A couple in England got a big surprise while on a hike. They found themselves in the middle of a Hollywood set with none other than actor Tom Cruise. They watched as Tom performed a stunt for his new Mission: Impossible movie, which is set to release in 2023.
The couple, Sarah and Jason Haygarth, told Extra that they had no idea what was in store for them when they set out that day. Jason explained, “So me and my wife, one of our hobbies is going for walks. We live next to a national park called the Lake District.”
He said that many people go to the park to walk “the Wainwrights.” The mountain peaks are named after Alfred Wainwright, who “wrote a lot of walking books.” There are 214 peaks, and the couple is trying “to do them all.”
Their first clue that this hike might not be a normal one was the presence of helicopters. They ran into some fellow hikers, who speculated that “perhaps there was a movie being filmed,” Sarah said. On their last peak, Jason said they came across “helicopters coming up a ravine and dropping people off the top.” A person with the production stopped them, saying “‘You can’t go. We’re going to land the helicopter off the top…’ So we took a selfie.”
Thinking that the selfie with the helicopter would be the big excitement of the day, Jason and Sarah continued hiking — until Sarah said they “turned a corner and [Tom Cruise] was there … strapping himself into a paraglider.” Sarah added, “I could tell it was him straight away … By the time we got there, people were talking about 'Mission: Impossible' was being filmed … but I was expecting a stunt double.”
Tom took the time to talk to Sarah and Jason. Jason said, “He apologized first for the noise. ‘Sorry, guys, I know we spoiled your walk with the noise.’”
Sarah added, “And then he said, ‘I like your dog.’” Tom then casually mentioned he was about to jump off the peak. Before he did so he made sure to say goodbye to the couple, adding “hopefully this goes well.”
Jason and Sarah did not take a selfie with Tom because they did not think the timing was right to ask for one. They did, however, stick around and watch the stunt get filmed, making a memory that is even better.
