Tom Cruise's unexpected paycheck for Paris Olympics stunts will seriously surprise you

You don't have to pay Tom Cruise much for him to do what he loves, even if it's a risky stunt.

The most recent daring act the Mission: Impossible actor, 62, took on was for the Paris Olympics, during the closing ceremony and handover ahead of the Olympics in Los Angeles in 2028.

And though it entailed a huge leap through the air, intense motorcycle biking, and more daring stunts, the movie star was actually not paid a dime for it.

During a recent CNBC panel, Casey Wasserman, 2028 L.A. Olympics President and Chairperson, gave insight into how Tom's appearance came to be.

"We pitched on a Zoom," he first shared, adding: "About five minutes into the presentation, he goes, 'I'm in. But I'm only doing it if I can do everything.'"

He went on: "Every step of the way, he got more involved and more engaged," and revealed: "By the way, he did it all for free."

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Further recalling the creative process, he said: "The original idea was a person in the stadium as a stunt double," however Tom was adamant about being part of the whole spectacle. 

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Ben Winston, who executive produced the handover, which also featured performances from Billie Eilish and Snoop Dogg, similarly gushed about Tom to The Hollywood Reporter last month: "I don't think there's anybody like him in the world," maintaining: "There is no better collaborator."

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Among Tom's most jaw-dropping stunts have been scaling Dubai's 163-floor Burj Khalifa for 2011's Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol, dangling from an airplane for 2015's Mission: Impossible — Rogue Nation, riding a motorbike off a cliff and parachuting down to land for 2023's Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One, plus many other instances of diving, building jumping and beyond.

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When the first Mission: Impossible film premiered in 1996, just over ten years into Tom's career, he was paid a whopping $70 million.

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Though for the franchise's seventh installment he made a significantly lower estimate of $12-14 million, he makes much more as an executive producer of the movies.

The Mission: Impossible franchise has reportedly grossed over $3.8 billion, while Tom's net worth is estimated to be about $600 million.