July 17, 2015
If you haven't already heard of Rebecca Ferguson, you better learn her name fast. The star of BBC mini-series "The White Queen" is about to make big waves stateside as the female counterpart to secret agent Ethan Hunt in "Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation."
The Swedish actress is disarmingly laid-back for someone who recently rappelled down the Vienna Opera House with Tom Cruise. On a rainy summer morning she kicked off her heels and chatted about "Rogue Nation," out July 31, over a hot cup of coffee in the midst of a whirlwind press tour. Seemingly ready to ride the wave of fame headed her way, Ferguson dished on doing her own stunts and her new hunger for action roles.
How did you train for your role as agent Ilsa Faust?
Basically, I arrived at Heathrow [Airport] and the car picked me up and it took me right to the gym, and from that day it was six hours a day, six days a week. ... I did pilates, which I had as a ground tool for all of my moves. What it does is you learn about the body in a certain way, so you know that when you just do a kick, you’re not just kicking; you know the rotation of your hips so you don’t injure yourself. It structures and builds up your body in an incredible way.
Then we sprint. Tom Cruise likes running; I don’t know if you know that. He’s a fast runner and he loves sprinting. I’d be on that sprinter every day trying to catch up to his shadow. The prepping was a month and a half before shooting, then we would continue training throughout the entire process for what [stunts] were coming up.
Of all the stunts you did for the film, were there any that you enjoyed?
I think for me it was probably overcoming the ones that I was scared of and realizing I had done it over and over and over again and kind of wanting it to continue. I have vertigo and because I have vertigo I’m absolutely terrified of heights. So after training and training and knowing I could say no, I jumped off the Vienna rooftop with Tom. The first jump was absolutely terrifying and then we did a second time, third time, fourth time -- and by the fifth and sixth I was going, “Do you wanna do that again? Did we really get that?” And he was like, "It’s fine, we’re doing a 120-foot free fall in a couple of weeks."
What was it like working with Tom Cruise on set?
I mean, it’s Tom Cruise. It’s funny how you just get a feeling when you say the name. I love his movies. I think he is a phenomenal actor and something he has that we don’t talk about is humor. He has exquisite timing and wit and musicality to him. I mean, we’ve seen him move in "Tropic Thunder!"
For me, when I found out I was going to meet him, it went so fast that I didn’t have time to go into panic mode, and that sort of brings me to when I say he is so disarming and kind. So to meet someone like Tom Cruise and he makes me feel the way we feel here ... it’s normality somehow in an odd circumstance. The dude is just completely relaxed. He doesn’t take himself too seriously and he loves what he does. And he’s a film geek. He knows his s---.
Did "Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation" make you want to take on more action roles? Did you continue your training in preparation for the future?
Hell yes! You know what, it was so intense and because Paramount provided me with the best trainers in all genres – if we were holding our breath for a long time, we would be training with deep sea divers – I was taught so much that I couldn’t have that in my real life. But the thought is still there, it’s still in me, and because our body has memory, I’m trying to keep it up. I’ll do a bit of Pilates, go running if I can – I like moving!
But what I do like is getting into this incredible shape for something and I know it’s going to end and then I can have my chocolate and my burgers and then whatever else. I love the training regime. I love having a purpose and a necessity to feel healthy and fit.
What other action franchise would you love to join?
Bring 'em all! Let’s combine them! Bond, Bourne Identity... I love the Kill Bills! … I fully respect good, choreographed stunt moves now because I understand the effort that lies behind something that you’ll see [on screen] for two seconds. Now I know the training that goes into that specific scene. For me, to have all of these incredible martial arts actors but with a good story, with good plots and twists and acting, that’s what I love.
