Impossible’ Star Hayley Atwell On Realizing Her Resilience

Yes, her character Grace has become the love interest of Tom Cruise’s character Ethan Hunt in these latest Mission: Impossible films, but both actor Hayley Atwell and her on-screen persona are far from being a damsel in distress.

Grace was first introduced in 2023’s Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning as a clever thief, who ultimately finds herself immersed in Hunt’s world of heart-pounding espionage, as they take on evil forces that threaten our humanity. As the story has continued to unravel and now heading into Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, which arrives only in theaters on May 23, Grace has gained an added confidence in her skill set and has become a pivotal asset to Hunt’s team, known as the IMF.

Atwell, 43, is no stranger to playing characters that know how to save the day. Arguably best known before Mission: Impossible for playing the 1940s British MI6 Agent Peggy Carter in Marvel’s Captain America: The First Avenger and on her own Agent Carter primetime television series, followed by a special appearance in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and lending her voice to several What If…? animated episodes, the London-born actor has built quite the large and loyal fanbase for her bold performances as empowering and unapologetic women.

Sitting down with Atwell to discuss The Final Reckoning, I wondered if she has noticed a growth and appreciation within herself as an artist, since adding this extra stunt work to her performance as Grace in these two Mission: Impossible films and throughout the years of playing Agent Carter.

Atwell said, “I have – mostly, I think, in terms of what it takes to be at that level of adaptability, mobility, stamina, endurance and physicality, and how a character can be created from that place, rather than a cerebral one. My background is theatre. A lot of my work was very much about the text being the first and foremost kind of like power – whereas this, we didn’t really have a script – so, it’s about just being physically and mentally ready and resilient enough to be in an environment like the Arctic, and to be able to do whatever was required of me and whatever we’ve kind of found in the moment that felt most organically interesting. I’ve just done a play in the West End. I was doing Shakespeare on-stage and what I have noticed is my stamina to be doing eight shows a week without blinking. Then, on three Sundays, having to shoot Mission: Impossible pickups and reshoots. I was very aware of how much more energy and stamina I’d had than before. So, I’m going to take all of this and kind of run with it. It’s still living in my bones.”

In The Final Reckoning, Grace, Ethan and their IMF team are trying to stop what is known as The Entity, a rogue artificial intelligence (AI) cyberweapon that has the potential to wipe out the entire human race.

So, now that Grace gets to showcase more of her skills and value to missions in this latest film installment, all while maintaining a grounded sense of humanity, I was curious what Atwell has enjoyed most in getting to explore her character even further.

“At this point, we saw so much in the last one of her running away from Ethan Hunt and not trusting anyone, and being this agent of chaos and having lots of natural ability, but very little trained skill. In this one, she’s like – Oh no, he made me care about people! – and that is like a responsibility that weighs heavily on anyone that suddenly realizes the cost of caring, and then it means it’s totally like enmeshed with then the fear of losing that person. I think that’s what she’s living with and I love that because you see someone in the beginning who’s selfish, entirely based on hypervigilance and her own survival – then to learn actually what it is to be part of a team and to live for something bigger than yourself and personal ambition, it comes with a huge cost. That’s where I think it becomes really fun to watch and very moving.”

Now having worked on two Mission: Impossible films alongside Cruise, what exactly are Atwell’s thoughts about the longtime movie star as a leading force on these productions, as well as being her collaborator on-screen?

Atwell said of Cruise, “The thing that’s not spoken about enough about Tom is how kind he is – and he’s gentle. The fact that he can do – he’s an acrobatic pilot and he will fly us by helicopter to set. Every single day, he shows up and he is so energized and engaged and present in what he’s doing – and yet, his ability to adapt to someone else’s pace and someone else’s way of approaching work. Even like his kindness that he would share to my family when he would welcome them on-set – he very much wants this to be an inclusive experience for everyone, so they feel that they are a part of it, too. That to me shows a real like love of people and an understanding of connecting to an audience. He’s a humanitarian. He really loves people and he values them.”

Beyond Mission: Impossible and her sporadic returns to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, including the possibility of seeing Agent Carter in the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars, Atwell also recently played actor Kit Connor’s on-screen Aunt Diane in the hit LGBTQ+ Netflix series Heartstopper. So, I wondered if Atwell is noticing that her interests in stories and the characters that intrigue her are evolving as her career moves onward.

“Yeah, I do. I think as time has gone on, I’ve been able to kind of consciously steer a little bit more than before. When you start off as an actor, your hope is that if you get a job, you might get another one. Then, over time, you go – I might be able to make a living out of this. For me, I certainly didn’t have the confidence to go – I’m going to be fine and decide all the choices I wanted to make and get all the roles that I wanted. A lot of time being an actor is about how to face rejection and really understanding what drives you as an actor. Certainly, if you’re in it for fame and fortune, you’re going to be greatly disappointed and crushed every time you don’t get a job, or every time you kind of hear that someone didn’t like your performance or someone else got it over you. It’s such an arbitrary, mercurial, slippery thing – but as time has gone by, I think my feeling is that I get the chance to develop and I get the chance to grow as an individual – and therefore, have much more of a say over the work I want to produce.”

Atwell added: “What I loved about Heartstopper is when I was growing up, there wasn’t shows that had queer representation that felt as nuanced as other communities. For example, there were shows growing up that had queer representation, but they were heavily about promiscuity and about a night scene that dealt with trauma. What I love about Heartstopper is the sense of wholesomeness and innocence as people are trying to understand who they are, and how one episode can be entirely based on like – Is that person going to text me back? That feels very real to me – like as a teenager, we all remember those feelings. So, the fact that they happen to be a same-sex relationship, I think actually adds to its power.”

Now coming off of these larger-than-life Mission: Impossible storylines, action sequences and globe-trotting adventures, what is Atwell realizing about her work ethic and the knowledge she has gained on these productions, that she will take with her as she takes on new projects?

“I think I’ve learned that I’m resilient and that I’m adaptable, and that I’m a workhorse and my spirit animal is an ox. I’m sort of stubbornly strong. I’m immovable and I don’t have to even work hard for that. I’m just very solid. So, I will kind of be stubbornly myself, whether I want to change or not. It’s impossible – like I know exactly who I am. I think going forward, taking that as a superpower and as a strength will inform the choices that I make. I want to be doing this all through my 60s and my 70s and my 80s – god willing, I’m healthy enough to do that. I think because I always want to push myself and have the challenge of variety and the diversity of kind of storytelling, that I’m not ever going to be stuck being one thing to one group of people. I am much more interested in moving out of a comfort zone and trying new things, and that’s the thing that keeps me interested and stimulated.”

Concluding the conversation with Atwell, I wondered what she would say to her beloved on-screen characters, Agent Peggy Carter and Grace, after embodying them so far within their worlds and understanding who they are.

Atwell said, “Oh my goodness! I would just listen. I would be like – You tell me, tell me things! Peggy, I feel like is such an adult. I feel like she’s always going to make the right choice. I think she would be a great sort of parent or guide or mentor. I do think that she’s pretty frustrated, in terms of like – there’s probably more in her that she’s not allowed to do. So, I would sort of say to her – Break down more barriers and doors for yourself, and like push open that glass ceiling – because nothing’s ever going to be given to her. She has to create it herself all the time. So, I’d also say like – It’s also time to reinvent yourself – like come out from the shadows. I think with Grace, I think they would complement each other. I think Grace would get the rebellious streak out of Peggy Carter and I think Peggy Carter would encourage Grace to make more sensible choices.”