Impossible's Henry Czerny Had Real CIA Prep For His Role As Kittridge

For Henry Czerny, doing prep at the CIA was important, with the actor acknowledging how the organization was interested in making sure that their work was portrayed accurately. "So, I did all kinds of homework there," Czerny continued. "And then I had the script with me, and I didn't try to show them the script, but I knew the questions that I wanted to ask them about it." Of course, Czerny isn't the only actor who has met with the CIA to prep for roles. Most recently, "Jack Ryan" actor John Krasinski revealed that he met with real agents to round out his character. It's not uncommon for actors to go deep into research mode, with their hard work paying off ... usually.

With all the knowledge he needed to play the best version of Kittridge, Czerny headed to the film's production, only to be told that his prep work was not needed. "It was, 'Thank you very much, but please keep that to yourself. Great backstory for you. I love that you did that for you,'" Czerny added. As expected, the actor was disappointed that Brian De Palma and co. weren't receptive to the work he had put in. No matter, Czerny thought, as he consulted with former franchise producer Paula Wagner after "Mission: Impossible" had debuted, telling her the number of ways the film had failed Kittridge. 

"And that's the last I saw of 'Mission: Impossible,'" Czerny added. "I burned that bridge." That is until now. Fans of the franchise were delighted when it was revealed that Kittridge would be returning for "Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One," coming back into the iconic role after nearly three decades.