Simon Pegg Gets Candid About Saying Goodbye to Benji in Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning

As the globe-trotting action saga nears its final mission, Simon Pegg is preparing to bid farewell to one of the most beloved characters of his career. Since first appearing as Benji Dunn in 2006’s Mission: Impossible III, Pegg has brought both levity and humanity to a franchise known for heart-stopping stunts and intricate espionage plots. Now, nearly two decades later, he’s reflecting on the role that changed his life and the legacy the Mission: Impossible series leaves behind.

I had the chance to sit down with Pegg ahead of the release of Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, and what followed was a thoughtful, often humorous conversation about what it means to say goodbye to a character after twenty years.

What He’ll Miss Most About Playing Benji Dunn

“Hey, Simon. How are you doing today?” I asked to kick off our conversation.
“Good, man. How are you?” he replied with a warm smile.

We jumped right into the subject at hand.

“You’ve been in all these Mission: Impossible films. What’s something you’re really going to miss about playing Benji?”

Without hesitation, he answered.

“I think probably just traveling. You know, we’ve been all around the world with these films. So many amazing locations and so many more on the press tours as well. Just the kind of adventure of being in Mission: Impossible. That’s what I’ll miss. It has been a 20-year adventure.”

There was a sense of nostalgia in his voice. This wasn’t just a job. It was a journey.

Lessons From Benji: How Playing a Character Shapes a Person

Actors often talk about taking a piece of a character with them after a role ends. For Pegg, portraying Benji wasn’t just about delivering lines or reacting to explosions.

“I feel like actors who play characters for a long time kind of learn from them as well. Has there ever been a time when you learned something from Benji that carried over into your everyday life?” I asked.

“Yeah,” Pegg said, nodding. “I’ve learned to do things. I learned how to drive a twin-engine speedboat. I learned how to drive a water taxi in Venice. I learned how to dive with a rebreather. But more than that, I’ve learned to take better care of myself.”

He paused before continuing.

“You have to be super match-fit to be in these films. You have to be ready for anything. And now, I approach life the same way Benji approaches his missions. Just be ready for anything life throws at you.”

It’s a subtle but powerful insight. Fiction can sharpen our real-world instincts and resilience.

The Fight That Never Happened: Benji’s Missing Moment

Throughout the series, Benji has been the brains behind the operation. A tech expert and strategist rather than a bruiser. But even with all the gadgetry and hacking, Pegg admitted there was one thing he always hoped Benji would get to do.

“Looking back at it now, is there something you always wanted to do with Benji that you didn’t get the chance to do?” I asked.

“I always wanted Benji to win a fight,” he said with a laugh. “Benji never won a fight.”

According to Pegg, that wasn’t an accident.

“McQuarrie is very particular about character. He didn’t want Benji doing things that didn’t align with who he is. Benji is not a blunt object like Ethan Hunt. Benji is a scalpel. A hacker, a computer wiz, a technical genius. He’s not the guy laying people out in hand-to-hand combat.”

There was, however, a compromise.

“We eventually agreed that maybe Benji could be involved in a draw. But I would’ve liked to see him get one clean win.”

I followed up with a fun challenge.

“If you could pick any character from the previous Mission: Impossible films for Benji to beat in a fight, who would it be?”

Without hesitation, Pegg grinned.

“Solomon Lane. I owe him. He took me apart very easily and then strung me up. I need revenge. He’s still out there, just locked away in maximum security. Maybe we could do a Rocky versus Mr. T kind of rematch.”

A Legacy of Relentless Evolution

As our conversation neared its end, I wanted to know how Pegg would like the franchise and especially the legacy of Benji and Ethan Hunt to be remembered.

“How would you like Benji and Ethan’s legacy to be remembered?” I asked.

“Just as a movie series that never slowed down,” Pegg said, his voice steady and reflective. “One that consistently tried to outdo its predecessor with every single installment. We never took our eye off the ball with these films. We always pushed ourselves. We always worked really hard to give the audience something truly spectacular.”

He continued.

“And I hope the film series stands up in the pantheon of franchises as the one that always got better.”

It’s a rare statement in an age of reboots and sequels. But in the case of Mission: Impossible, it might just be true.

Final Reckoning, Final Reflections

Simon Pegg’s run as Benji Dunn has been more than a supporting role in a blockbuster franchise. He has brought intelligence, warmth, humor, and heart to a cinematic universe dominated by adrenaline and danger.

As The Final Reckoning approaches, fans will be saying goodbye not just to a series of extraordinary action sequences but to characters who have grown alongside them over decades. And perhaps no character exemplifies that growth quite like Benji.

For Pegg, it has been a global adventure, a professional evolution, and, most of all, a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

And for the rest of us, it has been a joy to watch.