REBECCA FERGUSON

The Swedish-born actress, 34, from The Girl on the Train, The Greatest Showman and TV’s The White Queen is back in action in Mission: Impossible—Fallout (July 27). Ferguson’s character, British intelligence agent Ilsa Faust, reunites with Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) in a new action-packed race against time to prevent a global catastrophe.

What about Ilsa brought you back to the series?

I love that Ilsa is just a mean, cool, brilliant, great agent—a lone wolf.

Was Tom the inspiration for you to do some of your own stunts?

Seeing Tom do it absolutely was a catalyst for me. You never realize how much work and effort is behind all of the stunt work. I had the most incredible stunt team. Lucy Cork, my stunt double, was always there showing me the moves.

You sing—why didn’t you do the vocals for your role as Jenny Lind in The Greatest Showman?

I can sing; I’ve gone to music school. But Jenny was supposed to be one of the world’s most incredible singers. That I am not.

With Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again in theaters, and you being Swedish, are you an ABBA fan?

You can’t really come from Sweden and not be a fan of ABBA, Ikea or caviar. Sweden is not very big, so when my fellow actors do a good job— Alicia Vikander or Alexander Skarsgård— it excites me. If I hear ABBA, it feels a little like someone is giving me a little hug and going, “Here’s home, here you go.”