Rebecca Ferguson explains her exit from the Mission: Impossible franchise

Last Updated on April 25, 2024

Upon her introduction in Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation, Isla Faust quickly became a fan-favourite character, but she sadly made her exit in last year’s Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning. During an episode of WrapWomen’s Unwrapped podcast, Rebecca Ferguson explained why the time was right to leave the Mission: Impossible franchise.

“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,” Ferguson explained. “And I love her beyond words. Beyond words. I think she’s the most awesome, fantastic character.“

However, the actress explained that there was an offer on the table for her to return for Mission: Impossible 8, but she decided that she didn’t want Isla to become too much of a team player. “And we all can want different things, but for me, Ilsa was rogue,” Ferguson said. “Ilsa was naughty. Ilsa was unpredictable. There was a lot of characters coming in, not leaving enough space for what she had been.“

Also, making a Mission: Impossible movie isn’t a walk in the park; it takes a lot of time and dedication to make those movies work. “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,” Ferguson said. “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.“

Rebecca Ferguson will next be seen in Mercy, which recently started shooting. The sci-fi thriller from director Timur Bekmambetov stars Chris Pratt as “a detective in the near future who finds himself accused of a violent crime and has to prove his innocence in a society where capital crime is on the rise.“

Do you wish Rebecca Ferguson had stuck with the Mission: Impossible franchise?