Despite having acted in many action movies over his career, Billy Bob Thornton was not interested in joining Mission: Impossible, one of the most popular action series ever, merely because of the role he would play.
Thornton discussed two villain parts he has declined over his career in a recent interview with the Binge worthy podcast: the Green Goblin in Spider-Man (2002) and weapons dealer Owen Davian in Mission: Impossible III (2006). The issue was his job in connection to Cruise’s agent character Ethan Hunt, not that he was acting with Tom Cruise.
“Those kinds of roles don’t really appeal to me,” the Sling Blade star said bluntly. When it came to the Green Goblin, I didn’t want to wake up at four in the morning to spend five or six hours applying makeup. In Mission: Impossible III, I also didn’t want to be the one attempting to murder Tom Cruise. If you play the antagonist in a major motion picture like that, people will never forget it. I like things to be less regimented and more flexible.
Even so, the Mission: Impossible series has endured in popular culture for nearly 20 years. As Los Angeles is ready to host the 2028 Games, Cruise’s typically daring feats were showcased at this year’s Olympic closing ceremony. Additionally, the eighth game in the series, which is a sequel to Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One from 2023, is scheduled for release in the spring.
On May 23, 2025, Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning will be released in theaters. Paramount+ is currently streaming Thornton’s latest series, Landman.