Michelle Monaghan is looking back at her career, and recalling one particular on-screen moment that made her particularly nervous: locking lips with one of the biggest action heroes of all time.
The actress recently sat down for an interview with Collider — alongside her Family Plan co-star Mark Wahlberg — and she opened up about shooting a steamy scene with Tom Cruise while on her honeymoon with her husband, graphic artist and designer Peter White.
When asked what film had her the most nervous the night before shooting, Monaghan didn’t hesitate when she said, “Mission: Impossible III, for sure. For sure. That was such a big film for me.”
“I had just gotten married and kind of skipped my honeymoon to start the film right away,” she explained. “Then I remember going to work, and Tom and I had kind of an intimate scene, and of course that was the first scene.”
“Then I came home from work, I was so nervous, and my husband was like, ‘Don’t worry, you’re gonna follow his lead. You’re gonna have a great time. It’s going to be wonderful,'” she explained. “I come home at the end of the day, open up the hotel room, and he said, ‘How was it?’ I was like, ‘Oh my god, it was amazing. He was so nice. It was great.’ He goes, ‘How cool is it that you were making out with Tom Cruise on our honeymoon?’ Because we’re just such fans.”
Looking back at the unusual circumstances, Monaghan exclaimed, “That is a testament to the man that I married, who has just been totally supportive and is excited and jazzed for the opportunities.”
Monaghan and White met in 2000, and tied the knot in 2005. Together, they share a 15-year-old daughter, Willow, and 10-year-old son, Tommy.
She recalled how White was not 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 I was very nervous, of course, the night before, and then proceeded to have just an amazing shoot with J.J. [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’ll typically feel that anxious energy at the start of any shoot.
“I’ll have the dream where I forgot the lines, I don’t have my script, nobody’s there with my pages, that sort of thing,” he said. “But as soon as you get that first shot done, it’s always like, ‘Okay, let’s go!’ As soon as you get the first shot in the can.”
As for their current project, The Family Plan, Wahlberg plays Dan Morgan, a former world-class assassin who leaves that world behind to focus on his wife — played by Monaghan — and kids, who don’t know his secret. When someone from his past comes back to kill him and threaten the life he’s built, he has to take his unsuspecting family on a vacation as an excuse to tie up loose ends.
Wahlberg and Monaghan recently spoke with ET about working together as an on-screen married couple once again — after doing so previously in the 2016 drama Patriots Day.
According to Wahlberg, he knew right away that Monaghan was the perfect actress for the role — with her talent for blending drama, comedy and action with wit and grace.
“I recommended her right away,” Wahlberg said. “I think it’s a fine line with the action, the comedy and then also you know [my character] being able to keep this secret from his wife and not making it seem like she’s just oblivious to everything.”
For Monaghan, getting to work with Wahlberg again was an eagerly accepted opportunity.
“I’ve admired Mark’s work for quite some time and so when I read the script and I had this opportunity, I jumped at the chance,” she said. “I adore him.”
The Family Plan is now streaming on Apple TV+.
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