach to perform his classic track Drop It Like It's Hot alongside US fellow rapper Dr Dre.