How Tom Cruise’s Olympics Stunt Was Inspired by… Conan O’Brien

Ben Winston might soon lose count of how many times he’s sent Tom Cruise up in the air.Previously, the pair worked to get James Corden in aloft to go skydiving and then again to co-pilot a fighter jet on The Late Late Show. During Sunday night’s LA28 segment of the Paris Olympics‘ Closing Ceremony, Winston had the stunt-loving Mission Impossible star jump off the Stade du France in real-time and revealed the fruits of the year-and-a-half-long collaboration with the pre-taped shot of him skydiving with the Olympic flag over the hills of Southern California.Related StoriesTVLorne Michaels Addresses "Aloof" Leadership Style and 'SNL' Drug Culture in Never-Before-Heard '60 Minutes' InterviewBusinessNBCUniversal Vaults to No. 1 Among TV Distributors for AugustThe original plan was for a balaclava-clad stunt person to do most of the heavy lifting, but Cruise would have none of it. “I don’t think there’s anybody like him in the world,” says Winston, who served as creative director and executi...