Rebecca Ferguson Gives In-Depth Explanation For Her Mission: Impossible Franchise Exit

Summary Rebecca Ferguson explains that part of why Isla was killed in Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning was because she didn't want the character to become a "team player".

Ferguson also reveals that the franchise's production style resulted in a lot of time spent on the sidelines, and she wanted to work more.

Mission: Impossible movies under director Christopher McQuarrie have adopted an unorthodox filming style where there isn't always a clear blueprint for the film ahead of time.

Isla Faust actor Rebecca Ferguson opens up about the decision to kill off her character in Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning. Directed by returning filmmaker Christopher McQuarrie, the latest installment in the hit action franchise features Tom Cruise returning as Ethan Hunt, this time to face off against a rogue AI enemy known as The Entity. The Mission: Impossible 7 cast features a host of newcomers and familiar faces, but the film notably serves as the last outing for Ilsa, who dies in Venice while defending Hayley Atwell's new character, Grace.

As the wait for Mission: Impossible 8 news continues, Ferguson sheds more light on the thinking behind Isla's death during an interview on an upcoming episode of WrapWomen's UnWrapped Podcast (via The Wrap). While there were concerns about the direction of Ilsa as a character, the actor reveals that the franchise's unorthodox production style, which involves a lot of downtime, also contributed to her decision to depart. Check out Ferguson's full comment below:

“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 her beyond words. Beyond words. I think she’s the most awesome, fantastic character. “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. “Selfishly, that’s a lot of time to make a ‘Mission’ film. 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.” “There’s a moment where you think it needs to be worth it, not just to love the character and to embrace Tom 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.”

Related Rebecca Ferguson Already Revealed Her 1 Condition For An Ilsa Faust Mission: Impossible Spinoff There have long been hopes that an Ilsa Faust Mission: Impossible spinoff will happen, and Rebecca Ferguson already revealed her condition to return.

Mission: Impossible's Filming Style Explained

There Are Pros & Cons To The Tom Cruise/ Christopher McQuarrie Approach

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It's well-documented now that Mission: Impossible movies don't get made like regular movies. While actors are given scripts, they seem to very much be living documents, with Cruise and McQuarrie leaving room for new inspiration to strike. As franchise star Simon Pegg explained in an interview last year: "[McQuarrie] allows the locations we go to, the characters, the actors he’s working with to help him tell the story. He’ll let the story be revealed to him by, say, looking at the streets of Rome or the canals of Venice."

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Emblematic of this approach is McQuarrie's previous reveal that, before there was a clear story in mind for Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning, he went into the film knowing he wanted to crash a steam train, and Cruise wanted to jump a motorcycle off a cliff. The story was then constructed around these major set pieces, with the finer details being ironed out along the way. This approach can evidently be very effective, with the Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning reviews being some of the franchise's strongest.

While this approach can certainly result in a thrilling film, there are some downsides, too, such as less certainty for the actors involved. While making Mission: Impossible 7, Cruise and McQuarrie decided at the last minute to add in the sequence with the Sevastopol submarine, further ballooning the film's already COVID-inflated budget to $291 million. It remains to be seen whether this approach will work for the sequel to Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning, but audiences evidently shouldn't expect Ferguson to return.

Mission: Impossible 8 is currently in production.

Source: The Wrap