Josh Holloway says that he was supposed to die a horror movie-esque death in the original script for Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol.

“In the original script, Paula Patton comes out and finds me dying, but I’m not dead yet. And then I start to whisper her the codes and I die,” Hollow revealed (via The Hollywood Reporter). “So she has to cut me open, put her hand up in my heart, re-pump my heart, and make me come back alive. Then I tell her the codes, and she lets me die again.”

Holloway’s Trevor Hanaway is killed in the first few moments of the film by assassin Sabine Moreau (Lea Seydoux), who steals Russian nuclear launch codes to sell to a man named Cobalt (Michael Nyqvist). He’s found by his handler, Jane (Patton), in a heartbreaking scene.

Continued Holloway: “We filmed it. We did that and, after they watched it, they said, ‘It’s just too harsh,’ and, ‘The audience is going to hate Paula because she revives you to get information, and then lets you die again, and you’re supposed to be in love.'”

The reveal comes alongside Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, which is potentially Tom Cruise’s last outing as IMF Agent Ethan Hunt. Holloway can be seen next in Duster, a 1970s mob drama created by J.J. Abrams and LaToya Morgan.

Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning is in theaters now. For more, check out our list of the most exciting upcoming movies in 2025 and beyond, or, check out our list of movie release dates.