The jokes stopped coming for funny man James Corden when movie star Tom Cruise dared him to skydive with him.
Corden had quipped that Cruise made his stunts in films like Mission Impossible look easy.
Cruise countered that they were tough work and much harder to carry out than they seemed – and challenged Corden to jump from a plane at 15,000 feet with him.
To his credit, Corden accepted but clearly had second thoughts when the fateful day arrived.
He made the tandem jump with an expert instructor alongside a solo Cruise. They all landed safely.
A better life
Prior to going up in the aircraft, Corden told Cruise: “‘The worst problem is in all of this is, if we both die, I will get zero press. I mean, I will be a footnote. The story will be Tom Cruise dies – also that guy who occasionally drives around in a car.”
In the sir, Cruise tried to calm Corden’s nerves by telling him that the chance was he would land without hurting himself.
But Corden still called his wife with a goodbye message.
He told her Cruise had promised to look after her if the worst should happen – and that she would probably have a better life if he did.
Speaking on Corden’s The Late, Late Show earlier, about why he risks his life doing stunts, Cruise said: “I want to entertain an audience, we come up with great stories and we’re able to put a camera in places that you normally can’t so it’s not just stunts. It’s storytelling and character.
Falling through the sky
“I can’t help it. I’m 100% when I do something and I just want to give the audience the very best so that’s what I try to do.”
Corden replied: “It’s falling through the sky. I think we’re all getting carried away.”