Simon Pegg Talks 'Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One'
Moviefone speaks with Simon Pegg about 'Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One.' "I love working with Tom (Cruise). He's such a professional," Pegg said.
Opening in theaters on July 12th is the latest installment of the ‘Mission: Impossible’ franchise entitled ‘Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One,’ which was co-written and directed by Academy Award-winner Christopher McQuarrie (‘The Usual Suspects,’ ‘Mission: Impossible – Fallout’).
What is the plot of ‘Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One’?
In ‘Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One,’ Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and his IMF team embark on their most dangerous mission yet: To track down a terrifying new weapon that threatens all of humanity before it falls into the wrong hands. With control of the future and the fate of the world at stake, and dark forces from Ethan's past closing in, a deadly race around the globe begins. Confronted by a mysterious, all-powerful enemy, Ethan is forced to consider that nothing can matter more than his mission – not even the lives of those he cares about most.
Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning Part One
Who is in the cast of ‘Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One’?
'Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One' stars Tom Cruise ('Top Gun') as Ethan Hunt, Hayley Atwell ('Captain America: The First Avenger') as Grace, Esai Morales ('Master Gardener') as Gabriel, Ving Rhames ('Pulp Fiction') as Luther Stickell, Simon Pegg ('Hot Fuzz') as Benji Dunn, Rebecca Ferguson ('Dune') as Ilsa Faust, Vanessa Kirby ('Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw') as Alanna Mitsopolis, Pom Klementieff (‘Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3’) as Paris, Henry Czerny ('Scream VI') as Eugene Kittridge, Shea Whigham ('Joker') as Jasper Briggs, and Greg Tarzan Davis ('Top Gun: Maverick') as Degas.
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Simon Pegg about his work on ‘Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One,’ his reaction to the screenplay, working with Tom Cruise and director Christopher McQuarrie, the franchise’s signature rubber masks, and what he would say to moviegoers to prepare them for the upcoming sequel.
Simon Pegg in 'Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning Part One' from Paramount Pictures and Skydance.
You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch the interview.
Moviefone: To begin with, what was your first reaction to the screenplay for ‘Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One’?
Simon Pegg: I didn't expect to ever do another ‘Mission: Impossible’ after ‘Mission: Impossible III.’ Then I got the call from J.J. Abrams who was producing the next movie, who said, "Hey, how would you feel if Benji was an agent?" I was like, "What?" And in true Benji fashion, I accepted the mission, obviously. Then here we are five films in and the character's still alive and kicking. I always get very excited when I hear we're going to do another one. It means that I get to hang out with the guys and work with McQuarrie and Tom, which I love to do, and see Rebecca, Ving, and now this whole new group of friends that we have because of the new characters. It's a real treat.
MF: What’s it like working on set with director Christopher McQuarrie and Tom Cruise?
SP: It's an adventure. It's a genuine adventure because the way that they work, they have such a specific creative process, which involves really feeling the film out as we go. So, it's not that we have a script that we shoot, we invent as we go. It sounds crazy, but it really works. The stuff that's really figured out at first are the big stunts, the big set pieces, the chases, and that's all very rigorously put together. Then the connective tissue that joins them all together, that comes organically out of our filmmaking process. It's a wild ride.
(L to R) Tom Cruise and Christopher McQuarrie on the set of 'Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning Part One' from Paramount Pictures and Skydance.
MF: What has your experience been like acting opposite Tom Cruise in this series of films?
SP: I love working with Tom. He's such a professional, and obviously he's been in the business a really long time. We often shoot stuff very technically, so we'll get the chance to go over lines again and just really focus in on specific lines. We've learned each other's rhythms, so I might say a line, and then I know when Tom wants to say a line again. If he didn't nail it, I can see it in his eyes, so I just won't say anything. Then he'll say it again. Then Chris says, "Continue," and we keep going. We've got a rhythm going now. It's like a well-oiled machine.
MF: Will we see more of the franchise’s signature rubber masks in the new movie?
SP: I mean, of course. It wouldn't be ‘Mission: Impossible’ without a mask gag. I love the fact that we've never really made fun of that particular device in these films. It's one of the most outlandish and unlikely things that you could literally just change your face. But that was always a thing in the TV show and you just bought it because this is fantasy. There's a science fiction edge to it, I guess, in that respect. No one's ever made a wry joke about, "Hey, how does this work?" or that kind of thing. There's been a few comments about Halloween masks, but we always commit to it. The masks are a real important part of ‘Mission.’ There's a very good performance by one of the actors in our film when they play one of the other characters in the film beautifully. It's a great moment.
(L to R) Tom Cruise and Simon Pegg in 'Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning Part One' from Paramount Pictures and Skydance.
MF: Finally, what would you say to moviegoers to prepare them for the cinematic experience they are going to have when watching 'Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One’?
SP: Well, we're all back in the cinema now. We're all back at the theater and we're watching movies again, and just in time for this, which I think is a truly cinematic experience. It's vast in its scale and scope, and it's incredibly exciting. One of the things I love about the theatrical experience isn't necessarily the size of the screen. It's the size of the audience. When you're with people, but you don't know anybody else there. You're with your little group, but there are strangers in front of you, strangers behind, and you're all sharing this moment. Cinema really democratizes groups of people, and in this day and age, everyone's fighting about something. Everyone's arguing and lying about something. Everyone's got a beef with something. When you sit in a cinematic audience, all of you are having the same experience. Whatever you think about anything else, you're in that moment together. It's so important for us as humans to have that experience. This film, it'll make you your heart rate accelerate, and it'll make you gasp. It's just one of those experiences you must have at the theater.
Simon Pegg stars in 'Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One' from Paramount Pictures and Skydance.
Other Movies Similar to ‘Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One:’
- 'Top Gun' (1986)
- ‘Mission: Impossible' (1996)
- ‘Mission: Impossible II' (2000)
- ‘Mission: Impossible III' (2006)
- 'Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol' (2011)
- 'Jack Reacher' (2012)
- 'Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation' (2015)
- 'Jack Reacher: Never Go Back' (2016)
- 'Mission: Impossible - Fallout' (2018)
- 'Top Gun: Maverick' (2022)
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'Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One' is produced by Paramount, Skydance Media, New Republic Pictures, and TC Productions. The movie is scheduled to release in theaters on July 12th, 2023.
