Tom Cruise and Will Smith had the internet buzzing when they posed atop the Burj Khalifa, though there was a notable contrast between their experiences that caught everyone’s eye.
Towering at 2,717 feet, the Burj Khalifa isn’t your typical spot for a casual photo. However, for Hollywood icons like Cruise and Smith, it’s an ideal location to showcase their daring nature.
Both actors have independently ascended the tallest building in the world for a memorable photo op. While many would prefer solid ground, these stars were all in for the adventure.
After their images emerged online, fans noticed a significant difference between the daredevil of Mission: Impossible and the Men in Black actor, leading to a lively discussion.
Tom Cruise was the first to take on the lofty heights in 2011 during a stunt for Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol.
In his snapshot, Cruise appears as if he’s casually perched on a kitchen stool with a laid-back demeanor, far from the precipice that drops thousands of feet below.
The image depicts him in jeans and a t-shirt, without shoes or socks, sporting a relaxed smile and leaning back with one arm resting on his leg. While it seems he lacks a harness, fact-checkers suggest he’s likely secured.
Fast forward to 2021, and Will Smith’s experience is quite different. His smile leans more toward a grimace as he poses for his photo.
The King Richard actor climbed the tower as part of a fitness and weight loss video, yet he seemed less at ease than Cruise at the summit.
Smith’s image shows him strapped in a harness, taking comfort in the tower’s structural features at the top.
Social media users couldn’t help but compare the two images. One person noted, “One is sitting in bare feet and a t-shirt looking as relaxed as possible and the other is draped in harnesses, clinging on for dear life, looking like he’s making peace with God.”
Another commented, “I love how Will is all strapped up and hanging on for dear life, but Tom is not only just sitting there, nary a rope in sight, but he’s LEANING.”
It seems Tom Cruise is truly cut from a different cloth!