Shea Whigham Shares Reaction to Final ‘Mission: Impossible’ Movie

It’s hard to believe that Tom Cruise is still churning out acclaimed Mission: Impossible films almost 30 years after the first modern “mission” hit the masses. And with the “final reckoning” arriving in the not-too-distant future, fans of the franchise are clearly excited: The trailer for the eighth Mission: Impossible film racked up a whopping 17 million views in its first two days on YouTube. Starring alongside Cruise in this next installment is acclaimed actor Shea Whigham, who has been keeping busy with a number of other projects of late. MovieWeb caught up with the Boardwalk Empire star leading up to the release of his acclaimed new film Lake George, out this week, and Whigham spoke about Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning as well. He reprises his role as Jasper Briggs.

“I think it’s going to be amazing. I really do, because of [Tom] and [director Christopher] McQuarrie there… I’ve got to be careful. I can’t give away too much. I get in trouble. I’ve gotten in trouble already. I think one of the great things is just to be around these guys that love cinema. I mean, Tom, there’s nothing phony about him when he says how much he loves and he wants people to come to see movies… There’s a reason why they’re getting better. Each Mission gets better.”

Whigham also drew a parallel between his Mission: Impossible scene partner Tom Cruise and his co-star in Lake George, the reliably superb Carrie Coon:

“I kind of have this thing… I’m going to do my best work off-camera for her or for Tom, you know what I mean? And if, conversely, if they feel the same way, you’re generous, the generosity within scenes and acting partners — and I told Carrie that early on, ‘I’m going to do my best work off-camera for you,’ and you do, then you get something that is visceral and people respond to it. And I think that’s what makes [
Lake George
] so enjoyable to watch. It has depth and it has levity, and it surprises you in places, and it makes you feel for these two characters.”

Related: Tom Cruise is Taking on His Toughest Task with ‘Mission: Impossible 8’s Popcorn Bucket

The “Charisma” of Carrie Coon

In Lake George, Whigham plays Don, an ex-con fresh out of federal prison who gets hired by his former mob boss (Glenn Fleshler) to kill his ex-lover and business partner, Phyllis (Coon). Of course, things don’t go according to plan, leading to an unlikely alliance between Don and Phyllis. Whigham discussed working with Carrie Coon, one of the best actors alive (just watch The Leftovers if you don’t believe that).

“Carrie takes really good care of me in real life in odd ways. I kind of feel the same way with her. I want to see her get her due as an actress, you know? I think she’s a great ‘character actress,’ which I don’t really know what that means. She’s an actress who should be playing these kinds of roles, and if there’s a better performance right now — and I’ve seen a lot — I haven’t seen it.”

“She has, you know, the charisma,” Whigham told us about his co-star, years after they appeared together in Season 3 of Fargo. “[Her work in Lake George] is closer to the Carrie that I know. She’s goofy when she needs and zany, and like she swallowed a light bulb, you know, charisma. But she also is very thoughtful and a great listener. And that’s what you need. That’s a lost art today in film, is to be able to listen on camera.” From Magnolia Pictures, Lake George will be released in theaters and on digital December 6. Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning hits theaters May 23, 2025.

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Lake George

Lake George follows a recently released white-collar criminal who is strong-armed by mobsters to execute a hit on Phyllis, but instead the two hatch a plan to steal money from the people who want her dead.