Swedish actress Rebecca Ferguson had her breakthrough role in 2015 opposite Tom Cruise in Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation. As Ilsa Faust, Ferguson gave Cruise’s Ethan Hunt all he could handle right up until her death in 2023’s Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning. Now, Ferguson is opening up about her decision to walk away from the franchise.
“Ilsa was becoming a team player,” explained Ferguson while appearing on The Wrap‘s Unwrapped podcast. “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.”
Ferguson noted that she had only signed on for three Mission: Impossible films, and that she had a choice about whether to return for the next film.
“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,” said Ferguson. “And I love her beyond words. Beyond words. I think she’s the most awesome, fantastic character.”
“There’s a moment where you think it needs to be worth it, not just to love the character and to embrace Tom and [Christopher McQuarrie] and the story,” added Ferguson. “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.”
Ferguson is currently starring in AppleTV+’s Silo, and she will likely return for Dune: Messiah.
