Rebecca Ferguson admits she still hasn’t overcome her fear of heights, despite starring alongside daredevil Tom Cruise in the stunt-heavy Mission: Impossible franchise.
Ferguson has featured recurrently as disavowed MI6 agent Ilsa Faust in the long-running franchise, but despite working closely with Cruise she struggled to share his boundless enthusiasm for some of its more challenging action sequences.
Speaking to ITV show Loose Women on Thursday, the actress, 40, revealed an ongoing struggle with vertigo hampered some of her pivotal moments on screen – among them an exhilarating scene atop the Vienna State Opera House.
She said: ‘I have a fear of heights and it was horrendous, the thing with Mission is you don’t know until your about to do it that your going to do it.
‘Tom’s an inspiring person. I think because he comes with a lot of energy and I work on something he produces, he is basically the big boss man.
Rebecca Ferguson admits she still hasn’t overcome her fear of heights, despite starring alongside daredevil Tom Cruise in the stunt-heavy Mission: Impossible franchise
Rebecca Ferguson reveals what it is like working with Tom Cruise
Some of her best Mission: Impossible moments include a memorable action scene atop the Vienna State Opera House (pictured, with Tom Cruise)
‘I’m not saying he’s different but that’s the Tom I know, which, means he’s there first, he’s on top of it, he knows everything, he laughs and jokes.
‘But if someone’s uncomfortable or if there’s a moment of not understanding he will stop things and make sure that you are clear on what you’re doing.’
After starring in Mission: Impossible films Rogue Nation and Fallout, she reprised her role as Faust for the third time in Dead Reckoning – Part One.
Speaking to Town & Country about the film and its $290million budget ahead of its release in 2022, she said:
‘I can tell you it is an explosive, dynamic film with incredible stunts you’ve never seen before,’ she said.
Ferguson was forced to confront her fear of heights while working with Cruise, who admitted she kept her vertigo a secret on set.
‘She never told me, or anyone else, she was uncomfortable with heights,’ he recalled.
‘She trained for it and did it. She confronted it full on. That is Rebecca. She knew it made the sequence, and she knew that she could trust me, and I could trust her. It is a lovely moment.’
Speaking to ITV show Loose Women on Thursday, the actress revealed an ongoing struggle with vertigo hampered some of her pivotal moments on screen
Mission Impossible 7: Dead Reckoning trailer released
‘I have a fear of heights and it was horrendous, the thing with Mission is you don’t know until your about to do it that your going to do it,’ she explained
The actress leaps through the air in an action sequence from 2015 film Mission: Impossible
In the Mission Impossible franchise, Cruise portrays its protagonist Ethan Hunt, a highly skilled field agent and operative for the Impossible Mission Force (IMF), a secret government agency that handles dangerous and high-stakes missions.
Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One is the seventh installment in the film series, with first being released in 1996.
The film’s world premiere took place last month on the Spanish steps of Rome and will be released in the United States on June 12.
Its direct sequel, Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part Two, is scheduled to be released in June 2024.
Ferguson was forced to confront her fear of heights while working with Cruise, who admitted she kept her vertigo a secret on set
Rebecca Ferguson dazzles at Mission Impossible premiere
