Rebecca Ferguson is opening up about departing the Mission: Impossible franchise.
Speaking on the UnWrapped podcast, via The Wrap, Ferguson discussed her exit from the Mission: Impossible franchise and Isla Faust’s fate in the most recent entry, 2023’s Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning.
Noting that her exit was a “collaborative” decision, Ferguson said, “To speak very clearly — because I know a lot of people are sad about it, I’m sad about it — I had filmed three films. My deal was done. And I love [Ilsa] beyond words. Beyond words. I think she’s the most awesome, fantastic character.”
She continued, “Ilsa was becoming a team player. And we all can want different things, but for me, Ilsa was rogue. Ilsa was naughty. Ilsa was unpredictable. There was a lot of characters coming in, not leaving enough space for what she had been.”
Rebecca Ferguson discusses the Mission: Impossible franchise’s required commitment
Ferguson also discussed the commitment required to star in the Mission: Impossible franchise.
“Selfishly, that’s a lot of time to make a Mission film,” she said. “And unless you’re going to have a lot of screen time, that’s a lot of time sitting around waiting to film a huge movie that could take over a year to film. It’s dedication.”
She continued to explain that McQuarrie’s movies often have productions that are “so extravagant,” leading to a lot of downtime.
“There’s a moment where you think it needs to be worth it, not just to love the character and to embrace Tom [Cruise] and [McQuarrie] and the story. I want to work, man. I want to work. I don’t want to sit in a trailer and know that there’s maybe coming a scene in credits.
“…You have to literally jump when they say jump, and that’s why it’s amazing. You’re highly trained, highly skilled. It is so intoxicatingly exciting when you’re rolling, but there’s a lot of waiting. And the more characters that are brought in, the more waiting.”
Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One is currently streaming on Paramount+.
