Sometimes they are hard-bitten covert operatives, sometimes they are femmes fatales, but the women of Mission: Impossible are every bit as important to the franchise’s success as Tom Cruise himself. Though the film series has a serious problem with female representation overall, there are a few characters who held their own with Ethan Hunt. More importantly, all of these actors have done their best to showcase how important women are to the action-intrigue genre. If the series creators worked a little harder, they could create some of the juiciest roles for women since Sigourney Weaver and Linda Hamilton first hit the screen.
As it stands, the franchise has created its own take on the Bond girl — a sexy, possibly deadly woman — while giving her more to do. Still, one of the series’ major issues has been lack of continuity for its female characters, as they anchor the plot in some films, then vanish without another mention. Mission: Impossible – Fallout may be trying to right some of those past wrongs as it brings back not only Hunt’s wife, played by Michelle Monaghan, but also the incredibly capable Rebecca Ferguson.
With Henry Cavill joining the series, Ethan Hunt may be getting phased out to recharge the franchise. That could bring even meatier roles for the female characters, a possibility that gives us all the feels. But here’s a look at the ladies who have gotten us this far.
Emmanuelle Béart, ‘Mission: Impossible’
Emmanuelle Béart played Clare Phelps, a member of the Impossible Mission Force and wife of the director of the force. Phelps was instrumental in Ethan Hunt’s work of rooting out a mole, even though she herself was a traitor. She died when her husband shot her as she tried to stop him from killing Hunt.
Since Mission: Impossible in 1996, Béart, a French actor, has returned to starring in French and British productions. Her only stateside appearance was in Searching for Debra Winger, a 2002 documentary from Rosanna Arquette. She was also one of the stars in the critically acclaimed 2001 musical comedy 8 Women.
Kristin Scott Thomas, ‘Mission: Impossible’
As a member of the IMF, Sarah Walker (played by Kristin Scott Thomas) is part of the team trying to retrieve a list of covert operatives. She doesn’t last long and is killed early in the first act. However, the knife found with her body is instrumental in revealing one of the members of a traitorous team to Ethan Hunt, which helps him bring down the real mole.
Though her role in Mission: Impossible was small, 1996 was a very big year for Thomas. She also starred in The English Patient, which earned her an Academy Award nomination and increased her recognition in the U.S. film industry. Since then, she’s also been seen in The Horse Whisperer, Gosford Park, The Other Boleyn Girl and, most recently, Tomb Raider in 2018.
Vanessa Redgrave, ‘Mission: Impossible’
Vanessa Redgrave’s character, Max, was one of the main antagonists of M:I as an arms dealer who turned the head of the IMF to her cause. She's the one trying to obtain the list of covert operatives so she can sell it to the highest bidder. When she is double-crossed, she makes a deal with Ethan Hunt that allows him to catch his mole.
Redgrave was the perfect woman to cast as a steely yet classy international power broker. With a list of accolades as long as her legendary career, she brought a credibility to the role that made the film more than just a star vehicle for Tom Cruise. After M:I, Redgrave was seen in productions like Girl, Interrupted, Atonement and The Butler. She also had a recurring role on Nip/Tuck and is the voice of Jenny Worth on Call the Midwife.
Thandie Newton, ‘Mission: Impossible 2’
Nyah Nodoff-Hall, played by Thandie Newton, is a professional thief who becomes a co-conspirator and love interest of Ethan Hunt in their quest to stop a biological attack. As a former flame of the main antagonist, she is talked into gaining his trust to get information, a plan that is foiled and results in her near-death. Hunt saves her, and the two of them end the movie vacationing on a beach.
The second film in the series failed terribly at representing women; Newton is the only woman in a speaking role. She portrayed a great character, but it was unfortunate that the plot led to a situation where her only hope was to be saved by Hunt.
Since M:I2, Newton’s career has been on the rise with an award-winning role in Crash, a performance as Condoleezza Rice in W and a turn in Solo: A Star Wars Story. She starred in ER from 2003-2009 and currently stars in another award-winning role in Westworld.
Michelle Monaghan, ‘Mission: Impossible 3,’ ‘Ghost Protocol,’ and ‘Fallout’
Although Ethan Hunt had a love connection with Nyah Hall in M:I2, she is nowhere to be found in M:I3, replaced by Julia Meade (Michelle Monaghan). Although Hunt lied to Meade about his career, they went on to marry early in the film. She is promptly kidnapped, setting her up as the damsel in distress. Once Hunt finds her, she is the critical factor in saving his life, but his cover is well blown by now. To protect her from enemies, Hunt fakes her death.
Monaghan reprised her role for a cameo in Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol and is cast in 2018’s Mission: Impossible – Fallout, where she is again credited as Julia Meade-Hunt. Did their marriage survive their separation? Outside of the M:I franchise, Monaghan has starred in many films, including Source Code and Patriots Day. On TV, she’s had starring roles in True Detective and The Path. She’s now filming a new series, Messiah, and the film The Price of Admission.
Keri Russell, ‘Mission: Impossible 3’
Keri Russell’s character, Lindsay Farris, was one of several agents trained by Ethan Hunt over the course of the series. In M:I3, her main goal was to bring in arms dealer Owen Davian, who instead captured her and placed an explosive charge in her head. Though she is rescued by Hunt, the charge detonates as he tries to disarm it and she is killed.
Following M:I3, Russell starred in the film Waitress, which debuted at Sundance to critical raves, as well as movies like August Rush, Extraordinary Measures and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. She has most recently been seen in the acclaimed series The Americans playing an undercover spy.
Maggie Q, ‘Mission: Impossible 3’
Zhen Lei (played by Maggie Q) was an IMF agent who worked with Hunt to try and free his captured protégé, Lindsay Farris. She then picked up Farris’ mission to capture an arms dealer. Although she and Hunt were successful, their prisoner later escapes and puts Lei and Hunt to work for him in order to save Hunt’s wife’s life. Lei is injured during this mission, but she survives and is ordered to return to IMF headquarters.
Q has had a very successful career in action and intrigue roles, including films like Live Free or Die Hard, Deception and Divergent and the TV series Nikita. She currently stars in Designated Survivor and is filming Gladiator: Fight for Freedom. Off-screen, Q is an animal rights activist and promotes a vegetarian lifestyle. She is active in PETA campaigns and was named one of PETA's sexiest vegan celebs of 2017.
Bellamy Young, ‘Mission: Impossible 3’
Bellamy Young played the minor character Rachel in M:I3. She appeared in small roles in other films, like We Were Soldiers, Simple Things and Trust Me, but her real success has come on television and the stage. She’s found long-term roles on shows like Scrubs, CSI: Miami and Criminal Minds and most recently starred as President Grant on Scandal. She performed on Broadway in The Life, Merrily We Roll Along and Faust. Away from work, Young is a vegan and active in campaigns for PETA as well as shelter adoption. She’s also an accomplished musician and released a music album on iTunes in 2015.
Carla Gallo, ‘Mission: Impossible 3’
Carla Gallo appeared as supporting character Beth in M:I3 after finding minor success on television in Undeclared and Carnivàle. Since M:I3, she had a memorable role in Superbad and appeared in Neighbors but has found real recognition on the small screen, particularly for her characters named Daisy on both Californication and Bones. She most recently appeared in 2018’s A Futile and Stupid Gesture.
Paula Patton, ‘Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol’
Jane Carter, played by Paula Patton, was the handler and lover of an IMF agent who was killed during a mission to retrieve Russian nuclear launch codes. Carter is able to help Ethan Hunt escape a Moscow prison where he has been purposely incarcerated to spy on a source. She is an integral part of the team as Hunt and other IMF agents pursue control not only of the codes but of the satellite that transmits the codes, which can be used to foil the planned attack.
Patton already had several hits to her name by the time she was cast in Ghost Protocol, including Hits, Déjà Vu and Precious. Since her turn in M:I5, she has been seen in The Perfect Match, The Do-Over and Warcraft: The Beginning. In 2017, she starred in the TV series Somewhere Between, and 2018 saw her in another starring role, in action thriller Traffik.
Léa Sedoux, ‘Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol’
Léa Sedoux’s character, Sabine Moreau, is the instigator of the action as she dispatches an IMF agent who is transporting nuclear codes. She shows up again later in the film, when Ethan Hunt and his team trick her into a fake meeting with a contact who is intent on starting a nuclear war. When the ruse is discovered, Moreau fights, only to be killed by the girlfriend of the man she originally assassinated.
Sedoux grew up in a prominent French family, according to a profile in Esquire, and thought she’d be an opera singer before her interests turned to modeling and acting. She got her first notice in American cinema with a small part in Inglourious Basterds, a role in Robin Hood and finally her part in Ghost Protocol. Her breakthrough role came in Blue Is the Warmest Color, which won the 2013 Palme d’Or at Cannes, and created a bit of a scandal in the art world for its unflinching intimacy. She went on to star in Spectre, but much of her career has continued to revolve around French film. She is currently filming The Horse Boy, based on the New York Times best-selling book, which focuses on the story of one family and their autistic son.
Rebecca Ferguson, ‘Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation,’ ‘Fallout’
Isla Faust (Rebecca Ferguson) is one of the most conflicted women in the world of Mission: Impossible. An MI6 member who is also working for criminal organization The Syndicate, she's a double agent and assassin who also feeds information to Ethan Hunt. It's later revealed that she is only in the Syndicate as part of an undercover operation that she is working to end. Her actions only make sense after the fact, when she reveals herself as a real ally to Hunt and the IMF team in their effort to expose the Syndicate.
According to Ferguson’s IMDb page, Tom Cruise reached out to her for the role in Rogue Nation after seeing her in British production The White Queen. Prior to M:I5, she was active in British and European cinema, but the high-profile lead role opened opportunities like Florence Foster Jenkins, The Greatest Showman and a continuation of her Rogue Nation character in 2018’s Mission: Impossible – Fallout.
Zhang Jingchu, ‘Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation’
Zhang Jingchu played a minor role as CIA analyst Lauren in Rogue Nation. Though her early years as an actor — with roles in Chinese, German and U.S. (Rush Hour 3) films — would have been considered successful by many, Jingchu took a break from her career, according to China Daily. She told the Associated Press she wasn’t satisfied with the commercial nature of many of her roles. “When you have become what perceive as a star, you don’t really follow your heart when choosing roles,” she said. “You make a lot of decisions based on your status.”
After six months in New York City, which she said reminded her of her film student days, she was revitalized enough to return to the screen. Still, when it came time to consider a role in American film, she chose the small part in Rogue Nation, which had her on screen for about 40 seconds, reported The Guardian. Since then, Jingchu has primarily chosen to appear in Chinese productions, including The Adventurers and The Three-Body Problem, currently in production.
Vanessa Kirby, ‘Mission: Impossible – Fallout’
Vanessa Kirby is credited as White Widow, one of the female leads in the upcoming Mission: Impossible – Fallout cast. According to The Express, M:I6 is the best Mission: Impossible yet.
Its synopsis tells us little that isn’t expected from any M:I film: “When an IMF mission ends badly and Solomon Lane escapes custody, the world is faced with dire consequences. As Ethan Hunt takes it upon himself to fulfill his original briefing, the CIA begins to question his loyalty and his motives. Hunt finds himself in a race against time, hunted by assassins and former allies while trying to prevent a global catastrophe."
With a name like White Widow, we can only expect that Kirby’s character will be one of those hunting Hunt in an effort to foil his every plan.
Angela Bassett, ‘Mission: Impossible – Fallout’
Not since the first Mission: Impossible, which co-starred Vanessa Redgrave, have we seen as high-profile an actor as Bassett in the franchise. She is cast as Erica Sloan, and we can only assume that she plays someone high-ranking in either the IMF or the U.S. intelligence system. Promotional photos show her alongside Henry Cavill, who The Express tells us plays a younger agent to Ethan Hunt’s grizzled veteran. Perhaps Bassett is a handler?
Regardless, Bassett is a good catch for every film she's in, and she can only make M:I6 all the better.
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