All missions have led to this! You can experience the epic, action-packed culmination of the groundbreaking Mission: Impossible franchise at home starting August 19, 2025, when Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning becomes available to buy on Digital.
Fans who purchase the film on Digital can take a deep dive into the breathtaking production with behind-the-scenes interviews, exclusive commentary, and deleted footage not seen in theatres.
Last week, we sat down with Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning star Holt McCallany to discuss his standout role as Serling Bernstein, the US Secretary of Defense. During our conversation, The Iron Claw and Mindhunter star reflected on delivering an instantly iconic piece of dialogue, Tom Cruise's jaw-dropping stunts, and why he loved working with co-star Angela Bassett.
The actor is excellent in the movie, and a screen veteran who never fails to impress. With Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, he makes a big impact in a supporting role, particularly in a sequence which sees him recap Ethan Hunt's many wild exploits as an IMF agent.
You can check out the full interview with Holt in the player below.
You have that great line in the film—"You gave him an aircraft carrier"—but how closely do you work with Chris McQuarrie when it came to making sure a line like that lands the right way?
You know, that is a wonderful question because the truth of the matter is, I think that line is something Chris added in the scene that wasn't originally scripted. He asked me to do it many different ways, and we tried it in a variety of different intonations, and the one that he chose I thought really worked and really landed. It would be interesting to see some of the other takes that didn't make it into the cut, but I was very happy with the one Chris chose.
And just to follow up very briefly, what a terrific guy. What a good writer. And what a good director. I really liked working with Christopher McQuarrie, and we had a really special rapport from the very beginning. He was very gracious to myself and some of the other actors in the cast, inviting us to his home for dinner with his wife and just going out of his way to show his appreciation for our hard work. And building a relationship that I hope will lead to future collaborations.
I know you've worked with Tom Cruise before, and Simon Pegg has talked about how his stunts are very anxiety-inducing. I know you weren't necessarily there when Tom was performing them, but just watching this film, what was it like to see your co-star putting himself in these crazy, perilous situations?
Yeah, you know, what it inspires—I won't lie to you—is jealousy. Marlon Brando famously said, "An actor is a guy who, if you ain't talking about him, he ain't listening.' And so, I like to do my own stunts as well, and it's one of the things I think I have in common with Tom. I play the Secretary of Defence, so I'm not really involved with the action, and I know that this particular franchise, I believe, has come to an end, so there will be no more Bernstein, but I would have loved to be able to participate in some of those action sequences because they're so well done. They're done on such a high level. They really take their time and really do it right. That isn't always the case on every movie, so yeah, there was a part of me that thought, "Wow, that looks amazing. Boy, I wish I was part of it." That's the truth.
You didn't get involved with the stunts, but you get some great scenes with Angela Bassett as the U.S. President. What was it like bouncing off with in those scenes as the person she relies on while Ethan Hunt is causing all this chaos?
I really adore Angela. What a beautiful and talented lady she is. I had done a television series with her husband, a great actor named Courtney Vance, and I had just finished the series when I went on to the film, and I had had a really positive experience with Courtney and had maybe a better experience working with Angela. I remember I threw a party for the cast, and she came, and just her presence lights up a room. When she smiles...I know that as the President in a situation like that, when there's so much at stake, you don't get to see that side of her in the film, but you get to see it when you spend time with her socially. She is just one of the nicest, kindest, funniest, most beautiful ladies in Hollywood. I hope I get to make another film with her.
Fingers crossed that's Mission: Impossible 9, because you never know.
[Laughs]
Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning is now available to buy on Digital.