Ridley was one of the biggest discoveries of 2015, but one actress topped even her for a stunning Hollywood debut in a long-established series of megabucks adventure flicks. You could guarantee Star Wars a place in the record-smashing books whether the girl who played Rey was capable or not. Rebecca Ferguson on the other hand went it alone and whipped up her own storm of appreciation. Though Mission: Impossible had certainly earned the green over three decades, there's a sense it's a string to waning star Tom Cruise's bow more than anything. Instalments such as Ghost Protocol are all well and good but to me they appear a nest egg as opposed to a movie that audiences were on their knees for. Ferguson not only stole the explosion-laden show, she did it seemingly out of nowhere in Tinseltown terms. Her most notable role before that had been in BBC historical epic The White Queen. Going from wearing crowns to breaking them is no mean feat, and she gave the long-standing franchise a much-needed adrenaline shot to the eyeball at a point when it could easily have collapsed in a soggy heap.
I am a journalist and comedian who enjoys American movies of the 70s, Amicus horror compendiums, Doctor Who, Twin Peaks, Naomi Watts and sitting down. My short fiction has been published as part of the Iris Wildthyme range from Obverse Books.
