Mission: Impossible star Hayley Atwell speaks out about Ethan & Grace’s relationship

Are Ethan and Grace a couple, or is it just a situationship? After Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, Hayley Atwell has broken down their unique relationship.

In Mission: Impossible 3, Ethan Hunt got his first proper love interest (who knows what happened to Thandiwe Newton’s Nyah in M:II): Julia.

At the end of Ghost Protocol, it’s revealed that he faked her death so she could live a peaceful life without any risk of being affected by the IMF’s missions. This paved the way for Ilsa Faust, a fierce MI6 agent who’s basically Ethan’s soulmate; they are one and the same, and in Dead Reckoning, there’s no doubt that they love each other.

Sadly, she died so someone else could live: Grace, the pickpocket introduced in Dead Reckoning and the newest member of the IMF. Ethan and Grace share a strong, emotional connection – but is it romantic? Spoilers to follow…

Hayley Atwell explains Ethan and Grace’s relationship in Mission: Impossible

Paramount Pictures

By the end of The Final Reckoning, Grace is a fully-fledged member of Ethan’s team. However, while they have a close, affectionate bond, it’s never made clear if they have a romantic connection.

Speaking to Dexerto, Atwell said: “I’m pleased that she wasn’t a notch on the bed post either, [or] that she was the new token brunette. I think that we want more from our action films.

“The idea that female representation is reduced to becoming the object of desire or running on a romantic agenda is just not something audiences are interested about anymore, I’m certainly not.”

For Atwell, the “natural evolution” of Ethan and Grace’s chemistry “takes you in lots of different places.”

Paramount Pictures

“With anyone in kind of an intimate relationship with anyone, they have different versions of themselves and different circumstances bring out different qualities in that relationship, whether it’s sibling, maternal, paternal, romantic, intellectually stimulating – I think you can do lots of things to each other. I think ultimately they care about each other as human beings.”

This echoes what Atwell said in another interview with CBS News, where she described Grace’s “nuanced intimacy” with Ethan.

“The woman is not just the object of desire or not led with a romantic agenda,” she said.

“There’s intellectual stimulation between them, common cause that brings them together, something that feels sibling-like, maternal.”

If you’ve seen the film, check out our breakdown of Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning’s ending. If you’re nervous about its runtime, find out when to take a pee break, and you can also check out our ranking of every Mission: Impossible movie and how much money it needs to make at the box office to break even.