Esai Morales Explains Why His Villain Is “Ferocious” In ‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One’

Esai Morales and Pom Klementieff in Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning Part One from Paramount Pictures and Skydance.

Actor Esai Morales, who plays the villainous Gabriel, in Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One, recently shared why he believes his character is so “ferocious.”

Speaking with Fandango about the film, Morales first explained how heroes need good villains to prove their heroism.

He said, “I think your heroes, the more formidable a foe your hero has the bigger the mountain. And you can’t have a hill. You need something ferocious.”

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Morales then went on to explain how he brings that to the camera, “For me it’s about tapping into the pain in my life, tapping into the times where I’ve had to draw deep and it’s serious stuff.”

“I think that McQuarrie and Tom know how to capture that, and edit it, and put it together in a way that leaves a lasting impact,” he continued. “The movie is haunting. The character I play is haunting.”

From there Morales elaborated, “I play it tied to his past, Ethan Hunt’s past. And as I’ve said a couple of time, I think, nobody can threaten your future more than somebody who knows your past.”

When asked about the character’s backstory and how it was developed, Morales revealed, “Well, the thing is that I talk to the director more, and then Tom comes in and he fine tunes. He has an eye. Come on, he’s been doing this at such a high level for so long. He knows what works with the audience. He knows.”

“And it’s funny,” he continued. “I loved watching the fun aspects. So for me this is a dream come true.”

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Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One sees “Ethan Hunt and his IMF team embark on their most dangerous mission yet: To track down a terrifying new weapon that threatens all of humanity before it falls into the wrong hands.”

“With control of the future and the fate of the world at stake, and dark forces from Ethan’s past closing in, a deadly race around the globe begins. Confronted by a mysterious, all-powerful enemy, Ethan is forced to consider that nothing can matter more than his mission – not even the lives of those he cares about most,” the film’s official description concludes.

The film features a star studded cast including Tom Cruise, Esai Morales, Hayley Atwell, Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Rebecca Ferguson, Vanessa Kirby, Pom Klementieff, Mariela Garriga, Henry Czerny, Shea Whigham, Greg Tarzan Davis, Charles Parnell, Frederick Schmidt, Cary Elwes, Mark Gatiss, Indira Varma, and Rob Delaney.

The movie is written by Christopher McQuarrie and Erik Jendresen. McQuarrie also directs the film.

The movie is currently in theaters now.

What do you make of Morales’ comments about his villainous character and how it raises the level of the hero?

NEXT: After ‘Indiana Jones’ Craters At The Box Office, Actress Haley Atwell Says “‘Mission: Impossible’ Is The Most Extraordinary Adventure Franchise You’ve Ever Seen”

 

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