Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning Part 1 – Cast and Character Guide
Ethan Hunt and the IMF team are back in action in the latest installment of the Mission: Impossible franchise, Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning Part 1. The film marks Tom Cruise’s seventh time reprising playing the agent alongside recurring cast members and newcomers, such as Hayley Atwell and Pom Klementieff. To prepare you for all the familiar faces and new ones you’ll get to meet in the upcoming film, here is a detailed cast and character guide.
Tom Cruise as Ethan Hunt
Ethan Hunt is IMF’s (Impossible Mission Force) top agent, embarking on highly secretive and unsafe missions since 1996’s Mission: Impossible. Tom Cruise is reprising the role for the sixth time in the Mission: Impossible franchise. The actor has been a consolidated name since his breakout role on screen as Joel Goodsen in Risky Business. Although he is most notable for doing his stunts in action films like Mission: Impossible and Top Gun, he has received multiple Academy Award nominations for drama projects like Jerry McGuire and Magnolia.
Hayley Atwell as Grace
Grace is the new main character in the Mission: Impossible movie. She works with Hunt. Her personality is mysterious and unexpected, and she always figures out a way to keep herself and those around her safe. Hayley Atwell plays Grace, and the actor says that her character in Dead Reckoning Part 1 and Ethan Hunt are “two sides of the same coin.” Atwell has worked on other action-packed projects, like Peggy Carter in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). She is also known for her part in the first episode of Season 2 of Black Mirror. In that episode, she plays a widow who tries to get in touch with her late husband through new technology.
Esai Morales as Gabriel
Gabriel is an enigmatic figure from Hunt’s past and is considered the film’s antagonist. Throughout Dead Reckoning Part 1, viewers will slowly comprehend Gabriel’s intentions and how they will impact Hunt and his team. Esai Morales has an extensive background in TV, playing notable characters like Camino Del Rio in Netflix’s Ozark and Deathstroke in HBO Max’s superhero series Titans.
Simon Pegg as Benji Dunn
Benji Dunn is an IMF technician that became a field agent throughout the franchise. The character was first introduced in Mission: Impossible III and is a loyal partner-in-crime to Hunt. Simon Pegg is once again playing Benji Dunn in Dead Reckoning Part 1. The actor is better known for his comedic endeavors, including his breakout role in Channel 4’s Spaced and the Cornetto Trilogy alongside director Edgar Wright: Shaun on the Dead, Hot Fuzz, and The World’s End. He starred in other blockbuster projects, such as Scotty in Star Trek and Buck in Ice Age.
Rebecca Ferguson as Isla Faust
Isla Faust is a former M16 agent who’s become an ally to Hunt and his team. Her first appearance in the franchise was in the 2015 film Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation. Aside from playing Isla Faust, Rebecca Ferguson recently starred in Denis Villeneuve’s adaptation of Dune and Apple TV +’s Silo. Some of her other notable roles include Jenny Lind in The Greatest Showman and Rose the Hat in Doctor Sleep.
Ving Rhames as Luther Stickell
Luther Stickell is a valued technician and longtime friend of Hunt within IMF. He possesses exceptional hacking skills that prove useful in situations such as dismantling bombs or invading systems. Ving Rhames has been a part of the Mission: Impossible franchise since its inception. He has also acted in other films such as Pulp Fiction and Out of Sight, portraying characters like Marsellus Wallace and Buddy Brag, respectively. Apart from his work in cinema, he has also had recurring roles in TV series such as ER and The District.
Vanessa Kirby as The White Window / Alanna Mitsopolis
Alanna Mitsopolis, better known as The White Widow, is the daughter of Max, who was a part of the first Mission: Impossible film. She is a black market arms dealer, and her last appearance in the franchise was in Mission: Impossible – Fallout. In Dead Reckoning Part 1, Vanessa Kirby returns as Alanna Mitsopolis, a character she previously portrayed. Her first onscreen appearance was in a BBC production called The Hour. Since then, she has gained recognition for various other roles, such as playing Princess Margaret in the initial two seasons of The Crown on Netflix and portraying Martha Weiss in Pieces of a Woman. Her performance in the latter earned her an Academy Award, a BAFTA, a Golden Globe, a SAG, and a Critics Choice nomination.
Pom Klementieff as Paris
Paris is a French assassin that works for Gabriel. She is hired to do the dirty work of hunting down Ethan Hunt and Grace. Pom Klementieff plays Paris in Dead Reckoning Part 1, and she made a career in France before landing her first Hollywood gig. She is better known for her roles in Star-Lord’s sister Mantis in Guardians of the Galaxy and Roxette in Black Mirror’s Season 5, Episode 1. We spoke with Klementieff about her role in Mission: Impossible, and the actress revealed the intense training she had to go through to prepare for her death-defying stunts: “I trained for months! For months and months, and I’d been training even before. I was training with Wade Eastwood, the stunt coordinator, who worked in the previous movies and was amazing. We were trying to find the right style of the character to make it unique as well.”
Other supporting actors in Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning Part 1 are Cary Elwes, Rob Delaney, Charles Parnell, Mark Gatiss, Greg Tarzan Davis, and Indira Varma.
