Warning: This article contains spoilers for Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One
A former co-star of Tom Cruise has described him as a ‘man-child’ while shedding light on the experience of working with him on a film set.
Rebecca Ferguson, who appeared alongside Cruise in three Mission: Impossible films, shared insights about the challenges and unpredictability involved in filming with the renowned action star, now 63 years old.
Ferguson, aged 41, first joined the Mission: Impossible series in 2015, portraying the popular character Ilsa Faust in Rogue Nation, and continued working with Cruise in the subsequent two films.
Having completed her stint in the franchise, she reflected on how being part of these large-scale productions often felt like venturing into uncertainty daily.
“You don’t have scripts and have no idea where it’s going to go,” she told The Times. “You train for a stunt scene for months and all of a sudden they cut it.”
The Swedish actress noted that the erratic nature of filming often left both cast and crew struggling to keep pace, further compounded by Cruise’s boundless energy.
“[Cruise is] a man-child in a good way,” Ferguson remarked. “I often joke that there’s someone with a tranquilliser gun and a net looking for him.”
She recounted a particularly hectic day of filming: “It’s frustrating because you’re ready to shoot and the sun’s going down. Tom goes, ‘what are we waiting for?’ and I go, ‘you!’, and he laughs and goes, ‘f**k, I’m sorry’.”
In spite of the chaotic environment, Ferguson acknowledged Cruise’s captivating presence on set, highlighting how his energy often boosted morale, even when situations seemed dire.
Her portrayal of Ilsa Faust reached a dramatic conclusion in Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One, a decision Ferguson supported.
“There was nothing more to do with Ilsa,” she explained. “It felt like the right moment to move on.”
Ferguson has since been setting her sights on new projects, collaborating with Steven Knight for the upcoming film The Immortal Man, and later discovering his involvement in writing the next James Bond movie.
“I would have been pushing to play the baddie,” she admitted. “We haven’t had a female Bond villain.”
She has even proposed the concept to Denis Villeneuve, who is reportedly in line to direct the upcoming chapter of the spy series.
“I already said that to Denis – ‘female Bond villain, b***h’,” she laughed.