“Even Tom Cruise doesn’t know his lines”: Léa Seydoux reveals a surprising Mission: Impossible secret

Let's talk about that time Léa Seydoux got dragged into the world of Mission: Impossible (specifically, Ghost Protocol) at the last possible second. She's recently been on The Tonight Show, chatting with Jimmy Fallon, and dropped a few nuggets about how she wound up in the film and what it was actually like working with Tom Cruise. There's an anecdote in here that honestly surprised me, so stick around.

Thrown Into the Deep End

Seydoux admits she was "pretty nervous" walking onto such a big franchise, not least because she was a last-minute replacement. The call to join Ghost Protocol came less than a fortnight out, and she had just ten days before filming with Cruise. No time for prep, no warm-up, and best of all—she wasn't even allowed to read the script ahead of time. She only knew she was playing a villain. That's some proper spy game nonsense right there.

Léa Seydoux, on The Tonight Show, remembered: "They called me, and they said, 'Are you available to shoot in 10 days?'"

In other words, barely any notice, no script, turn up and try not to look daft opposite one of the world's biggest movie stars.

No Script, No Problem?

To be fair, Seydoux had plenty of praise for Cruise, calling him "great" to work with. But then she shared a behind-the-scenes detail that you'd never expect from Mr. Mission: Impossible himself: apparently, even Tom Cruise didn't know his lines.

Here's what Seydoux told Fallon about her surprise on set: "He was great, and he didn't know his lines, which was like... Even Tom Cruise doesn't know his lines."

I'd have lost that bet, frankly. If there's one bloke you'd think shows up absolutely ready, it's Tom Cruise. But sometimes it seems you just have to wing it, even at the top.

The Future of the Franchise

So what is actually happening with Mission: Impossible now Cruise's meant to be signing off? Originally, parts seven and eight were cooked up as a two-part saga. Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One landed in 2023. The follow-up was rebranded from "Dead Reckoning Part Two" to Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning and released in 2025, which was sold as Cruise's last time out as Ethan Hunt.

Mission: Impossible has made over $4.73 billion worldwide across its eight films.

However, the ending of Final Reckoning doesn't exactly close the book on Ethan Hunt. It sort of leaves the window open, because of course it does—the franchise has hauled in a staggering $4.73 billion at the box office over those eight films. No one's keen to just let that go. Cruise himself has gone on record wanting to keep acting "until he turns 80," which hasn't slowed down feverish online theories that we might get a ninth instalment—or possibly a new lead taking over. Right now, though, Paramount Pictures hasn't announced any plans for Mission: Impossible 9 or an Ethan Hunt replacement. So it's all rumour and wishful thinking—at least for now.