Rebecca Feels ILSA is Like a Cat

Mission Impossible Rogue Nation, the fifth edition in the MI series brings together the best and the brightest of the IMF in hot pursuit of The Syndicate. Distributed by Viacom18 Motion Pictures in India, the film is all set to release on 7th August 2015 and will bring together several new faces into Ethan Hunt’s world.  Most notably, Hunt meets a woman who literally takes him by storm, with savvy and skills that rival his own. 

To play Ilsa, the femme fatale who reverses the tables on Hunt, the filmmakers chose a relative unknown  Rebecca Ferguson, who hails from Sweden, and was recently seen in “Hercules.” She won the role in part because she was a total surprise, says Christopher McQuarrie.  “When I first saw Rebecca on tape, she was 180 degrees from what I thought I was looking for.  But Tom and I just looked at each other and said, ‘that’s her.’ Immediately we saw that she had the energy we wanted – she was independent, elegant, full of grace and maturity,” the director observes.  “We called her in to read with Tom and they instantly clicked. Everyone just stood back and watched the chemistry.”  

The only thing Ferguson didn’t have was a long resumé of action.  But what Ferguson lacked in experience, she made up for with a willingness to try things that terrified her. “Rebecca had only a few weeks to train before we started shooting,” recalls McQuarrie.  “There wasn’t a lot of time and she was very honest that she had a serious fear of heights and claustrophobia, but four weeks later, she was leaping off the roof of the Vienna Opera House!  She never pretended she wasn’t afraid, but she pushed herself and became so remarkably proficient that I think she had a great experience.” 

Cruise was impressed with the way Ferguson deftly tackled the role’s huge physical demands without losing Ilsa Faust’s intriguing feminine wiles – and a personality that has Hunt believing in her in spite of himself.   “I think she’s an incredibly powerful actress and also incredibly charismatic. She exudes both elegance and intelligence,” Cruise says.  “Chris and I talked a lot about what we wanted in Ilsa and we wanted a very strong woman, someone both powerful and mysterious who would have the audience leaning forward watching her, rooting for her and being a little shocked by her.”  

Talking about her regime for the film, Ferguson recalls that she had to throw herself into training with all she had. “It was six hours a day and six days a week of stunt rehearsals, learning the specifics of hitting, ducking, jumping and moving,” she describes.  “The training was very detailed and specific.  At the same time, I was looking to find Ilsa’s own personal way of moving and fighting. I came to think of her as a lot like a cat, someone who kind of claws herself into anyone who attacks her.  She usespure body momentum to take down much more massive guys. During the training, we found this robust, raw, animalistic style of fighting for her that is really cool – and unlike any man you’ve seen.”

She says she didn’t give herself time to question too much what she was doing as she literally dove headlong into the stunts – which was a good thing. “Working on the stunts was a trip. I have claustrophobia and vertigo, but somehow, they got me to throw myself off high buildings and strap myself in underwater.  I had to just do it and so I did,” she offers.