It took Tom Cruise 8 takes to pull off this insane 'Mission Impossible' airplane stunt

Ever since the first trailer for "Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation" premiered, the one thing people can't stop talking about is that insane airplane stunt that Tom Cruise pulls off. 

That stunt was not aided with CGI; Cruise was really hanging off the side of a plane. 

A new behind-the-scenes video gives a closer look at how exactly they pulled this wild stunt off. He even had to pull the stunt off eight times in order to get it just right.

It took a lot of preparation, including putting something in Cruise's eyes. It is hard to tell what, but it could be contact lenses in order to keep debris out.

Here's Cruise getting strapped in and closed off:

Cruise said he "couldn't sleep the night before," but he doesn't look too scared.

The only thing keeping him attached to the plane was a rope and harness.

The stakes were high.

"If something went wrong, I can't get into the airplane until we land." Cruise said.

Here he is just as the plane is about to take off:

And here he is, dangling in the air with very little support:

"I'm feeling the force of the wind hit me and I'm actually scared s***less." Cruise said.

"Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation" opens in theaters on July 31.

You can watch the full behind-the-scenes video below: