Former CIA chief of disguise says iconic masks know-how utilized in “Mission: Not possible – The Ultimate Reckoning” is not simply Hollywood fiction

Hollywood spy methods aren’t completely fiction, in keeping with former CIA chief of disguise Jonna Mendez.

Throughout an interview on “CBS Mornings” on Wednesday, Mendez mentioned among the high-tech espionage depicted within the Tom Cruise motion collection “Mission Not possible” utilizing masks that enable characters to dramatically peel off life like facial disguises has real-world parallels.

“The thought of a masks that you could possibly rapidly placed on, rapidly take off was very actual,” she mentioned. “We used it with some discretion, however we used it once we wanted it and acquired nice outcomes.”

Mendez mentioned that the CIA developed masks able to altering an agent’s obvious gender and ethnicity. She mentioned she personally demonstrated this know-how to President George H.W. Bush and different high-ranking officers, together with Brent Scowcroft, Bob Gates, and John Sununu — none of whom acknowledged her till she eliminated the disguise.

“Nobody had any concept till I took it off,” Mendez mentioned. She added that solely Decide William H. Webster, then head of the CIA, knew concerning the demonstration upfront.

The masks had been remarkably life like, in keeping with Mendez. 

“You wouldn’t discover except you advised a extremely hysterical joke and the particular person could not snicker hysterically,” she mentioned, noting that the disguises had some limitations, however may handle a smile.

The brokers may even apply these masks with out mirrors in as little as 10 seconds, even “in a parking storage and not using a mirror at midnight.”

When requested concerning the self-destructing messages depicted within the movies, Mendez was extra circumspect. 

“I do not know that we have tried that,” she mentioned. “There are numerous methods to convey a message. The exploding machine is just one, and I feel we’ve got not. Perhaps we’ve not mastered that but.”

“Mission: Not possible – The Ultimate Reckoning” is distributed by Paramount Photos, which is a subsidiary of Paramount International, CBS Information’ mum or dad firm.  The movie hits theaters on Friday, Could 23.