An action star who has gained international notoriety for filming his own stunts once filmed a series of underwater shots at Silver Springs State Park for a movie.
Tom Cruise filmed the scenes during the production of Legend, a dark fantasy film directed by Ridley Scott.
The film follows Cruise’s character, “Jack,” as he fights against the “Lord of Darkness,” portrayed by actor Tim Curry, who seeks to cover the world in eternal night.
Jack, who is mortal, lives in solitude with the animals of the forest and falls in love with Lili. The American version of the movie opens with the following description of the characters:
“In their innocence, they believe only goodness exists in the world. Together they will learn there can be no good without evil…no love without hate…no heaven without hell…no light without darkness. The harmony of the universe depends upon an eternal balance. Out of the struggle to maintain this balance comes the birth of Legends.”
Around 20 minutes into the movie, Lili removes a ring from her hand and throws it off a cliff. The character, who is portrayed by Mia Sara, claims it is her right to “set a challenge” for her suitors and that she will “marry whoever finds the ring.”
Jack jumps from the cliff and dives into the water below. After breaching the water, the film switches from a wide shot showing the cliff to an underwater shot of Jack.
In the movie, Cruise is then seen for over a minute swimming underwater. The film shows close-ups of Cruise as he maneuvers himself through the water.
All of the underwater sequences in the film were shot at Silver Springs, according to IMDb.
Because of the crystal clear water at the park, each shot allows the audience to clearly see Cruise’s face and confirm that he is performing the stunt himself.
According to the original press kit that accompanied the movie, the underwater crew consisted of John McCloughlin, Jordan Klein, and Gavin McKinney.
Although exact dates are unknown, filming began in March 1984 and was conducted almost entirely on the “007” stage at Pinewood Studios in the United Kingdom. That studio burned down in June 1984.
According to Figmentfly.com, a fan website operated by Sean Murphy, the film was rewritten over a dozen times and ran nearly two hours before it was previewed by an audience. After that preview, the film was cut again, and its U.S. release in 1985 was delayed.
After several studio delays and an international release in 1985, the film was not released in the United States until April 18, 1986.
Less than one month after the release of Legend by Universal Pictures, Paramount Pictures released another film starring Cruise. And a few months later, Twentieth Century Fox released a sequel to the film series popularized by Scott.
Those two films were Top Gun (May 1986) and Aliens (July 1986).
They grossed over $250,000,000.
Have you ever seen Legend? Do you have any stories about its filming? Contact us and share them.
EDITOR’S NOTE: A previous version of this story incorrectly attributed a director’s credit for “Aliens” to Ridley Scott. That film was directed by James Cameron.