Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning's Pom Klementieff On Unleashing The 'Tiger' Inside Her [Exclusive Interview]

This interview contains spoilers for "Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part 1."

It's not every day that an actor joins a franchise already six movies in and manages to steal the show in the breadth of just a few scenes. That becomes exponentially more difficult (dare I say impossible?) when dealing with the likes of a series such as "Mission: Impossible," which traditionally stacks the field with Tom Cruise's latest death-defying stunt, a thrilling marriage between seamless VFX and practical stunt work, and an ensemble cast filled to the brim with heavy-hitters. "Dead Reckoning Part 1" didn't make things easy for actor Pom Klementieff to join the fray and immediately make her mark, but that's exactly what she does through her near-silent performance of Paris, a formidable assassin in league with Esai Morales' villainous Gabriel and the mysterious, algorithmic Entity.

Having embodied the empathy-driven character of Mantis throughout James Gunn's "Guardians of the Galaxy" trilogy and numerous other Marvel productions, Klementieff is hardly a stranger to the spotlight. But with "Dead Reckoning," both director Christopher McQuarrie and the actor herself both recognized the opportunity to flex some very different muscles. That much was made clear during the course of my Zoom interview with Klementieff, who opened up about her childhood fandom of the "Mission: Impossible" movies, the serendipity of following up her Marvel appearances with a character who's the exact opposite of Mantis, the improvisations she brought to Paris, and much more.

Note: This interview has been lightly edited for clarity and brevity.

I have to start with the fact that when my colleagues and I first watched "Dead Reckoning," we had a work call soon after to talk about the highlights of the movie, and unanimously, every single one of us said you were the highlight in every single scene that Paris was in.

[Laughs] Oh my gosh, so sweet. Thank you.

Was that a reaction you ever thought you would get back when you first joined this role?

You never know how it's going to be received, how the performance and the movie is going to be received. So, it's amazing when you hear the great reviews and people are like, "Yes, I love the character. It's great." But I think all the characters are so cool in this movie and they all shine. You all have a glimpse into their soul at one moment in the movie, at least.

In your discussions with Chris when you first joined, did he ever tell you what it was exactly that made him think of you specifically for this role? Was it maybe a past role? Did he see some untapped potential that other movies haven't keyed into but he wanted to bring out of you in this one?

I think what was exciting for him was to show people a different side of what I can do and that people haven't really seen. It was really fun to do that, and I feel super grateful that he gave me the opportunity to really go for it and just unleash the tiger that I have inside [laughs].

Your "Guardians" co-star Dave Bautista has chosen his post-Marvel roles specifically because he didn't want to be typecast as Drax. Did you have something similar in mind here? Because I feel like Paris is the exact opposite of Mantis in every possible way.

Yeah, it's true. It's so different and so funny that "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3" came out just a few months ago, and now Paris. So, it's really fun to promote these two movies, but the characters are just polar opposites. It's fun. It's the beauty of being an actor, being able to just go from rock and roll, to classical music, to [laughs] rap. 

What was your relationship with the "Mission: Impossible" movies before you joined "Dead Reckoning"? Were you a fan yourself, or was this sort of your first jumping off point into it?

Oh my God, of course. I've been a huge fan since I was a child, since I saw the first movie, and I saw all the movies several times. I've been, of course, a huge fan. It was one of my dreams to be in "Mission: Impossible," and to work with Tom as well. He was so inspiring that, yeah, it was a dream come true. In an interview on the red carpet in London, a journalist asked me and I was like, "Yeah, it was a dream Tom true. Oh, I mean, come true." [Laughs] It was so funny.

One of my absolute favorite moments in the movie is the big Rome vehicle chase sequence. Paris is smashing cars in that big Humvee, and it cuts to an interior shot and you just have this big smile in absolute glee at the mayhem that she's causing. Was that something ad-libbed on the day of shooting, or was that actually in the script?

No, it was not in the script. I just was having too much fun, so I was just having a blast. It's how I drive in real life, you have to know that [laughs].

How much did your character change during production and evolve over the course of development of the movie?

It was evolving all the time, always bringing new ideas. It was a very collaborative process between Tom, McQ, the costume designer, the hair and makeup people, and we're all just working in sync to create the character. So, it was constantly changing, and also there was a lot of improvisation, so a lot of freedom.

Were there any big action sequences or anything else that you filmed but was left on the cutting room floor that just didn't make into the final cut?

Ooooh. No, for the fight stuff, we kept everything. But there was just a cool shot in Abu Dhabi, at the airport. The outfit was amazing, and there's just a closeup in the movie. That was a cool outfit. [Costume designer] Jill Taylor, she found some really cool stuff. It's a shame that you don't see the full look. They know what they're doing. It's all about the story. It's not about just a cool outfit, so who cares? But I was still like, "Aww, this outfit was cool." [Laughs]

I have to ask you about the alleyway fight in Venice. That seems to be far and away your highlight of the movie. That's all you, right? It doesn't seem like it was filmed in a way that it was a stunt person doubling for you.

Yeah, it was all me in the alleyway fight. At some point, when I get smashed onto the ground, I think they wanted to use the stunt double because [Chris McQuarrie] said, "We don't want you to do that." I was like, "I want to do it." He was like, "No." So, I think [that] particular thing is the stunt double who did it, but all the rest, all the fight with Tom is with me, of course. But it's amazing to work with Tom, because you have to be in sync and you have to be listening to each other. So, it's not just about a fight choreography that you're following. You have to have the connection and be in the other person's rhythm as well.

Working with Tom and McQ is so interesting because sometimes in movies when you do action, you just learn a choreography, and just rehearse it, and do it, and perform it. It's very technical. It's great too, but for them, it's all about character, and it's all about what the audience is going to feel. So, it's not just about cool moves. It's about what happens between the characters, and sometimes what is important is when the character walks towards the other character, when the character is on the ground, and then going back up, and ready to fight again, and all the looks between the characters. It's just beautiful, and that's why I think the action scenes are so cool in "Mission: Impossible," because it's not just about the moves, it's about character.

You hear a lot of times about how actors come up with some elaborate backstory for their character, even if that information doesn't end up in the movie itself. Did you do something similar with Paris?

I don't really do these things, to be honest with you. I'm just more — I do my little Pom sauce [laughs]. No, but I worked on the feeling of lone wolf, cowboy vibe, rebel. I got inspired by weird videos of the bird, [the] shoebill stork. It's such a weird prehistoric bird. I was like, "Oh my God, this is my character" [laughs]. I think I look like the bird a little bit.

Getting into spoiler territory here, your character actually saves the day at the end with Paris' redemption arc and the information that she gives to Ethan Hunt at the very end. Did you ever think that you would end up playing such a huge role in the plot?

No, I had no clue. Nothing was written for sure. Things are always changing in this movie, but that's the beauty of it, too. It's such a beautiful moment, I think. It's amazing because people cheer during that moment when they see the movie in theaters. It's amazing to watch it on the big screen because you get to connect with everyone who's watching the movie at the same time and just being moved at the same time, and cheering, and it's just such a communal experience. It's amazing to be a part of that and to be like, "Oh, this is because my character does that."

I think all the characters' arcs are so beautiful in this movie, and I think at the end of the movie, as an audience member, you feel very satisfied with each character's arc. I think it's very rare in a movie like that, but I think it's also why Tom is so amazing, too. He really wants to make sure that every other character shines and he helps the movie even more. Sometimes movie stars don't do that, and actually the movie doesn't work because of that, but Tom has this sense of the full movie.

"Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One" is in theaters now.