Tom Cruise once saved Elisabeth Shue’s life on the set of Cocktail

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

Tom Cruise may be content to risk his own body in service of making movie stunts that will put audiences on the edge of their seats, but he is not so willing to risk the lives of others. Cruise, who recently saved a Mission: Impossible stunt performer's life, confirmed a story that floated around social media about another such event that occurred during the production of his notorious flop Cocktail.

According to a new report from The Sun, Cruise saved his co-star Elisabeth Shue's life during the filming of the 1988 comedy Cocktail. A recount of the story comes from aerial camera operator Bill Bennett's own Facebook page.

“We were filming the scene from a helicopter, where Tom and Elisabeth are riding horses along the beach,” Bennett writes in his post. “After a couple of takes, the pilot would land the helicopter on the beach, and Tom and Elisabeth would come over to watch the shot recordings and get notes from the director. The only monitor was at my operating position in the left front seat of the helicopter.”

Bennett then goes on to explain that the tail rotor at the back of the helicopter appears invisible as it spins, adding, “If you walk into it, it will kill you instantly.” The way Bennett tells it after Cruise and Shue were done watching the playback, Shue “took off suddenly, running towards the back of the helicopter.”

“Tom is a pilot, rated in both airplanes and helicopters, and instantly saw the danger,” he elaborates. “He lunged after her, but only was able to grab her legs, tackling her to the ground…At that point, she turned white, and he pulled her back towards the front of the helicopter and they walked away. All of us in the helicopter were quite shaken up by the close call, but there was nothing to be said. Tom had, in that instant, truly saved her life.”

I don't know about you, but I'm beginning to think that Cruise might be some kind of superhero. Think about it. He laughs in the face of danger, has saved the lives of several of his co-workers, and can leap a sturdy couch in a single bound. Quick! Someone check his walk-in closet for a collection of capes. Maybe look at the blueprints to his for signs of an underground lair. I'm onto you, Cruise. You don't fool me.