By Chris Betros

Arts & Culture Dec. 05, 2011 - 05:00AM JST ( 8 )

TOKYO —

Tom Cruise is 49 but shows no signs of slowing down. The megastar insisted on doing a lot of his own stunts in his latest film, “Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol,” including hanging from the outside of the tallest building in the world in Dubai.

“I’ve never been afraid of heights. I’ve been climbing since I was 4 when I climbed up on the roof of our garage ... and fell off,” said Cruise during a whirlwind visit to Japan with “Ghost Protocol” director Brad Bird and co-star Paula Patton.

In the 4th film, based on the vintage 1960s TV series, Cruise reprises his role as IMF team leader Ethan Hunt. After an explosion rocks the Kremlin during a mission, the IMF team is disavowed. It’s up to Hunt and his team (Patton, Jeremy Renner and Simon Pegg) to find out who was responsible and why. The action takes them from Russia to Dubai to India.

For Bird—best known for “The Incredibles” and “Ratatouille”—“Ghost Protocol” represents his first live-action film. “It was certainly a challenge,” he said. “The script was changing every day, and we had to contend with sandstorms in Dubai. But the four stars were amazing—they worked together like a string quartet.”

Patton, 36, said appearing in a movie with Cruise was a dream come true and admitted to being blown away by watching the star in action. She also loved her character. “She’s complex and vulnerable. She’s like one of the boys but knows how to use her femininity,” she said.

A workaholic, Cruise—who is one of the film’s producers—said the cast and crew wouild often work 16-hour days. “But it was a lot of fun. When you enjoy what you are doing and you know you are making something special, the adrenaline keeps you going. I love telling a story, entertaining audiences. I’ve felt that way all my life. That excitement never goes away and the reason is simple. I want audiences to enjoy themselves.

Cruise’s efforts have certainly paid off in Japan where he is immensely popular. The star has been here 14 times in the last 20 years to publicize his films. He always makes time to interact with fans. In the past, he has gone on a bullet train and a chartered plane with them to Osaka.

Cruise had originally planned to start his 11-nation world promotional tour in Dubai, where much of the movie was filmed, but decided to kick off the campaign in Japan instead.

Although his visit lasted only 27 hours, he attended a news conference (from which foreign media were barred and questions only taken in Japanese) in Roppongi, did a photo shoot at Tokyo Sky Tree, met fans specially invited from Fukushima, spent about two hours on the red carpet, signing autographs and posing for photos prior to the Japan premiere for “Ghost Protocol” at Roppongi Hills Arena, before heading back out to Haneda for a flight to Seoul.

“Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol” opens in Japan on Dec 16.