My job is to terrify, determined insanity is the last thing you want coming after you: 'MI:8' villain Esai Morales
My job is to terrify, determined insanity is the last thing you want coming after you: 'MI:8' villain Esai Morales
New Delhi, How does one play a compelling villain opposite an iconic hero like Tom Cruise's Ethan Hunt? It's like creating a Frankenstein where you put together pieces in a way that's credible without being obvious, says Esai Morales, who plays the suave and menacing antagonist in "Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning".
Morales debuted as Gabriel, a mysterious and highly dangerous man with a dark past tied to Cruise's spy agent Hunt, in 2023's "Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning". He reprises the role in the latest chapter "The Final Reckoning", set for release in India on Saturday.
"Sometimes the scariest people aren't the ones that yell or threaten. It's this cool dissociated psychopathy that is intelligent and determined... This kind of determined insanity is the last thing you want coming after you," Morales told PTI in an exclusive virtual interview.
The actor, also known for starring in movies such as "Bad Boys" and "La Bamba" as well as OTT shows "Ozark" and "Titans", said portraying a villainous character on screen is a game of borrowing and subtracting.
"It takes a lifetime of watching the human condition in order to create a character where you borrow from yourself and you add and subtract other elements. It's almost like a Frankenstein where you have pieces and you put them together in a way that's credible," the 62-year-old said.
As a villain, Morales said his aim was to portray someone so unsettling and chilling that audiences would be disturbed by even the idea of meeting a character like this in the real world.
"Not everyone gets what you intend to do. So my job isn't to make it obvious. My job is to terrify, my job is to make you not want to encounter someone like this in real life. So I take account of what it is that scares me, what it is that makes me scary. And I apply it," he said.
In "Dead Reckoning", Gabriel serves as the agent of The Entity, a powerful and rogue artificial intelligence that threatens global stability. And he is the one who will battle it out with Hunt for the control of the AI programme in "The Final Reckoning".
Gabriel's personal history with Hunt's past gives an emotional weight to their conflict, making him not just a villain but a personal nemesis for Cruise's character.
Morales said he has deep respect for both Tom Cruise and director Christopher McQuarrie.
Cruise has headlined the franchise in eight films, starting with "Mission: Impossible" in 1996.
He has followed it up with successful sequels — “Mission: Impossible 2” , “Mission: Impossible III” , “Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol” , “Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation” , “Mission: Impossible – Fallout” and “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning” .
McQuarrie joined the franchise as the director with "Rogue Nation" and has been a regular ever since.
"You're talking about two people who've combined their efforts and created a team that will spare no expense. The joy that they take in creating joy for their audiences is infectious," Morales said.
"We have hard lives and we go to the movies to travel where we can't travel, to experience what we normally can't experience. So filming is kind of like creating another world that other people can tap into," he added.
According to Morales, the most suitable format for watching "The Final Reckoning" is IMAX, which is an "immersive experience".
"You're there and it's all around you. Every frame is designed to serve the story. And in certain cases there are little clues here and there that I think the audience will find fun," he said.
"The Final Reckoning" will explore the whole arc of the character's journey from being a cheeky young agent in "Mission: Impossible" to a weathered spy in the latest movie.
"He is like a kid in the beginning of this... and grows into this weathered person. Every line in your face is a story. I think women will tell you that they appreciate the older men in their lives for the gray hair and the lines on their faces, as opposed to where most people hide from these things. We earn the weathered look. His character Ethan has gone through so much," he added.
"The Final Reckoning" is speculated to be the last entry in the franchise, but Morales is not ready for it to end.
"Let's just say it's the 'Final Reckoning' maybe or maybe not. That's the thing. You never know. But I'll tell you one thing. If you love these movies, if you love this experience and you go and you get your friends to go, it's likely that it won't be the last.
"That's not official. That's just me going, 'how could it be?' If the people want it, they will make it for you," the actor said.
"Mission: Impossible - Final Reckoning", directed by McQuarrie and co-produced by Cruise, will be released in India in English, Hindi, Tamil and Telugu. The film, which also features Hayley Atwell, Simon Pegg and Angela Bassett, is presented by Paramount Pictures and Skydance Productions.
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