Actor Hayley Atwell has surprised her fans with a behind-the-scenes revelation about her time on Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning. The 43-year-old actor revealed on The Tonight Show that she was eight and a half months pregnant while filming an intense action sequence for the film. Despite the challenges, she insisted on performing the stunts herself. The actor, who became globally popular for her role as Peggy Carter in multiple Marvel Cinematic Universe movies, joined the MI franchise with its seventh instalment Dead Reckoning.
How has your character changed from when we last saw her?
Grace is a rather mischievous and fun character who makes mistakes but who can certainly hold her own with Ethan Hunt. She’s still all that, but she has progressed. In the last film, she was really having to learn how to trust Ethan and to be part of a team. She now understands the cost of belonging to a group of people is the fear of losing them. So the emotional stakes for her are a lot higher in this one. She is still learning; she’s still inexperienced, but she now also has this fear of something happening to the people she cares about.
How did the role of Grace first come to you?
It was actually through director Christopher McQuarrie having seen me in a play in London years ago. He liked something he saw in that performance and said that he wanted to work with me. It took a while, but then he called and asked if I would come in and read and do a screen test with Tom Cruise for a new Mission Impossible. I wasn’t going to say no of course.
What was it like getting to work with Tom Cruise again?
In the last film, there was a lot of tension between our characters, and that created a lot of comedy. In this one, Ethan and Grace are working better. They have an emotional connection. So, there was a lot more focus on friendship and caring about each other without a romantic agenda this time. But working with Tom is just incredible. His commitment, dedication and professionalism are second to none. He just wants to make the best film he possibly can. He’s generous, supportive and so determined to make every scene exhilarating for the audience. It has been amazing to be part of that. It’s been a great learning experience for me.
Are you someone who enjoys the physical aspect of making movies like this?
I enjoy it when I’m able to do the stunts. I played rugby at school and am physically quite confident and strong in that department. I’m used to being knocked down, brushing myself off and going for it again. The stunt team on this is amazing. But I do like to do as much as I am allowed to.
Have your movie missions with Tom left you with any special skills that might come in handy in real life?
They have. I’ve learnt martial arts. I know how to drift in a car. So, now every time I give someone a lift, they are like, ‘Oh God, please no! I can also now backflip over a bridge, jump backwards off of a moving train and run uphill in high heels. I’m not sure when those skills might be useful.
Do you prefer working on big blockbuster movies, smaller independent films or theatre?
I love them all. I feel very lucky that I get to do all of it. When I came out of drama school, it was a different time. There was a sense of having to do one or the other and just being happy to be employed. Times have changed. Now you can do big franchises, independent cinema, theatre and television.
Why should the audience see Mission Impossible: Final Reckoning?
Because of the sheer visual spectacle of it, the characters, the scale and the culmination of an epic adventure. Everything in this movie is there to thrill the audience. It’s exciting, it’s enthralling and it needs to be seen on the biggest screen you can find. Everyone is going to love seeing it, and then you will wake up the next morning with an emotional hangover from it Make sure you sleep well and you are hydrated because this is an extraordinary thrill ride of a film.