In the eighth and reportedly final instalment of the Tom Cruise-led Mission: Impossible series, titled The Final Reckoning, Hayley Atwell reprised her role as Grace.
Hayley’s character was first introduced in Dead Reckoning Part One as a former thief who becomes an IMF recruit in the Ethan Hunt-led team. But as she bids farewell to her role in the popular franchise, the actor has stepped into a new role-motherhood. Up until now, Hayley had kept it all under wraps, but during a recent appearance on The Jimmy Fallon Show, she revealed filming a fight sequence while pregnant.
Hayley Atwell on filming the Final Reckoning fight as 8 months pregnant
“During this fight sequence, we came back to it a few times to add a few elements to it,” the 43-year-old said, right before the host played a clip from the movie. “In this clip, I’m actually eight and a half months pregnant,” she added. Jimmy, shocked, asked if she was serious, and yes, she was. Hayeley explained that the production team had revisited that particular fight scene multiple times to make changes and add more fight sequences. And by the time they returned for the last round, she was about to pop. However, Hayley added that she didn’t back out and continued filming, even when the cast and crew kept offering her a stunt double. She continued, “And I have to say, I was taken such good care of. Everyone was so supportive, and they were like, ‘Oh, you can sit down, and we’ll have a stunt double do it.’ And I was like, ‘No! I’ve worked too hard. Let me do it.’ So I did it, and here it is.”
Hayley first joined the Mission: Impossible franchise in 2023. At the time, her character Grace became a fan favourite, and critics also heaped praise, with demands for her to reprise the role in the next instalment skyrocketing. Her character was introduced as a pickpocket who later becomes Ethan Hunt’s ally. Since then, her character has transformed into a full-blown IMF agent helping Ethan fight off a rogue AI that threatens to wipe out humanity. The franchise added a new batch of cast, including Angela Bassett, Nick Offerman, Hannah Waddingham, and Katy O’Brian, while older ones like Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Pom Klementieff, and Esai Morales reprised their roles.
In a previous interview with Collider, Hayley opened up about the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity of working on the globally loved franchise alongside Cruise. The actor recalled how the Top Gun star kept her motivated throughout with encouraging words. When asked about her emotions on the last day of filming, Hayley said, “We filmed Grace’s first-ever introduction in the second film, so her first appearance in the movie is the last thing that I shot. I remember that day, Tom had said, ‘Movies are not something I do, it’s who I am.'” She added, “And I could see that. I saw that every day for five years. He lives it and breathes it and has devoted his life to it. So, to work with someone with that kind of work ethic is remarkable.” The actor was pressed on rumours suggesting she might be in a Marvel film, which she downplayed, jokingly calling the internet “a very reliable source.”
Mission: Impossible – Final Reckoning touched the Rs 50 crore mark in India on May 23 ahead of its US release. The film opened to a massive Rs 16.5 crore business on the opening day. The film’s English version minted around Rs 34.05 crore, whereas its Hindi version made Rs 17.32 crore. Whereas in the US, the film earned Rs 68 crore (approx. $8.3 million) in Thursday previews, while Lilo & Stitch made approx. $14.5 million. The film is made on a budget of around Rs 3,320 crore (approx. $400 million).