What is the name of the character played by Thandiwe Newton in Mission: Impossible II?

Thandiwe Newton played Nyah Nordoff-Hall in Mission: Impossible 2. Nyah is a professional thief whom Ethan Hunt recruits to help trace rogue IMF agent Sean Ambrose and recover a deadly genetically modified disease.

Released in 2000, the sequel was directed by John Woo and follows Ethan’s mission in Australia and Spain. Nyah’s criminal expertise is essential because she has a past relationship with Ambrose and can infiltrate his circle. Her personal history creates the film’s emotional tension: she must work with Ethan while confronting someone who once trusted and loved her.

Newton was credited as Thandie Newton when the film was made; she later returned to using her birth name, Thandiwe Newton, professionally. This credit difference can cause confusion in cast lists, but both names refer to the same actress. Nyah is also easy to confuse with later Mission: Impossible characters: Julia Meade appears in the third film, Alanna Mitsopolis in Fallout, and Ilsa Faust beginning in Rogue Nation. Mission: Impossible 2 also stars Tom Cruise, Dougray Scott, Richard Roxburgh, and Ving Rhames.