Mission: Impossible－Rogue Nation has won great success in the Chinese box office since its premiere in early September. The spy thriller, starring Tom Cruise and Rebecca Ferguson, features many sensational fight sequences.[Photo provided to China Daily]

"I was in the chase-car and thought for sure we were going to drive off a cliff. We were going very fast ... I was more worried for myself during the chase," he says.

The real stunts set Mission: Impossible franchise apart from many Hollywood action thrillers that heavily rely on computer-generated imagery.

"There are few, if any, actors willing to go as far as Tom is in the name of on-screen realism," says the director, who has worked with Cruise in three previous films, including Valkyrie and Jack Reacher.

"While there is certainly a villain who presents a greater threat, we focused on the emotional connection between Ethan and the people around him," McQuarrie says.

When asked about his impression of Chinese actress Zhang Jingchu, who shows up as a CIA agent for a few seconds, McQuarrie calls her a "great presence" in the film.

"She is absolutely lovely. There was so much more I wanted to do with her character, but sadly, there just wasn't the time," he says.

Amid the rising wave of international cooperation in movie circles, one of the most frequently asked questions is about Hollywood's secret to conquering international markets regardless of culture and language.

McQuarrie, who won the Oscar for best original screenplay for The Usual Suspects (1995), gives his answer: "People have always loved and always will love a good story. And we are in the business of making dreams come true."