Michelle Monaghan looks back on her career and recalls one particular on-screen moment that made her particularly nervous: locking lips with one of the greatest action heroes of all time.
The actress recently started working an interview with Collider – next to her Family plan Co-star Mark Wahlberg — and she opened up about shooting a steamy scene with Tom Cruise during her honeymoon with her husband, graphic artist and designer Peter White.
When asked which movie made her most nervous the night before the shoot, Monaghan didn’t hesitate when she said, “Mission: Impossible III, Certainly. Certainly. That was such a big movie for me.”
“I had just gotten married and actually skipped my honeymoon to jump straight into film,” she explained. “Then I remember going to work, and Tom and I had this kind of intimate scene, and of course that was the first scene.”
“Then I got home from work, I was so nervous and my husband said, ‘Don’t worry, you’re going to follow his lead. You’re going to have a great time. It’s going to be great,'” she explained. “I came home at the end of the day, opened the hotel room and he said, ‘How was it?’ I thought, ‘Oh my God, it was amazing. He was so nice. It was amazing.’ He says, “How cool is it that you were making out with Tom Cruise on our honeymoon?” Because we’re just such fans.”
Reflecting on the unusual circumstances, Monaghan exclaimed: “That’s a testament to the man I married, who has just completely supported me and is excited and enthusiastic about the opportunities.”
Monaghan and White met in 2000 and married in 2005. Together they share a 15-year-old daughter, Willow, and a 10-year-old son, Tommy.
She recalled how White wasn’t jealous, but instead was “so proud” of her for pursuing her dreams and succeeding.
“I worked hard to get that role, and it was just one of those things,” she said. “But of course I was very nervous the night before, and then I had a great shoot with JJ [Abrams] and Tom, and I have all the respect for them and that franchise.”
“I can’t believe I shared that story, but it’s the truth,” she added with a laugh.
As for Wahlberg’s experience with getting nervous, the actor said he typically feels that anxious energy at the beginning of every shoot.
“I’ll have the dream where I forgot the lines, I don’t have my script, no one’s there with my pages, stuff like that,” he said. “But once you take that first photo, you’re always like, ‘Okay, let’s go!’ As soon as you get the first chance.”
As for their current project, The Family PlanWahlberg plays Dan Morgan, a former world-class assassin who leaves that world behind to focus on his wife (played by Monaghan) and children, who don’t know his secret. When someone from his past comes back to kill him and threaten the life he’s built, he’s forced to take his unsuspecting family on vacation as an excuse to tie up loose ends.
Wahlberg and Monaghan recently spoke with ET about working together again as a married couple on screen – having previously done so in the 2016 drama Patriots Day.
According to Wahlberg, he knew immediately that Monaghan was the perfect actress for the role – with her talent for combining drama, comedy and action with humor and grace.
“I immediately recommended her,” Wahlberg said. “I think it’s a fine line with the action, the comedy and then you know it [my character] be able to keep this secret from his wife and not give the impression that she is aware of everything.”
For Monaghan, working with Wahlberg again was an opportunity eagerly accepted.
“I’ve admired Mark’s work for a while and when I read the script and the opportunity came my way, I jumped at the chance,” she said. “I love him.”
The Family Plan is now streaming on Apple TV+.
#Michelle #Monaghan #remembers #making #Tom #Cruise #honeymoon
