Hoffman, who recently won an Academy Award® for his performance in “Capote,” takes on the role of Owen Davian, Ethan Hunt’s most ruthless opponent yet. An international information and weapons trader without remorse or conscience, Hoffman describes it this way: “In this type of transaction, there’s a good cop and a bad cop. Davian’s the bad cop – he takes care of the dirty work.”
For Hoffman, Davian is a role he can sink his teeth into. “He’s not just a villain – he’s a psychopath,” says Hoffman. “He creates incredible empathy for Ethan; the darker, more evil, more vicious this man is toward the hero, the more you want the hero to take this man down.”
“M:i:III” presented new challenges to Hoffman. “I’ve never done an action film before,” he says, “and it’s something I’ve always wanted to do. I’ve known J.J. casually for many years, and I worked with Tom before, on ‘Magnolia.’ When I read the script, I was impressed with the three ingredients – Tom, J.J., and the screenplay – combined. I thought that the time was right to do this kind of project, with these people and with this script.”
According to Hoffman, Davian plays a pivotal role in the central tension of “M:i:III.” “Ethan and Julia – Tom’s and Michelle Monaghan’s characters – are two people who have a lot of fear as they get married,” says Hoffman. “It comes from the terror about what could happen. Am I going to lose this person? Am I going to lose myself if we unite? On an extreme level, they’re going through all the same things that keep people in everyday life from getting married. My character embodies that: the nightmare aspect that keeps people from making that kind of commitment.”
Joining Ethan Hunt as members of his IMF team are Luther Strickell (Ving Rhames) – the only person to join in on all three missions – as well as Declan (Jonathan Rhys Meyers), Zhen (Maggie Q), and Lindsey (Keri Russell). Laurence Fishburne plays Brassel, the director of the Impossible Mission Force, and Billy Crudup is Musgrave, Brassel’s right-hand man.
Ving Rhames reprises his role as computer expert Luther Strickell. In this film, says Rhames, it’s rewarding to see Luther’s relationship with Ethan explored in more depth than ever before. “In the first two movies, they never talked about their private lives,” says Rhames. “These two guys are co-workers and friends; this time, they talk about the things that friends talk about. That’s what J.J. has done – he’s made these people humans apart from what they do for a living.”
Rhames notes that Abrams’s directing style is, in some ways, like that of another director he’s worked with. “He reminds me of Quentin Tarantino and the youthful energy he brings to the set,” says the actor. “I think that’s contagious with actors.”
Jonathan Rhys Meyers joins the team as Declan, the team’s transportation expert: if you need it flown, driven, sailed, glided, helicoptered, or motored, he’s the man you want – despite his personality quirks. “Declan’s a fly-by-the-seat-of- your-pants, mad Irishman,” says Rhys Meyers, who was most recently seen in the lead role of Woody Allen’s “Match Point,” a performance for which he received rave reviews. “He’s part of the next generation of the IMF – Ethan’s grooming him. He’s got that risk element that Ethan likes in his team members.” Declan is also a chameleon, able to blend into any situation unnoticed. “One minute, he’s an Italian deliveryman; the next, he’s a geeky American tourist; and the next, a Vatican guard,” notes Rhys Meyers. “It’s very easy for him to slip into another character.”
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