Henry Cavill has expressed that the physical demands of filming Mission: Impossible—Fallout were more challenging than playing rugby.

When you think of action heroes, names like Bruce Willis, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Sylvester Stallone immediately spring to mind. But if we’re talking about taking action to the next level—Tom Cruise is in a league of his own. His portrayal of Ethan Hunt in the Mission: Impossible series has become the stuff of legend. Since 1996, the franchise has been a high-speed thrill ride, mixing espionage, high-octane chases, and gravity-defying stunts, all with Cruise at the wheel.

However, as the franchise churned out sequels and the stakes kept getting higher, so did the intensity of the action. With each new installment, the thrills escalated, and the risk factor only multiplied. This trend hit a peak with Mission: Impossible – Fallout (2018), the seventh flick in the series, which saw Henry Cavill join the action.

Cavill, who had already proven his mettle with high-flying superhero action as Superman, was taken aback by the sheer level of danger that came with filming alongside Cruise.

Henry Cavill on Rugby, Football, & the Extreme Risks of Mission Impossible

When it comes to sports, the debate over which is tougher—rugby or American football—has sparked countless arguments. But if you ask Henry Cavill, he’ll tell you that the two sports might seem similar on the surface, but they couldn’t be more different.

During his 2018 appearance on The Rich Eisen Show, Cavill, who had spent his younger years playing rugby, shared his honest take on what sets the two sports apart.

I was a boy who played rugby, yeah, and up until, what, eighteen, nineteen, and then the career started. Yes, the hardest thing for me about American football was coming over here and comparing it to rugby because they’re two very different sports.

Though the Man of Steel star, 41, initially thought of both sports as just “contact sports”, he soon realized the complexity of American football. Cavill explained:

American football is more like chess, then rugby is like a battlefront; it’s nonstop moving shifting changing.

Henry Cavill and Tom Cruise in Mission: Impossible – Fallout | Credit: Paramount Pictures

But when it came to deciding which sport was tougher, Cavill didn’t sugarcoat his answer. “Both have different levels of toughness,” he admitted. Then the conversation took a turn. Rich Eisen, intrigued by the actor’s thoughts on physical challenges, threw Cavill a curveball:

Which is tougher—rugby or filming a Mission: Impossible movie?

Cavill didn’t hesitate for long and replied:

Well, we have to film Mission: Impossible for a year… It’s gotta be rugby… Then again, there’s less likelihood of death. In Mission: Impossible, there’s a high likelihood of death on a number of occasions.

And he’s not wrong. The danger in filming those scenes is no joke, and Cavill’s point about the likelihood of death is far from an exaggeration.

Henry Cavill & Tom Cruise’s Unstoppable Dedication in Mission: Impossible – Fallout

Mission: Impossible – Fallout | Credit: Paramount Pictures

Henry Cavill found himself in the throes of action-packed stunts alongside Tom Cruise while working on Mission: Impossible – Fallout. The idea of seeing the former zipping around on a motorcycle sounds thrilling, doesn’t it? Especially considering the high-octane nature of Mission: Impossible. But there’s a catch: the British actor didn’t have a motorcycle license when the film began.

In an interview on Jimmy Kimmel Live, Cavill shared his regret over this oversight, recounting how he had put off getting his motorcycle license a few years earlier, despite an initial interest. He quipped:

I was kicking myself at this point because about two or three years ago I had not taken my license because…I got excited by motorbikes and yeah I wanted my license and then I thought, ‘I am 30 plus and I don’t want to be stupid’…I didn’t realize I was going to use it for work ever and I had an opportunity.

While stunt coordinators created a special rig for him to perform the stunt safely, Cavill took it upon himself to get the license he’d missed out on. Moreover, during the filming, Cruise suffered an ankle injury, which was so severe that doctors warned him he might never run again. Cavill recalled the moment with a mix of awe and disbelief:

 He was told immediately afterward by doctors who said, ‘You won’t be able to use it or put weight on it properly until like six months from now…and you may never run again.’

Now, that’s what we call dedication. While most people would’ve hung up their boots and called it a day after such an injury, Cruise defied the odds and came back stronger than ever. Mission: Impossible 8 is scheduled to be released on May 23, 2025.

Mission: Impossible – Fallout is streaming on Paramount+.