If Tom Cruise is going to make a grand entrance, you know it’s going to involve stunts galore.
True to form, the actor descended upon the Olympics closing ceremony in Paris “Mission: Impossible”-style Sunday night to mark the ceremonial handoff to Los Angeles for the 2028 games.
The box-office dynamo from Jersey flew down from the roof of the Stade de France to greet adoring fans and say hello to Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass before riding off on a motorcycle with the Olympic flag (see clips below).
Cruise, 62, then jetted off to Hollywood in a pre-recorded segment that saw him drive the motorcycle straight into a plane and skydive down to the Hollywood sign, where the double OOs had been outfitted with the Olympics rings.
The veteran action star, who grew up in Glen Ridge, served as the celebrity opener for the LA portion of the closing ceremonies.
Cruise’s stunts were followed by surfside performances in Long Beach, California from the Red Hot Chili Peppers (”Can’t Stop”), NBC Olympics broadcast stalwart Snoop Dogg (”Drop it Like It’s Hot”) and Dr. Dre (”The Next Episode”) and Billie Eilish (”Birds of a Feather”).
Earlier, H.E.R. performed the national anthem at the stadium in Paris, where French acts like the band Phoenix got the crowd moving and the singer Yseult delivered a sparkling rendition of “My Way” to close out the games.
The Paris Olympics started July 26 with a parade of athletes in boats on the Seine and performances from Lady Gaga, Aya Nakamura, heavy metal band Gojira, opera singer Marina Viotti and a headless Marie Antoinette, all capped by a magnificent showing from Celine Dion on the balcony of the Eiffel Tower.
The next summer Olympics are set for June 14, 2028 in LA.
Thank you for reading. Please consider supporting NJ.com with a subscription.
Amy Kuperinsky may be reached at [email protected] and followed at @AmyKup.
