Mission Impossible 8: Simon Pegg Reacts To The Possibility Of Benji's Death

If there's one thing "Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One" proves, it's that even the veteran characters of the long-running action franchise aren't completely safe from harm's way. Characters like Luther Stickell (Ving Rhames) and Ilsa Faust (Rebecca Ferguson) have been a part of Ethan Hunt's (Tom Cruise) team for quite a while now, but there's always a chance that a fan-favorite character might unexpectedly bite the bullet. Imagine, if you will, a world where the "Mission: Impossible" series moves on without Simon Pegg's fan-favorite character Benji Dunn. Pegg himself certainly doesn't want to imagine such a possibility.

In an interview with CinemaBlend, Pegg spoke how he would feel if Benji were killed off in "Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part Two" or another future project. "As I think Luther says, we don't matter as much as the mission, and any one of us at any time could face the end. And if that happened, I'd be sad," the actor explained. "He's been in my life for 17 years. I've watched him, I've been him, growing up, becoming an older, more mature agent, and you know, they live a sort of tragic life in a way."

It's no surprise that Simon Pegg isn't very jazzed about the idea of Benji dying in a future installment of "Mission: Impossible" — after all, the performer has expressed his deep personal appreciation for the franchise on myriad occasions. In an interview with Men's Health, Pegg spoke about how his entrance into the series led to him developing a more positive lifestyle. "I was training on the job, and ever since then, really, it's been a huge part of my life to stay as fit and healthy as I possibly can," he said. "In that respect, 'Mission' really turned my life around."

Pegg has also talked about the unique experience of returning to Benji over the years. "It's such a privilege as an actor to be given the opportunity to build on a character," he told Observer. "When it's with a film series, you get to do it over a longer period of time. If you're playing a character in a TV show, that evolution is constant, whereas with this you get to readdress him or her every time you come to do another film and evolve them forensically. That's a real gift. It's always a no-brainer to say yes."

Of course, with all the dangerous stunts and intensive shoots, the "Mission: Impossible" movies aren't easy to make. Nonetheless, Pegg agreed with co-star Rebecca Ferguson in an interview with Metro.co.uk that their desire to return always springs anew after work on each entry is complete. "We always know it's going to be a challenge, we know we're going to travel, we know we're going to be up against time," Pegg said. "But like, Rebecca says, it's always worth it."