Michelle Monaghan attends "The Family Plan 2" World Premiere at the Curzon Mayfair on November 11, 2025 in London, England. Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images Share on Facebook Share on X Google Preferred Share to Flipboard Show additional share options Share on LinkedIn Share on Pinterest Share on Reddit Share on Tumblr Share on Whats App Send an Email Print the Article Post a Comment Logo text "Where in the world is Michelle Monaghan?" has been a recurring question of late. The actor has been jet-setting all over the globe the last couple years, beginning with The White Lotus season three in Thailand. As she often does, she turned her experience on the critically acclaimed HBO series into a family affair, as her husband and two children joined her in Southeast Asia for their own off-camera adventure. And within a few months of wrapping, the Iowa native departed for The Family Plan 2's London and Paris-based shoot where her family proceeded to meet up with her once more for a holiday season in the U.K. Related Stories Movies 'The Family Plan 2' Review: Mark Wahlberg and Michelle Monaghan in a Dumb-Fun Sequel That Clears a Low Bar TV Michelle Monaghan to Lead High School Hockey Drama at Netflix Written by David Coggeshall and directed by Simon Cellan Jones, 2023's The Family Plan quickly became Apple TV's most-watched original film at the time, earning a fast-tracked sequel that just hit the streaming platform less than two years after the original's release. The now-franchise chronicles the Morgan family, specifically Dan (Mark Wahlberg) and Jessica (Monaghan), as well as their three kids. In the first film, Dan's former life as a covert assassin catches up to him, prompting a last-minute family road trip across the United States. Dan tries to fend off his former cohorts without having to reveal his true identity to his family, but he eventually has to come clean so that everyone can fight the good fight together. That group effort continues overseas in the sequel, as the Morgans travel internationally to be with their daughter/sister Nina (Zoe Colletti) who's studying abroad during the holidays. What makes both Family Plan films so entertaining is that neither is strictly the Mark Wahlberg show. The entire family gets to take center stage as heroes, and similar to Monaghan's three-time co-star Tom Cruise, Wahlberg makes a point to elevate his castmates. For example, there's a foot chase in the sequel where Monaghan's former decathlete character outpaces him by a wide margin in an alleyway. On top of that, the family eventually embarks on a wild car chase in Paris while Wahlberg's character literally takes a backseat after being drugged. The Morgan family's involvement in the action was certainly a key part of the appeal for Monaghan, but most of all, she wanted to be able to offer her own family a type of family-oriented film that her filmography lacks. "I've done a wide range of work in my career, but I can count on one hand the number of projects that my kids can actually watch," Monaghan tells The Hollywood Reporter. "So The Family Plan allowed me to sit them down and say, 'Hey, Mom made this. We can all watch it together. You don't have to wait three or four more years before I say it's okay.'" Speaking of Cruise, Monaghan recently reunited with her Mission: Impossible franchise co-star at a dinner celebrating the honorary Oscar he was slated to receive at the Governors Awards on Nov. 16. She also reconnected with her Mission: Impossible III director J.J. Abrams, as well as producer Paula Wagner. The evening granted Monaghan the chance to express her gratitude to Cruise for the last 20 years. "I said thank you to [Tom] for the impact that he's not only had on this industry as a whole, but also on so many individual careers, most certainly mine. He's such a champion and cheerleader for everyone," Monaghan shares. "He's completely incomparable. So for him to be honored - and to see that kind of recognition go to somebody who's so deeply deserving of it - it was really heartwarming for everybody within the industry." Below, during a recent conversation with THR, Monaghan also discusses her hope for a Family Plan trilogy, before looking back on another lasting friendship of hers that ties back to Mission: Impossible III. *** Between The Family Plan 2 and The White Lotus, you've had quite the globe-trotting adventure the last couple years. Oh my God, I really have. It's been amazing. Michelle Monaghan in The White Lotus season three. Fabio Lovino/HBO Both stories involve rather eventful vacations. When you go on your own vacations now, do you find them to be incredibly dull by comparison? (Laughs.) That's so funny. We do try to make the most of our vacations, but yeah, there's a lot less drama, let's just put it that way. My family joined me in Thailand for about three months while we were shooting The White Lotus there, and thankfully, I've got a pretty adventurous family. We all got diving certificates, and