Rebecca Ferguson praised the “Mission: Impossible” series for giving women opportunities.
The 39-year-old actress reprises the role of MI6 agent Isla Faust in the latest film in the series and is impressed by how director Christopher McQuarrie and lead actor Tom Cruise provide material for actresses such as Vanessa Kirby, Hayley Atwell and herself.
Rebecca told IndieWire, “‘Mission’ is probably the only franchise that knows how to write storylines for women.
“They analyze things, there’s not a lot of detail about what happened. It’s not talked about. There are always reasons why arcs go in a certain direction. I control my own destiny (as Ilsa), there are reasons why things happen.”
The Dune star isn’t trying to copy Cruise by performing her own stunts, but is excited about the chance to work with the film icon in the action series.
She explained: “I tend to lag way behind, but I try. Tom is the film. It stands for ‘mission’, for everything good, and fortunately nothing bad has come out of it.”
“You are offered a range of knowledge: you learn it, you do it and you accept it. You can also choose to say ‘no’. You will find a solution to it, you are never forced to do it.”
Rebecca recalled how she received support when she was unable to ride a powerful motorcycle at the necessary speed for a film scene.
She said: “It was a 760 Triumph, a big bike. I’m very strong, but when I was riding one of those bikes at high speed on a road in England, the coach said I was too slow. ‘I have to get off, it’s not safe. I don’t trust myself.’ Don’t worry! They had other options: Jenny (Tinmouth), the best motorcyclist in the world.”
