Ben Winston’s Secret Project Delivered a Memorable Olympic Moment for 2028

Producer Ben Winston made quite an impact with his adept handling of the “Adele: One Night Only” concert special for CBS in 2021. Consequently, when it came time to produce the Paris-to-L.A. handoff moment for Sunday’s Summer Games Closing Ceremony, he was the natural choice. Typically, this transition happens at the same venue as the Closing Ceremony. However, Winston, a 12-time Emmy winner known for his live TV spectacles, had different plans as soon as LA28 leaders approached him in January 2022.

Winston envisioned a dramatic live TV stunt that would span from Paris to Los Angeles, a plan that came to him almost instantly in his first conversation with LA28 officials. The primary challenge was not in recruiting participants but in maintaining secrecy.

“It’s been a fun secret project for the last year and a half,” Winston shared. He has a history of overseeing major live broadcasts like the Grammy Awards and the “Late Late Show with James Corden.” His dream cast for the event included Tom Cruise, Billie Eilish, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Snoop Dogg, with H.E.R. delivering a stirring rendition of “The Star Spangled Banner” in Paris.

Winston credits Tom Cruise with significantly enhancing the stunt’s execution. Cruise undertook an elaborate motorcycle ride out of Paris, carrying the Olympic flag, later parachuting into the Hollywood hills. “My first meeting with Tom was a year and a half ago, and until news broke after a rehearsal in the Stade de France, we managed to keep it all quiet,” Winston recalled.

Cruise insisted on being the person riding the motorcycle, a commitment that required much more time than Winston initially expected. With years of collaboration on the “Late Late Show” under their belts, Cruise made a one-day turnaround from the London set of his latest “Mission: Impossible” film to participate.

“He was like ‘No, no. If we’re going to do it, we’re going to do it live.’ I was like ‘OK,’” Winston explained. “That defines Tom. He hears an idea and makes it better, bigger, and more exciting. There isn’t a better collaborator you can work with.”

Winston knew that L.A.’s stunning coastline had to be a part of the closing moment. Finding the right beach spot without attracting an overwhelming crowd was challenging. He arranged a permit with L.A. city officials under strict confidentiality to prevent any crowd-control issues. After all, Variety agreed to keep the location confidential even when they reported that Eilish, Snoop Dogg, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers were set to perform.

Despite some last-minute changes, keen-eyed Angelenos identified Long Beach as the primary location for the musical performances. While portions of the performances were pre-taped, the vocals were all performed live.

Winston credited the segment’s success to his team of top-tier producers and collaborators, including Raj Kapoor, Dave Piendak, director Hamish Hamilton, former “Late Late Show” writer-director Glenn Clements, and production designer Misty Buckley.

“I got to select, ‘Avengers’-style, the people who are the best of the best at what they do,” he said.

Although much of the segment was pre-recorded, the Closing Ceremony day turned into nearly a 24-hour workday for Winston. After finally catching up on 14 hours of sleep, he began to look at the public reaction to the event on Monday afternoon.

“It was, without question, the most stressful day of my career, by miles,” Winston admitted. “The idea of having the biggest movie star in the world doing a live stunt, a concert with some of the biggest artists in the world, the security, and the technical side — every element of it was quite a lot.”

(Pictured: Ben Winston and Tom Cruise at the Hollywood sign)

Source: Variety