On the off-chance you haven’t heard or read this already: don’t attempt the stunts you see in Hollywood movies. Just don’t. It’s never a good idea. Mainly because the stuff you see on the screen, in most cases, is actually filmed against a green screen. Or if it is filmed in real life, with real cars, motorcycles, and real traffic, those cool car or motorcycle chases are being performed by trained stunt doubles who stunt and crash for a living. Except for maybe one big Hollywood star — Tom Cruise.Yup, the 60-year-old star of movies like Top Gun: Maverick and the Mission Impossible series, to name a few, does most of his own stunts. You also might have noticed that Tom Cruise never wears a helmet in any of the motorcycle action sequences he stars.Whether he’s racing fighter jets on a supercharged Kawasaki that’s been called the fastest motorcycle in the world or gunning it to escape bad guys with guns, Tom Cruise seems to pay little regard for his own safety. But it’s actually the general movie-going audience that’s a major part of the reason why Tom Cruise never wears a helmet on a motorcycle...Updated June 2023: We have updated this article with more baffling details on why Tom Cruise and motorcycle stunts are a risky affair. The latest bike stunt that he enacted for the new Mission Impossible movie is said to be his most dangerous yet.Related: Watch This Hollywood Stuntman Discuss The Greatest Movie Motorcycle Chases

Are The Motorcycle Stunts In Movies Actually Done By Tom Cruise?

Tom Cruise Top Gun Maverick
Paramount Pictures

Since Tom Cruise is an actual gearhead in real life and a good motorcyclist at that, he does all the motorcycle sequences in his movies himself. So when you see Tom Cruise on screen, riding at breakneck speeds, pulling wheelies, and whatnot, it’s actually the actor on the bike. So in Top Gun 2, for example, it’s Cruise racing down the runway, as well as riding around on the streets. Without a helmet, of course.

It stands to reason that the action star and movie studios want audiences to know this. Instead of swapping out the actor with a stunt double and slapping on a helmet so no one knows the difference. That would be counterproductive in this case. Because obviously, audiences seem to love Tom Cruise’s wind-in-hair look in all his motorcycle sequences. Despite the obvious danger of glamorizing reckless behavior in the eyes of millions of children and adults alike, it seems not enough people have a problem with it.

And that’s our own fault, really. If more people said something about the Hollywood star riding without safety gear in his movies, like a helmet, gloves, or a jacket, there’s a better chance Tom Cruise and the studios would take steps to rectify it. Or maybe, the trust put in the audience to be smart enough to distinguish real life from the movies is actually paying off. And maybe people aren’t as stupid as we all think they are. Maybe.

All The Movies Tom Cruise Rides A Motorcycle In

tom chase scene with BMW S1000RR
Paramount Pictures

Maybe it would be easier to list out all the movies that Tom Cruise isn’t riding a motorcycle in. The action star’s been riding motorcycles (always helmet-less, of course) since the first Top Gun movie. The bike of choice for the movie was a Kawasaki GPz900R. But if folklore is to be believed, it nearly was a Honda. The Japanese manufacturer actually backed out when they realized Cruise would be shooting all the riding sequences without a helmet. That’s the first casualty of the Tom Cruise helmet mystery we can think of.

After Top Gun, Tom Cruise has piloted bikes in movies like Mission Impossible II, Mission Impossible III, Days of Thunder, Knight and Day, Mission Impossible: Fallout, Edge of Tomorrow, Oblivion, Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation, and most recently, in Top Gun: Maverick. He’s been on everything from the Top Gun Kawasaki Ninja to a string of Triumphs and BMWs for the Mission Impossible movies and back to the Kawasaki H2R in Top Gun 2.

This aside, Tom Cruise has quite the car and motorcycle collection himself. Some of the motorcycles in his collection include those he rode in the movies. But he rides them on the street differently. Because Tom Cruise actually does wear safety gear on the motorcycles he owns. Just not when he’s filming, apparently.

Related: 11 Motorcycles From Tom Cruise's Collection (And 11 Cars)

This Is Tom Cruise's Biggest Motorcycle Stunt Ever

Despite doing some insane stunts in various action flicks in the past, Tom Cruise is yet to enact the most dangerous. He gave us a glimpse of what to expect from the latest Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part 1. It is the first of the finale series of the Mission Impossible franchise, and Cruise wants to finish the action-packed movie series with a loud bang.

The wildest stunt we have ever seen in a movie is included in this movie, and yes, it has Tom Cruise riding a motorcycle without a helmet. But this isn't a "simple" no-helmet stunt. Cruise literally gets "high" wind in his hair! The stunt involves Cruise accelerating and jumping off a huge ramp that has been constructed at the edge of a mountain in Hellesylt, Norway.

This wasn't a generic run-in-the-mill stunt that was enacted in a single day. The ramp took days to build, and Cruise took even more to train and nail the jump. The team behind this stunt also stated that it was one of the most dangerous things they have ever done.

Why Doesn't Tom Cruise Wear A Helmet On Motorcycles In Movies?

Strictly speaking, there’s no reason for anyone not to wear a helmet when they’re riding a motorcycle. The only possible situation that gives rise to some leeway is if the motorcycle is being ridden on private property at a very low speed, say to move it from one place to another. In Hollywood’s case, it’s obvious to give actors more “face time”. A lot of unnecessary risks are involved with wanting to show the actor's face on the screen. While that’s understandable, it’s not a good precedent to set. But the team tries its best to put forth the best possible security measures when stunts are involved.

Why Tom Cruise's No Helmet Stunt Coolness Is A Bad Influence?

Tom Cruise Motorcycle Stunt In Norway
Tom Cruise Via Twitter

While Tom Cruise has the best team of technicians, a supporting cast, and on-demand paramedics, the same cannot be said about millions of newbie riders who get inspired by his motorcycle stunts. Crise's motorcycle madness looks epic on the screen but is a very risky affair in the real world. People who understand the risks stray away from it. But those who get pumped up with adrenaline after watching Cruise fly off a cliff on a bike would at least be tempted to do the Top Gun Kawasaki stunt!

This is a very bad influence, and it is up to production houses to sort things out for the betterment of moviegoers. All we can hope for is that Hollywood gets the point. Or at least, makes the advisory against riding without a helmet more obvious. We wouldn’t want Tom Cruise-wannabees all over the streets, now, would we?