‘Mission: Impossible – Fallout’: Michelle Monaghan Tells Fans What to Expect From Julia’s Highly Anticipated Return

Michelle Monaghan is back! So go ahead and pour yourself a drink because you’re going to need it. Monaghan told PopCulture.com Mission: Impossible – Fallout is “intense” and “emotional.”

Fans didn’t expect Monaghan’s return as Julia Meade-Hunt and neither did she, since it appeared her character died at the end of M:I III. But Monaghan made a cameo in Ghost Protocol, the fourth installment, where it was revealed that her death was staged in order to protect her and Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise).

“I think that in four, you think they made the ultimate sacrifice and maybe she kind of ran off into the sunset for her safety, and now she’s back,” Monaghan said.

The actress said she had “no idea there were plans to bring Julia back” and that she was so excited when she got the phone call.

In fact, the storytelling process for Mission: Impossible – Fallout started with her character.

When director Christopher McQuarrie asked Cruise what he wanted from the story for Fallout, Cruise responded with: “I want to tie up the story of Julia.”

The love story between Julia and Ethan is something fans have latched onto for years now. Ferguson describes Ethan letting Julia go “to keep her safe and out of harm’s way” as the “ultimate expression of love.”

“Because this film is a culmination of all the Missions, we talked a lot about emotion and you can’t have that emotion without bringing Julia back,” Cruise said. “There’s a yearning and a romantic notion that we play with. Michelle’s work is exceptional and she is just a wonderful person.”

Monaghan said fans can expect to see the two back together for the sixth installment, but in a “much different way.”

“It’s such an important franchise and it means a lot to the fans, in particular this love story, so coming back I wanted to serve it well,” she said.

Monaghan said she was “excited, nervous” to return. “I was thinking, ‘Gosh it’s been a while, am I going to be able to get back into the skin of Julia?’”

McQuarrie was also determined to bring in “a more feminine side” to the movie. Bringing Monaghan back, alongside Rebecca Ferguson, Angela Bassett and Vanessa Kirby, certainly brought some lady-boss status to the big screen!

Mission: Impossible – Fallout comes to theaters on Friday, July 27. The sixth installment of the franchise also includes Cruise, Henry Cavill and Simon Pegg.

Photo Credit: Paramount