Haley Atwell teases some details about her character in Mission: Impossible 7 (aka Dead Reckoning Part One), including some of the stunts she filmed. The franchise, which is chock-full of high-tech espionage and death-defying stunts, will return for two final installments, Dead Reckoning Parts One and Two. The movies will hit theaters in 2023 and 2024 after suffering ongoing delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A recently released trailer shows Tom Cruise's Ethan Hunt dealing with a quandary he's often faced in these films: whether he follows the orders of his government, or follows what he knows is right. Although this time, if the film's title is any indication, could be deadlier.
Atwell joined the project back in 2019. Although she's primarily done dramatic work, she has some action bona fides and is widely known for her role as Peggy Carter in the MCU and the show Agent Carter. She joins an impressive cast for the latest Mission, including returning actors Ving Rhames as Luther Stickell, Simon Pegg as Benji Dunn, Rebecca Ferguson as Ilsa Faust, and Vanessa Kirby as White Widow. New cast members include Atwell's Agent Carter co-star Shea Whigham, who looks to potentially play a villain alongside Pom Klementieff and Esai Morales. Also joining the cast are Rob Delaney, Cary Elwes, Indira Varma, and Mark Gatiss.
Prior to this, precious little has been revealed about Atwell's character in M:I 7, or her alignment with the IMF crew, except that her name is Grace. But now Atwell has shared some more morsels of information in an audience Q&A at Awesome Con. Previously described by director Christopher McQuarrie as a "destructive force of nature," Atwell paints a lighter picture of her character. Check out her quote about Grace and some of the wild stunts she partook in below:
"She's a joy to play. She's mischievious, and she's playful, and she holds her own with [Ethan] and there's an element of, a kind of comic element to it, which is great, which we haven't seen as much of in Mission before this, it has a different tone to it. And in terms of stunts, I learnt how to drift in a race car... Backflipped over a bridge, jumped off a-- jumped backwards off a moving train, um, a lot of running uphill in high heels while handcuffed to Mr. Cruise. Um, that's all I will say."
Plot details remain scarce about whether Atwell will play a fellow agent or a professional foil to Ethan Hunt. She may even have ties to Hunt's ex-boss Eugene Kittredge, with actor Henry Czerny returning to the franchise for the first time in over 20 years. By Atwell's own description of Grace as playful and mischievous, her relationship with Hunt sounds like one based on banter. That, coupled with the farcical nature usually associated with characters being handcuffed together in movies, means there could be a romantic element to their relationship as well. If true, that could serve to drive a wedge between Ethan and Ferguson's Ilsa in the film, who seem more romantically tangled than ever in the trailer.
Regardless, the intensity of the stunts Atwell is involved with is impressive, to say the least. Cruise is often recognized for his death-defying commitment to the franchise, and Atwell herself speaks in the Q&A about his dedication to creating the most thrilling experience for audiences, and praises his "generosity of spirit." But while Tom Cruise's run is iconic and legendarily fast, even more formidable is Atwell keeping up with him, while they're handcuffed together, running uphill, in heels. Let's see Tom Cruise try to run in heels. Whether Grace is getting disavowed alongside Hunt (as he often does), flirting it up with him, or trying to take him down, it will be a joy to watch Atwell continue to kick butts when Mission: Impossible 7 drifts into theaters.
Source: Awesome Con
