Tom Cruise saved Elizabeth Sue’s life while filming the movie Cocktail! This is not a made up story, it really happened. Doesn’t it make you wonder when you hear this shocking story? Imagine everyone was reveling in a beautiful beach riding scene when all of a sudden, an accident almost happened!
Tom’s decisive action not only saved Sue’s life, but also brought the heartbeat of the entire crew back to a normal rhythm in an instant.
This story took place in 1988, when Tom Cruise had just become a global sensation and the talk of the movie world. He plays a young bartender in Cocktail, a movie that follows him as he navigates the bar world of New York City and eventually learns the true meaning of life. The whole movie is full of 80’s classics, from city bars to beautiful Caribbean landscapes, with a light-hearted, romantic vibe. But can you believe it? Behind the filming of this movie lies such a thrilling moment!
On the set that day, the crew was using a helicopter to take aerial shots of Tom and Elizabeth riding horses. Sounds too good to be true, doesn’t it? However, danger always lurks in seemingly peaceful scenes. The helicopter’s tail rotor rotates at high speeds, making it almost invisible, and that’s exactly the kind of deadly threat that’s easiest to overlook.
Elizabeth ran towards the back of the helicopter because of her excitement, no one realized how much danger her movement brought, only Tom had sharp eyes and keenly captured that deadly hidden danger. Without hesitation, he darted over and grabbed her, saving her from the edge of the tail rotor!
Imagine how horrible things could have turned out if Tom hadn’t reacted so quickly! What’s even more shocking is that Tom wasn’t a pilot at the time! He didn’t get his pilot’s license until 1994, so his judgment at the time was based solely on gut feeling and instinct. The actors were none the wiser when it was all over.
Whether it’s in the movie or in reality, Tom Cruise displays the kind of natural heroism that really moves people. This incident also makes us take a fresh look behind the scenes of movie making – even though the footage on screen looks so brilliant and eye-catching, there are hidden risks behind the scenes that are often overlooked by us. Think about it: aerial shots, stunts, explosions, and other shots, although the effects are stunning, they all require a high degree of concentration from every member of the crew because no one wants to see the lives of the actors in danger for the sake of pursuing perfect visual effects.
Having said that, I can’t help but wonder if it was Tom Cruise’s bold nature that prompted him to resolutely choose to go into action himself to accomplish all sorts of thrilling stunts later in his career? Imagine an actor who can save a life in an emergency, no wonder he later dared to jump in a helicopter or even leap from a tall building! Perhaps this incident really shaped his style of not being afraid of challenges.
I’m curious now too – what do you think of this thrilling behind-the-scenes story? Would you have reacted as quickly as Tom did, or is this kind of instinctive reaction reserved for the real “action heroes”? Do you think this life-saving incident had a profound effect on Tom’s acting career, or was he destined to be a fearless warrior from the start?
Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section!