Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning: Hayley Atwell Reveals Most Terrifying Moment of Filming

By Spencer Perry

Hayley Atwell has already had her share of stunt maneuvers on film with the Marvel Cinematic Universe. With the upcoming Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One however, she had to learn an entirely new skill, car drifting. Not unlike our friends the Toretto family, the former Agent Carter star will get behind the wheel and swing it through the streets, while Tom Cruise sits in the passenger seat. For Atwell though, filming the stunt wasn't as nerve-wracking as the original prepartiong was. Speaking with ComicBook.com at the red carpet for the world premiere of Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One, the actress was quick to confirm what that exact moment was.

"I think it was probably when I was prepping, I was in the early stages of learning how to drift with Wade Eastwood on a race track in England. I had just gotten into the swing of it literally, and I worked it out. But I had so much adrenaline in my body. And then he looks at the rear view window and he goes, 'Oh, brilliant. Tom's here. He's just going to probably just like, fly in and hang out with you. Don't worry. You're totally safe, but just enjoy it.' And I remember (thinking) what? And I looked up and a helicopter was above me and Tom had arrived to find out how I was getting on. To come and say hello. And Wade goes, \Oh, just play with him. Show him drifting from that from the height of the helicopter.' And I said, okay. I think the thing with Tom is that it's so adrenalizing and yet you feel invigorated by it because he wants the best view. So you just learn how to kind of be fearless in the moment and let go. And it's exhilarating."

Atwell went on to praise Cruise's perfectionism as an actor and producer, noting that he's always thinking about what the audience wants to see more than anything. She adds: 

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"I've seen him have all these ideas and put them on film and then he'll be in the edit and he be like, 'I thought it worked at the time, but it's kind of boring me now. Let's just cut it. I don't think the audience want it.' And he really wants to know what it is, what it is that excites them, and he's always wanting to deliver that and move outside of his comfort zone and confront the work and go, What is this communicating? What is the lens saying here? Always, always digging deep to make sure that he's delivering on his promise." 

Tom Cruise is back as Ethan Hunt in Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One, which premieres in theaters on July 12th. It's the beginning of the end for the action-packed franchise, as Cruise reteams with longtime collaborator and filmmaker Christopher McQuarrie for more death-defying and breathtaking stunts. Hunt and allies Ilsa Faust (Rebecca Ferguson), Luther Stickell (Ving Rhames), and Benji Dunn (Simon Pegg) attempt to track down a new weapon with the power to tear the world apart. Actors Hayley Atwell, Pom Klementieff, and Esai Morales join the cast for the latest installment in the Mission: Impossible franchise, which is set to wrap up with Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part Two.

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