Shay Whigham thinks hunting down Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker will always be his toughest task, but Tom Cruise’s Ethan Hunter quickly proved him wrong on the mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part 1 .
In the seventh installment of Christopher “McQuarie” McQuarrie’s critically acclaimed spy action series, Whigham stars as Jasper Briggs, a foot soldier in the CIA’s covert division with whom he Together with his partner Degar (Greg Tarzan Davis), he shoulders the arduous task of hunting down Ethan Hunt around the world. And his similar role in Todd Phillips’ box-office smash Joker ( ) seems to have been the inspiration for his mission casting, and it is, in fact, his role in Sam Esmail’s Julie Roberts’ ” Mike Q was intrigued by his role as a Department of Defense bureaucrat in Homecoming .
“ MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – FALLOUT AND RETURN ) was nominated for something in one of the functions [07 Critics’ Choice Awards]. [McQ and I] happened to be right behind each other,” Whigham told Hollywood Reporter . “McQueen said, ‘I’m going to write something for you.’ And then until December [60 ], I received a very cryptic text message from him saying: ‘Answer in five minutes. I’m calling from a European phone Yeah. So it was him and Cruise on the other end, and together they pinned me to my lap.”
June’s Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse Whigham has another notable role as Gwen Stacy( Hailee Steinfeld)’s father, Captain George Stacy. In a way similar to Mission: Impossible
McQ, Cruise and co-writer Erik Jendresen’s brain trust, “Through the Spider-Verse” – The creative team at Verse didn’t start their process with a full script either. Instead, they follow where the story goes, which means they write and rewrite along the way.
“You don’t have a script anyway, but two movies, missions and Spider-Man , lets you explore and bring your own stuff,” Whigham said. “They encourage the process, and I think that’s why they’re all so good.”
Below, in a recent conversation with THR
, Whigham also discusses his personal highlights from various locations and sequences in Dead Reckoning Part I .
So what’s the use of a beard?
I just came from a country called
America original. The film is directed by Peter Berger and written by Mark L. Smith, who directed “The Revenant” . So I’m in that world.
Shea Whigham has a beard? Sold!
(laughing.) Very OK, buddy. I won’t lie.
Shay Whigham in Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part 1 Paramount Pictures and Skydance
So once you find out you have to do the impossible and chase Tom Cruise throughout the movie, what’s the first thing you do?
Honestly, I didn’t think I’d be chasing him. We don’t work from scripts per se. That’s what Mike Q and Tom did at the last minute. We were in Venice and they were like, “You know what? It feels like you need to chase Ethan all over Venice.” So I wasn’t ready, let’s just say it.
You probably don’t audition anymore, so is McQ coming to you?
Yes, I use “Homecoming “Completed the piece Julia Roberts and Mission Impossible: Fallout and Homecoming Some of the content got nominated for one of these features [ Critics’ Choice Awards]. And we happen to be right behind each other. McQ said, “I’ve seen Returns .” I said, “I’ve watched since The Usual Suspects Love your stuff.” He said, “I’m going to write something for you.” I said, “That’s great!” That was in [1000] In January, and then in December, I received a very cryptic text from him that read: “Response in five minutes. I’m calling from a European phone.” So there was him and Cruise on the other end, and they pinned me to their knees together.
has a video shot on the first day, of Tom’s motorcycle jump. When he crosses the cliff edge, most of the cast start laughing as a way of coping with the fear of the moment. How do you deal with it?
First I was really surprised because he rode past us, hanging from the helicopter, with a slack . Then I had to walk away and be alone during the actual jump. That’s when the giant ramps and actual jumps really rocked me. At that moment my heart literally beat for Tom. I’m visibly nervous.
How do you feel about Tom and McQ as a duo?
They are exactly what I want from a collaborator. They are movie buffs. They love movies. The only director I’ve ever heard talk about movies like they do is Marty Scorsese. I did the boardwalk Empire and The Wolf of Wall Street with him. So we’ve been talking about movies.
Well, in most action movies with a famous character, there is usually another character who publishes about A line or speech by a mythical hero in a story. I’m reminded of David Strathairn’s OMG, That’s Jason Bourne. Early on, you could do that by telling the mythology of Ethan Hunt. So you immediately realize what your purpose is?
First of all, McQ and Tom are very excited because we can visit the Osprey through the army, which is the first time it is in the movie use. But I knew someone had to try and track down Ethan. I said to them early on, “Look, I like midnight running and fugitive because I care about characters that are a little bit left.” Everyone who tries to hunt down the “bad guy” usually comes straight from [Middle] starts, and I’m interested in stupidly trying to catch Ethan. To keep me interested, I wanted to make it personal without having to reveal this through some monologue. But it’s there. So, yes, I have a feeling this will be my destiny in this movie.
Shea Whigham and Greg Tarzan Greg Tarzan Davis in Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part 1 Paramount Pictures and Skydance
Jasper Briggs and his partner Degas (Grey G. Tarzan Davis) eventually realizes, to varying degrees, that Hunter might not be the enemy here. Did you follow the example of Tommy Lee Jones’ character in “ The Fugitive e “?
We talked about it like I said, I talked about midnightRUNQuite a lot. [Charles] Grodin and Dennis Farina. But it was definitely brought up because we were doing a chase movie. You’re right, the audience knows that Hunter is Hunter. So how can you keep it interesting if you can’t quite catch him? But yeah, as things progressed, he started revealing himself to me. This is no different than Boardwalk Empire or SilverLiningScript. You start with a lot of information and gradually reduce it. You basically answered the big questions: “What do I want? How do I serve this story?”
Briggs is ‘ Name of a character on [Steven Hill’s Dan Briggs], so did McQ give you any hints if your character’s name was more than just the tip of a hat?
I better not say anything right now.
The film was apparently pulled early due to the coronavirus pandemic, but resumed later that summer. Did you work steadily until the end?
I work steadily. Clearly, we are living in strange times, like the world. We divested in Venice, but because of COVID-19 we had to go our separate ways. So we didn’t know what was going to happen, but then we got a call from Tom and he said, “We’re going in. We’re going to try to be the canary in the coal mine and figure out how to do that.” So we stayed in Norway , when we go to Rome, we stay, even if you don’t work. I wasn’t supposed to be in the Venice part of it, but as things progressed and we discovered things, it gradually developed into more of a character. So we just stayed put, with some departures and stops. When we came back to Venice again, we stayed in Venice for two weeks. So it was difficult to actually finish the piece.
So I would love to visit each location and write a travelogue. What were your personal highlights in the sequence at each location, starting with Abu Dhabi International Airport?
This is huge. That’s when Tom’s influence really came into play. I believe he got the prince to allow us access to what was going to be the largest airport in the world. It wasn’t open when we were filming there. So we got to experience it to the fullest, and that’s when I got a sense of how big this place is and what these movies mean to the world.
What about the comic madness of the streets of Rome?
Rome holds a special place. I’ve been to Rome several times, in Via Imperiali, to see what the [Roman] Forum is and to think about history…. Turn it off and be able to drive myself through small streets, and that’s when I know I’m in a big movie again.
Night view of Venice…
Venice is quiet. When we went to Venice [for the second time], no one was there. When we were there initially there was going to be a big party and we were going to take advantage of the ongoing festival. So these guys drop that, but the party still goes on there (in the club). It was lovely because we actually got a chance to explore Venice without anyone. So it’s beautiful and somewhat haunting. When we were there we did island hopping and it was such a special time. It was also a bonding time because we stayed together as a team.
The best part of your experience will be standing on top of a train running in Norway.
(laughing.) That was at the beginning of filming hour. We shot this first, and I just remember the inherent beauty of the valley we were in. McQ sits on top of the train and guides us with what we call a clamshell. Then I stood up and tried to knock Ethan down. I remember Tom looking at me and saying, “Is this already the best?” I said to him, “I don’t want to go anywhere else, but here it is, right now.” difficult. It was cold. Another thing I’ll never forget is what McQ said: “It was one of the best three days of shooting I’ve ever experienced in my life.” So I know it’s pretty profound because they’ve been through it together.
Dead Reckoning Part 2 is almost halfway done. Do you still have a way to go before it’s all done?
Oh yes! I went back in August to take all the photos down. We’re going to London, an as yet unnamed place. I don’t believe they know it yet, but it’s going to be somewhere sexy as usual. (laughs.) So, yeah, I have a lot to do and we have a lot to do. Like I said, these guys are movie buffs. As we said, they love shooting and they love being on the floor. They’ll be filming [ Dead Reckoning Part II ] before the release date, just to make it better. They dig deep and keep making it better and better.
Shea Whigham and Greg Tarzan Davis reg Tarzan Davis) in Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part 1 Paramount Pictures and Skydance
soTarzan [Davies] told me last year that you helped him with various self-tapes during filming and that you really had an impact on his approach to acting and auditions . My theory at the time was that your interest in helping the next generation of actors started with your own kid’s [Giorgia Whigham] self-recorded tapes. Is this somewhat accurate?
No, honestly, I don’t even really talk about acting with my kids. It’s her own journey, and she wants it to be that way. I said, “If you need me, I’ll be there,” but I won’t get in your way. Perhaps the best of all is her journey, her struggles and her victories.
But Tarzan walks out of the gate at the top of : Maverick
, and now he is shooting Mission: Impossible movies in succession. I told him, “You don’t know what you don’t know.” I wasn’t speaking condescendingly to him; you just didn’t know how hard it was to actually be an actor and be successful. I was laughing with McQueen and Tom the whole time I walked out the gate with these three movies. He’s been three-on-three in all three films. So he really wants to be a good actor, and I’ve passed on the knowledge I have to him.
Do you think you want to help him, because you kind of miss those early days?
Well, it’s not because I miss it. When I work, I see a lot of younger generations and I have a lot of respect for my predecessors. When I work with De Niro, Hopkins and some of the other heavyweights, I always make sure they know I know their stuff and I know they paved the way. I feel like Tarzan would like to have some of that too. He wanted some stories from when I was working with De Niro, Buscemi and Hopkins, so it became an organic process. He had some tapes, and I looked at them and said, “I think we can tighten them up a little bit.” He got some goodness out of one of them. I think it’s Grey’s Anatomy .
Shay in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse Whigham as George Stacy and Hailee Steinfeld as Gwen Stacy Provided by Sony Pictures Animation
So I said to Hailee Steinfeld for the first time last month Got this sentence, but you guys in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is the best scene in the movie. She said that the two of you initially recorded separately, but then you re-recorded a lot of things. Can you feel the difference when you are together?
Yes, we did find something there. Lord and Miller brought us in and it was so smart. Be with me07 year old daughter, we found some really nice organic stuff there. To be honest, I really don’t know what’s going to happen between me and Spiderman. I have seen the first one. My kids love it and let me watch it. When Across came along, I didn’t realize how comforting it would be to do so. i love it. So we’ll go back and tighten it up, and then I’ll bring things in. But at the core, they let me do what I usually do in live action. So I was pleasantly surprised with the results.
Hailey also said she never really got the right script , which sounds a lot like task because the two Stories are all written and rewritten on the fly. Does each process feel similar to you?
Yeah, I didn’t even think about it that way. task like something I’ve done before and won’t do again. I’m sure. When I teamed up with Terry Malek and Christian Bale , there is no script, but it has its parameters. The guys at Mission and Erik Jendresen, who helped McQ write the script, discussed the film for two and a half years. But you are right. You don’t have a script anyway, but two movies, Mission and Spider-Man, let you explore and Bring your own stuff. They encourage the process and I think that’s why they’re all so good. They don’t make movies like Mission: Impossible anymore because it’s functional and every character has a moment. You actually care about the characters in this big action movie, but they just don’t make them the way Tom does anymore. His love for movies just came out and you could feel it radiating from him and McQ.
Finally, before you were chasing Ethan Hunt, you were chasing the Joker. Are you back for more Joker 2?
I’m not back Joker 2, no. I don’t think I ended up well in Joker. The beating was going on as they shook from me.
1235506319 Mission Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part 1 Now in theaters. This interview has been edited for length and clarity .
