The 'Mission: Impossible - Fallout' star has been revealed by an aerial camera operator to have tackled 'The Karate Kid' actress to the ground before she walked into a spinning helicopter blade.

• Apr 29, 2021

AceShowbiz - Tom Cruise has not only saved countless lives on the screen, but he also happens to be a real-life hero. The "Mission: Impossible - Fallout" star has been uncovered to have prevented former co-star Elisabeth Shue from walking into "instant" death on the set of 1988 film "Cocktail".

In a Facebook group called "Crew Stories", the film's aerial camera operator Bill Bennett opened up the incident that took place around 34 years ago. He offered in details how the 58-year-old actor made a death-defying stunt on the set to save his co-star from walking into a spinning helicopter blade.

"We were filming the scene from a helicopter, where Tom and Elisabeth are riding horses along the beach," Bill wrote in his post. "After a couple takes, the pilot would land the helicopter on the beach, and Tom and Elisabeth would come over to watch the shot recordings and get notes from the director. The only monitor was at my operating position in the left front seat of the helicopter."

Bill explained that the back area of the helicopter "where the tail rotor is spinning" is both "invisible" and "will kill you instantly" if you walk into it. At the time, Elisabeth wasn't aware it was a "no go area."

After watching the playback of the scene on a monitor, Bill recalled that "The Karate Kid" actress "took off suddenly, running towards the back of the helicopter." He then continued, "Tom is a pilot, rated in both airplanes and helicopters, and instantly saw the danger."

Dishing on the heroic action of Katie Holmes' ex, Bill recalled, "He lunged after her, but only was able to grab her legs, tackling her to the ground. He rolled her over, dragging her at the same time, and you could see the momentary anger on her face while she was yelling 'Why did you do that?' But by that time he is pointing at the tail rotor which is now a couple feet away, screaming at her that she almost died."

Bill also pointed out that the "Hollow Man" actress "turned white" upon realizing she escaped being torn by a helicopter blade, "and [Tom] pulled her back towards the front of the helicopter and they walked away… Tom had, in that instant, truly saved her life."

The revelation came just days after it was reported that the "Edge of Tomorrow" star saved a cameraman from falling off a moving stream train while filming scenes for "Mission: Impossible VII" in the U.K. About the validity of Elisabeth rescue story, the Sun reported that director Christopher McQuarrie got a confirmation from the action star himself.