“I find that, even with great success comes the next ladder of challenges.”
For Michelle Monaghan, a major perk of returning for The Family Plan 2 was the location. “It was incredible. I’d never been to London during the holiday season. I’ve been to London, but it’s different at Christmastime.” Monaghan plays Jessica Morgan in the action comedy about a family on the run because of her husband, played by Mark Wahlberg, and his past. Monaghan was also excited to explore her character’s physicality. “Jessica Morgan is a decathlete. She does the pole vault and whatnot that kind of goes awry in the first [film], but they lean into it in the second.” She credits director Simon Cellan Jones for finding the right balance in the sequel. “He’s a wonderful comedic director, and he really understands tone. Moreover, he really trusts the actors.” Fresh off the last season of The White Lotus, Monaghan is setting her eyes on her next goal. “I really, really want to do theater.”
Editor’s Note: This conversation has been edited and condensed for publication.
Tell me about what inspired you to reprise your role as the Morgan matriarch in this sequel.
Well, I was so excited to even just do the first Family Plan. I have been working in this industry, as you know, for over 20 years. I’ve made very few films for kids. And I had worked with Mark years ago on Patriots Day, and I’d worked with Skydance [production company], of course, on the Mission [Impossible] movies and have a great relationship with them. And I have children myself. I have a 17-year-old daughter and a 12-year-old son. And so when Mark and Skydance sent me the script about The Family Plan, I really related to so many of the dynamics, the family dynamics in that. I also related to the fact that it was action and comedy and still very grounded. And so I jumped at the chance to do the first [Family Plan], and then of course it became very beloved internationally and said when they said they were gonna do the second, and I found out that we were gonna get to go abroad to Paris and London. I’m no fool. I was like, very excited to get to do this again. Particularly because I am so fond of Mark, but also of course, Zoe Colletti and Van Crosby who play our children.
The sequel is set in Europe, as you mentioned, in London and in Paris. What was it like filming in these iconic cities during the holidays?
I mean, it was incredible. I’d never been to London during the holiday season. I’ve been to London. But it’s different at Christmastime during the holidays. It is such a festive city, all over the city. And you know, Paris as well, but getting to shoot all of these sequences. I mean, we literally shot the exterior for the exterior. And so, we were at these incredible landmarks utilizing them for the film. And so, I really felt that I was[n’t] actually working. I felt like I was getting to be a tourist in the city, and I was getting to go and see these places without having to buy a ticket or stand in line or any of these things. So, it was a real treat. And in fact, we were shooting there this time last year in London, and I called my husband, and I was like, “You guys have to come over here for Christmas. We have to celebrate Christmas in London!” Because it is just such a beautiful city. And so, you know, listen, this is one of the privileges of doing this job is you know, getting to go around the world and see new places. And you can bet I take advantage of every second of it. I really do.
Christmas in London sounds really, really special.
Yeah, I highly recommend it. There’s drink and lots of ice-skating, and it’s really pretty.
You did all of your own stunts in this movie?
I can’t say a hundred percent. I do as much as they’ll allow me to do because I do love stunts. It’s an aspect of my personality that I love to be able to tap into. I like to skydive, I like to bungee jump. I didn’t actually find any kind of athleticism until I started the Mission Impossible franchise. And they said, you know, “You’re gonna have to do a few stunts. You should start training.” And they hooked me up with like a Muay Thai boxer, and it was the first time in my life that I kind of discovered any kind of body awareness. But that film really kind of kicked off my love of doing stunts. And so, on this particular film, it was stunt heavy. I learned a significant amount of choreography. And I think you briefly saw that I do kind of this long jump in between buildings. And if you’re familiar with the first film, you find out that Jessica Morgan is a decathlete. So, she does the pole vault and whatnot that kind of goes awry in the first [film], but they lean into it in the second. So, I got to do the long jump and get on a wire and do the big, long jump. And that, for me, is really exciting.
So I guess you’re not afraid of heights?
No, I’m not. I’m not afraid of heights.
So, Kit Harrington joins this sequel. Were you a Game of Thrones fan?
Yes, I’m a huge Kit Harrington fan. I’ve really admired his work and then getting to just know him as a human. He’s just a really amazing guy. And his addition to this Morgan family dynamic is really great. It adds a real extra layer of complexity for Dan Morgan, played by Mark Walhberg, of course. And he, without any kind of spoilers, he becomes a part of the family, so to speak. He’s just a terrific actor. And I don’t know, there’s just something about British actors, they’re just better. They are! They’re very grounded, I find, in their work, and they just really embody and really commit to whatever they do, and he’s just no different than that.
In the first film, you mentioned that you valued improvisation during some scenes and the director said that you were very good at it. Were you able to have that same sense of freedom in the sequel?
Absolutely. It’s beautiful. Our director is Simon Cellan Jones. He directed the first and now the second. He’s a wonderful comedic director, and he really understands tone. And moreover, he really trusts the actors. And when he saw that Mark and I, we were in a car on a road trip. We were in a car a lot together. And when he saw that there was kind of this natural dynamic that was happening during the scenes and kind of when the cameras weren’t rolling, he just said, “You know, improv this and we’ll utilize it.” So, we understood each other’s kind of processes and we really leaned into that, even on the first day I think of Family Plan, the first one, and so we got to do that again. But I still always get very nervous when somebody says, “Okay, improv!” Everything in my body tightens, even though I’ve been doing it for a long time. It’s still very kind of nerve-wracking because you put this immediate pressure on yourself to try to be clever and funny. And the reality is, when you’re working with such professionals, they’ll always have your back. Robert Downey Jr. was the first one who taught me how to improv, actually, on Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. He said, this was a long time ago, but we were gearing up and they were rolling cameras, and he said, “Okay, we’re gonna improv this one.’” And I was like, “Improv, what’s that?” And he says, “It means we’re not gonna say the words that Shane [Black] wrote.” And I was like, “Oh my gosh.” And then from that moment on, I went on to improv, I think on The Heartbreak Kid with Ben Stiller. He’s brilliant at it. Vince Vaughn, another terrific comic and someone with comedic timing. I find that for me it’s a great muscle to flex when asked to do it, that I just really try to lean into it.
I want to talk about The White Lotus for a minute, and particularly your character, Jaclyn Lemon. Because there was a mix of fame and insecurity, and yet yearning for validation. How did you approach her as a character?
That’s a great question. I was actually really nervous to play Jaclyn Lemon. There was a part of me that thought, “I don’t know if I can do this,” because it honestly felt really close to the bone, because I’m an actor. That’s my profession. This is what I do. And I had a great deal of fear around making it too cliche. And also finding that balance of what audiences love about White Lotus was just kind of, a little bit, cliche, but also making her grounded and real. And so, it was really diving deep with Mike [White] about kind of the subtext and the nuance and where he really wanted me to kind of push the envelope in turn in terms of her neuroses, and also working with him to kind of find the quiet moments. For me, it’s such a blessing to get to work with somebody like Mike White, who really, even though he’s such a wonderful writer and we respect his writing so much, he also, because he’s an actor as well, he really appreciates the nonverbal moments. And so, you can really talk to him about, like, “This is the moment where I want to see her, where we really see the facade all come off!” And we work together, finding those moments. I also sometimes in my roles—not all the time—I use animal symbolism. I’ve used it a few times for inspiration because I was really looking for it beyond what was on the page. For me, [Jaclyn Lemon] was a butterfly. And so, I try to use a lot of butterfly behavior. In terms of choosing a wardrobe that kind of “floated,” that kind of stayed in the room long after she left it. She comes in, she creates a flutter, a little chaos. Also, butterflies are short-lived. And I liked the idea of tying that into her fear of being an actor and feeling like maybe her career was going to be short-lived. And so that was something that actually gave me a lot of inspiration for finding layers and inwardly. And also the way that she kind of presents herself to the world.
The trio of Jaclyn, Laurie and Kate is a close yet a very complicated friend group. What is your understanding of their long-term friendship and how did you try to capture that on screen in such an authentic way?
Well, first of all, Carrie [Coon, who plays Laurie Duffy] and Leslie [Bibb, who plays Kate Bohr] are amazing. I’ll just start off by saying we did a lot of water aerobics, I’m not gonna lie. When we first got to Thailand, we kicked off production. It was just the three of us to start with, and Mike. And you know, none of us had worked together, none of us had really met each other. But we’re all women, and we’re all very familiar with female friendship and the dynamics of that. And we were really excited that Mike had so, kind of, astutely was shining a light on it and felt kind of very real. And we talked a lot about, I guess we all kind of had our own sort of version of it. But I love the idea that these women, the dynamic shifts and changes so much throughout the week that they’re together, each episode in terms of, sometimes in a trifecta of relationships, there’s this theory or this idea that one’s the aggressor, one’s the victim, and then one’s kind of the peacemaker. And so, I really leaned into that and used that when we were all together with each scene. I would sort of just kind of figure out how that dynamic would start in the arc. And sometimes it shifted rapidly throughout the actual scene. And I just thought that there were just so many different layers of that dynamic that we were able to play with, and I think the way in which it resolves itself feels very authentic. Because I have really long-term relationships going back to my best friend who’s still in Iowa—she’s a schoolteacher we have very different life experiences, but we have this foundation that really matters—and I think that monologue that was performed so beautifully by my co-star, Carrie Coon, and written of course by Mike White, is very spot-on. Because I think that we often are socially culturally conditioned to compare ourselves as women, and judge ourselves against each other, and it’s really hard to see clearly, sort of, the things that we haven’t done. We don’t necessarily look at ourselves in the mirror and go “Oh wow, I’ve just, like, nailed it today! I killed it this week!” I think we put a lot of pressure on ourselves. And I think that we see in this dynamic that this exists. I think, what my takeaway is, I hope that people can see themselves and ask themselves, “How do we perpetuate this as women or as a society, and why do we endure it, and how can we change it?” And so that was just something that in terms of tying that up—I know I’ve gone on a bit, I apologize—but in terms of tying up that arc and just seeing these women see each other, kind of seeing each other for the first time, and hoping that they’ll show a little bit more grace.
Fans are, I would say, split on Jaclyn. Some see her as very relatable, other people see her as toxic. What’s one thing that audiences maybe are missing or misunderstand about her as a character?
Oh, that’s good. I mean, first of all, I’ve done my job if we’re all a little bit on the fence. There were moments, of course, that I look at her as someone who is very relatable, in fact. And I think she’s looking for a lot of validation in her life, and she doesn’t get it where she needs it, and so she goes looking for it in all the wrong places. And I think that she’s someone that is very impulsive. And I think a lot of people can relate to that. I think that there was a lot of controversy around her making that decision to have this evening with Valentine. And I mean, believe me, my phone blew up. I had a lot of friends going, “Woo-hoo! Go Jaclyn!” Then I had a lot of people going, “Oh my God.” So there were a lot of unhappy campers with that. But I think what we created, Mike and I, in our story, was that she and her husband, they were in an open relationship. So I think for her it wasn’t really a big deal. And I think for her it didn’t feel like infidelity. I think that she was just having fun and she hit the button and for the night. And I always imagined that Jaclyn was gonna get up that morning and tell the girls all about it. Be like, “Guess what?” Because that’s the kind of gal that Jaclyn was. But they kind of beat her to the punch. And when she gets caught at the pool, she realizes that she’s done some serious damage and she’s gotta now pick up the pieces. And so that was the way in which I kind of approached the role. As a performer, I never judge my characters. And I think you’ll hear actors, most actors will say that. But I always want them to be kind of understood. So, if you have your own life experience that you bring to the character, you’re going to be moved by it in some way or fashion. And that means I’ve done my job, whether you like her or not, you know, a character or not, you want to be able to kind of see your life experience through that person, I suppose. If that answers your question.
Talk about True Detective for a second.
Oh my gosh, we can talk about it all.
So Matthew McConaughey has said he would be open to reprising his role in True Detective. Woody Harrelson has said no. Would you be open to reprising your role if the season was rebooted?
Yeah. I mean, I think Matthew and I need to sit down, and Woody, and tell him to rethink that answer. You know, that was such a special project. Also, as a reminder, that was one of the first shows, when I look back at it, I remember the conversations around deciding to do that series. TV wasn’t TV at that time. There was a real stigma about doing TV if you were someone known for doing film. And I remember that was a big deal that Matthew took on this HBO series. And I remember doing the Zoom. It was a Zoom, even like pre-Zoom. It was called something else. I can’t even remember what it was called then. We did a Skype. Where is Skype now? Wow. But I remember doing a Skype with Cary Fukunaga and Nic Pizzolatto, and I think Matthew may have been on the Zoom. I don’t know. But I remember just being so taken with the writing. I’d read the first four episodes and it just was unlike anything that I had read before. And it was that kind of show that while in the midst of making it—[it] doesn’t always happen like this—but you could feel like it was palpable that we were making something special. It felt really, you know, heavy and intense, but in a very good way. And, of course, it was quite dark, but everybody really inhabited those roles, those characters, that story. The fact that Cary Fukunaga, much like Mike White, directed every single scene with Nic Pizzolatto’s writing, it was just, it was extraordinary. And so, it was one of the projects that I, when I saw it in the final stage, I had a full appreciation of the cast, crew, post-production, because everything was firing on all cylinders. The editing, the cinematography, the sound, the music. And I went, “Wow, this is art.” And I got it. And by that time, I’d already been working quite a long time. But that project really meant something for me professionally. I have a lot of respect for it, just the respect of —the appreciation, the collaboration—from all the different departments of people of what it takes to make a finished product.
So let’s talk about Mission Impossible for a moment. What were your memories of working with Tom Cruise on this iconic franchise?
It’s unbelievable. I mean, not to name drop, but you name dropped him first. I just got to see him the other night, at a function prior to him being honored at the Governor’s Awards, and we were at a dinner, and I got another chance to say thank you. J.J. Abrams was there, and I was like, “Thank you.” That movie changed my life. And that movie came about because I got cut out of a movie called Constantine with Keanu Reeves, and Francis Lawrence happened to be good friends with J.J. Abrams, and said, “I know you’re looking for an actor to play alongside the new Mission movie, I’ve got some scenes on the cutting room floor of this gal, Michelle Monaghan. She’s a great actress.” J.J. looked at it. He said, “Oh, I’ll bring her in for an audition.” And I got the job. I mean, talk about everything happening for a reason. And getting to work alongside Tom changed me at the very beginning of my career. It informed the entire way that I approach being on a film set. You’ve heard this time and time again, but he is a true leader and someone that values and respects each individual on a production and elevates everyone’s performance. And not just from an actor’s point of view, but everybody brings their best game. And it was such an inspiring period of my life. Cause again, I was at the beginning, I was still learning how to learn my mark. And in fact, I said to J.J. Abrams the other night, it was on Friday night. I said, “You gave me some of the best direction. It was quite simple.” And he’s like, “I was a baby.” He’s like, “I can’t believe they let me direct that movie.” And it was so sweet because he was so humble. And I was like, “But you were an amazing director.” He’s like, “I know it all worked out, but my God, look at us now.” And I said, “Remember, I had to do the action sequence, and it’s toward the end, and I’ve got the gun in my hand, and I’m sliding down the wall.” And I said, “You just gave me the best direction. It made me look so cool! I have to say thank you.” And he’s like, “What is it?” And he’s like, “Michelle, put your chin down and put your eyes up, really slow.” I watched that movie with my son last year. I was like, “Oh my God, I gotta go through life with my chin down and my eyes up and just like sliding around. But it was just that simple. I was learning basic things about, little ways that you can add layers to your performance, like learning my mark. You learn everyone’s name on a set. It’s something that I hold in deep. I write a thank you to everyone on set. Things like that, that were the way in which Tom leads. And so his enthusiasm for the craft, as much as he runs, I’m like, “I want to run like Tom Cruise.” You know? It’s been an amazing project and franchise to be a part of. And then also, to get to continue on with Christopher McQuarrie, who I love and adore. And in [Mission Impossible 6] and I just love that final scene that Julia and Ethan have together in [Mission Impossible 6]. It was very fulfilling and validating for me.
It was announced recently that you’re going to be starring in a new Netflix series about hockey, set in Minnesota. What can you tell us about the series?
Gosh, guys, I am so excited. I did not know me as a hockey coach was on my bingo card. I really didn’t. What I can tell you is that it is based on our show’s creator, Nick Naveda. Trey Edward Schults is going to be directing. He’s a fantastic director. If you haven’t seen his work, please, I encourage you to see it. He’s incredible. It’s being produced by Shawn Levy, 21 Laps Entertainment. I’m thoroughly excited for this project. It’s based, kind of, on actual events and some sort-of-true events. It takes place in a fictional town in northern Minnesota. My husband, who is the current hockey coach, passes away in a tragic accident. And I really step into his shoes, so to speak. I take this high school hockey team on a journey, and alongside that, a town, a small town, on a journey of healing and grieving and just sort of rising to the occasion. It is extremely emotional and heartfelt and beautiful and real. When I read it, I was so moved. They pitched it to me, and I’ve never cried in a pitch. And this pitch made me, it really took me to a place where, by the end of it, I was like, “Yeah, I have to make this.” And it’s funny because, I went home, and I told my husband, and I was like, “Gosh, honey, I grew up in a town of 700 people. And in rural Iowa, community is everything. And my graduating class was 39 people. It was kind of like Friday Night Lights. It was about football and wrestling. And I still spend a lot of time in the Midwest. My parents, all my family’s still there. That foundation means something to me. And so to be able to kind of now get to go back and revisit that at this stage in my life and kind of be a leader. Hopefully professionally, hopefully personally, I don’t know, it feels like a very full-circle moment. I’m admittedly very nervous. I start prep next week. I don’t know a lot about hockey, and I don’t know how to ice skate. So this is me being vulnerable. But I like to work hard, so you’ll see me out on that ice, but I feel very honored that I get to tell the story.
I would love for you to talk a little bit about how you’ve been able to balance a successful career in Hollywood with being a family woman.
Oh my gosh, it’s so hard. It’s really hard. I have an incredible partner in life, my husband. We’ve been together for 25 years. He is my best friend. I love him like no other. And I could not—I say this to him all the time, because it is so true—I could never have the success that I have had in this industry if it wasn’t for him supporting me. Truly. I mean, we have two wonderful children, and if I didn’t feel like they were comfortable at home and thriving at home while I kind of go off and do this crazy job, I wouldn’t. I wouldn’t be doing this crazy job. I’m also very fortunate that he works for himself. He’s a founder. He has an eczema skin care brand called Herbitual. And so he can work from home, and he can travel a lot. And we’ve really tried to nurture this idea of within our family, we get to do these things. Mommy gets to get on a plane to go to London or Albuquerque [New Mexico]. We all get to get on this plane and go and have this adventure. So it’s really about perspective. And that doesn’t make it easier on me. I miss my children terribly. It’s exhausting traveling back and forth so I can be there. I sacrifice also a lot of things. But I also have to know that both things can coexist. You can’t have it all at once. You can’t. I’m literally going through it right now where I was like, “Wait, I said I was gonna take some time off.” I was, and now this like dream gig just landed in my lap. And I can hear my dad, he’s a farmer, “Make hay while the sun shines, honey!” You know? And so, it requires not just a conversation with my husband, it requires a family conversation, because my children are old enough to have that conversation, and what it means to them. I realized that I was missing out. I’m like, “Okay, they’re doing good, he’s doing good.” And then one day I was like, “Wait, but I’m not doing good. My cup’s not being filled.” So, I had to figure out a way creatively to make that life-work balance work with this particular upcoming job. So I didn’t have to sacrifice any more time with them. And those things require asking for things that you need, that are also fair. And so, for women, I think in the workplace, that’s really hard for us to do. But also, you know when you need something. You know also when you’ve earned it and you deserve it. And people will work with you to figure things out. I find that, even with great success comes the next ladder of challenges, you know. It’s a constant conversation and communication that I have with my family, but also my team. When I say “Please do not pick up that phone and call me while I am on vacation.” It’s in constant flux, that work life balance. But I think that that rings true for any parent in any industry.