If you saw Tom Cruise's jaw-dropping stunt during his appearance at the closing ceremonies of the 2024 Paris Olympics, you may have been curious about how much he was getting paid to complete such a perilous task. Apparently, the price you are likely imagining is nowhere near what you would expect because the real cost is much more shocking.

The Top Gun star surprised viewers by jumping off the top of the Stade de France onto the field where he took the Olympic flag and rode through the streets of Paris, the perfect send off to the Paris Olympics and a Hollywood introduction to the 2028 Olympics host city of Los Angeles. As it turns out, he performed the impressive stunt for free, according to Page Six.

Casey Wasserman, president and chairman of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games, revealed the backstory of getting the Eyes Wide Shut actor on board with the stunt, per The Hollywood Reporter.

"He finished filming Mission: Impossible at 6 p.m. in London, got right on a plane. He landed in LA at 4 a.m. and filmed the scene where he pulls onto a military plane," he said of the pre-taped segment, adding that "every step of the way, [Cruise] got more involved and more engaged."

Wasserman continued, "We're like, 'Well, there's no way we're getting this. We're going to get four hours of filming time. We'll do the thing ... with the Hollywood sign, he'll hand the thing off and he's done. Maybe we'll get the other stuff, and the rest will be just a stunt double.' About five minutes into the presentation, [Cruise] goes, 'I'm in. But I'm only going it if I get to do everything.'"

Jeffrey T. Mason