Mission: Impossible star Rebecca Ferguson is not interested in seeing her character develop feelings for Tom Cruise’s Ethan Hunt. The actress, who debuted in 2015’s Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation as the undercover MI6 Agent, shared this opinion ahead of the US premiere of Dead Reckoning.
Despite Ilsa Faust and Ethan Hunt’s close relationship after years of working side by side, Ferguson does not think it is necessary for them to push it further. In fact, the actress believes it’s a boring plot.
Rebecca Ferguson Expressed No Interest In Romance For Her Character In Mission: Impossible
During her interview with Variety, Swedish actress Rebecca Ferguson shared her sentiment regarding the relationship between Ilsa Faust and Ethan Hunt in the Mission: Impossible franchise. She stated:
“I think how I would describe their relationship is that of fierce devotion, love, that goes beyond any form of relationship substance because it’s boring.”
Clearly, the Dune star is not a fan of romantic pairings in movies, especially in the espionage action genre. Romance has never taken center stage in any of the famed Tom Cruise spy films. She further added:
“That’s a boring storyline. People sit and they watch it and go, ‘Are they gonna snog?’ And I think, ‘Who the f—k cares?’ Do you know what I mean? We’ve all seen that.”
Finally, Ferguson remarked that the duo shares the same determination when it comes to work, and whatever chemistry they have, it only makes them more interesting as characters:
“This is support. They’re two very similar characters constantly driven to do what is best, getting in the way of each other. They are reliably unreliable, and they just make the most perfect incomplete couple. They are juxtaposition.”
Ethan Hunt only had a couple of love interests throughout the franchise. Even though his potential romance with Faust has been teased in previous installments, it is highly unlikely that they will focus on that.
Mission: Impossible Director Admits Relationships Are Complicated
Even director Christopher McQuarrie doesn’t think a relationship between Ilsa Faust and Ethan Hunt would be very simple. He explained to Empire Online the complications of romance in the movie:
“What we’ve really baked into the narrative is that the closer someone gets to him, the more dangerous it is. I was never really interested in creating a typical love interest for Ethan. Once that relationship consummates, that relationship is over.”
He noted that in Mission: Impossible, there is always a change in the dynamics which never guarantees a happy ending. That is ingrained in the nature of the characters’ jobs:
“The simple fact of the matter is you’re not making Mr & Mrs. Smith, you’re making Mission: Impossible, and so the challenge comes in creating a relationship that is always evolving and never quite reaching what is a somewhat mundane resolution.”
Lastly, McQuarrie admitted he wants to focus more on seeing Ilsa and Ethan deal with the fact that they cannot be together:
“I’m much more interested in seeing characters who could be – and maybe even would be – but can’t because of the very nature of what they do. So, if I could distill it… it’s complicated!”
Tom Cruise’s Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One grossed over $567 million worldwide. The sequel will arrive on May 21, 2025.
