Outside of cinema, Tom Cruise is also an interesting and unique character. Before entering his acting career, he grew up in a devout Catholic family and was a student at Franciscan Seminary in his teens. But while on the path to becoming a priest, Cruise made a big move to pursue acting.

A difficult childhood

Tom Cruise’s childhood was not idyllic. He grew up in near poverty with an abusive father who often broke. Cruise was small for his age and always sad, often bullied by other children.

Milano, Cinque Terre & Lago Di Como

Tom Cruise battled dyslexia as a child. He overcame life’s challenges and today, the star draws strength and inspiration from his past and maintains a close relationship with his mother.

While filming The Last Samurai , Tom Cruise studied Japanese for three months to authentically deliver some Japanese dialogue. He visits Japan so often that the country even gives him “Tom Cruise Day”, which is celebrated in Japan on October 10 every year.

During the filming of this movie, Tom Cruise almost lost his life when a sword swung just 3 cm from his neck! Co-star Hiroyuki Sanada stopped the sword from piercing the Hollywood star’s neck. It was an unscripted moment!

Perform your own deadly moves

Speaking of being dedicated to his career, Tom Cruise once refused to sign a contract with movie producers unless they allowed him to perform dangerous stunts. In Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation , he hung from the side of a flying plane and held his breath for nearly 6 minutes underwater!

After being inspired by his experiences filming Top Gun in 1986, Tom Cruise got his pilot’s license in 1994. Interestingly, he has a license to fly commercial and private aircraft, and even flies Even private jets.

While filming Mission: Impossible 6 in 2017, Tom Cruise jumped from a rig into a building. But he slipped when he landed and broke his ankle! He had to take 7 weeks off filming to recover, but when he returned to the set, he performed his own stunts.