You might not instantly recognize his name, but you’ll definitely know Shea Whigham’s face. The 52 year-old has become one of the industry’s most unsung character actors, showing up in a wide and eclectic array of projects ranging from acclaimed dramas to billion-dollar blockbusters.
Just a sample of his credits include three installments in the Fast & Furious franchise, Machete, The Wolf of Wall Street, American Hustle, Kong: Skull Island, Bad Times at the El Royale, Joker, Boardwalk Empire, Season 1 of True Detective, Agent Carter, Fargo and Narcos. During that time, he’s worked with some of the biggest names in the business, and Tom Cruise’s Mission: Impossible 7 will be added to his filmography next September.
In a new interview with ScreenRant to promote upcoming Jon Bernthal black comedy drama Small Engine Repair, Whigam said the independent shoot wasn’t all that different from Mission: Impossible 7 in many respects, while he had high praise for the movie’s leading man and director Christopher McQuarrie.
“In ways, you think this huge canvas of Mission Impossible would be a lot different from what we did here, and I’m not being facetious in this answer, there’s a lot different obviously, but there’s a lot the same because Cruise and McQuarrie, they’re cinephiles, they’re always chasing story and character and they’re always wanting to know where the pressure lies from the scene before going into the next scene. So there were these creative conversations that we would have ourselves in something as intimate as Small Engine Repair. It’s going to be very good because those guys don’t make bad movies.”
While Cruise does boast a track record of success that’s seen him reign at the top of the A-list for 35 years and counting, Whigham clearly hasn’t seen The Mummy, because he’s definitely appeared in a stinker or two. Based on the quality of Ghost Protocol, Rogue Nation and Fallout, though, Mission: Impossible 7 is surely destined for greatness.